The Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance has strengthened its OA policy from a request to a requirement. (Thanks to Jim Till.) From the old policy (adopted April 2007): From the new policy (revised April 2009): Comments In addition to the new language mandating deposit in the OA repository, the new policy encourages grantees to retain the right to authorize OA through the repository. Kudos to all involved.
Mark Rutherford, Reading machine to snoop on Web, CNet News, June 27, 2009. (Thanks to ResourceShelf.) Update . Also see our past posts on open source intelligence.
The Open Data Commons has released version 1.0 of the Open Database License (ODbL). From today's announcement: PS: Also see our past posts on the Open Database License --and our past posts on the Science Commons alternative (Protocol for Implementing Open Access Data), which favors the unrestricted public domain over open licenses for data.
Sweden became the first country to pledge funding to ELIXIR, an ambitious European project to preserve and provide OA to biological data.
Charles W. Bailey, Jr., A Look Back at Twenty Years as an Internet Open Access Publisher, June 28, 2009. Excerpt: Also see the abridgment, A Brief Look Back at Twenty Years as an Internet Open Access Publisher, June 28, 2009.
Laurent Romary and Chris Armbruster, Beyond Institutional Repositories, a preprint, self-archived June 26, 2009.
Finland's National Electronic Library (FinELib) has joined the CERN SCOAP3 project.
The Australian government has appointed Brian Fitzgerald to its Government 2.0 Taskforce, which is charged with opening access to non-sensitive government information. Fitzgerald is the head of the Queensland University of Technology Open Access to Knowledge Law Project. Also see our past posts on Fitzgerald and his OA work, and our post on the launch of the Government 2.0 Taskforce.
Richard Poynder, Open Access and the A-Bomb, Open and Shut? June 22, 2009.
University of Kansas, KU becomes first U.S. public university to pass an open access policy, press release, June 26, 2009. (Thanks to A. Townsend Peterson.) Via email: The policy was approved by the Faculty Senate on April 30, 2009; by the Provost on May 19; and by the Chancellor on May 22. From the text of the policy: Comment. The university's press release is a bit misleading.
Peter Eckersley, Finding a fair price for free knowledge, New Scientist, June 24, 2009.