Cornell University Library Partners with the Internet Archive, press release, December 15, 2009. Comment. Compare, e.g., Yale, where digitization funded at the same time under the same Microsoft program but whose books have yet to find their way online.

Groupement Français de l'Industrie de l'Information (French Association of Electronic Information Industry), Recommendations of the GFII Working Group on Open Access, December 4, 2009.

The PARSE.Insight project released its report on its survey of researchers, publishers, and data managers on permanent access to scientific data and publications, including questions on data sharing and OA. Heather Morrison released the year-end update to her Dramatic Growth of Open Access series. The Wellcome Library, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and King's College London will digitize and provide OA to 500 Islamic manuscripts.

Steve Kolowich, Open Access Encyclopedias, Inside Higher Ed, December 14, 2009.

The Université Libre de Bruxelles held elections to its Conseil d’administration (administrative council) last week. One electoral group, ACA-Interfac, included the following in its platform: The director of the university library responded in a blog post, including the statement that According to the results posted by the university, the group won 2 seats out of 7.

Lyon has released its digitization contract with Google (Google translation), which it had previously argued was confidential. OASPA explains why it admitted BMJ and Oxford University Press, as well as other questions about membership. Chad Hutchens discusses including OA resources in library catalogs. A recent conference paper profiles the IR at the University of the Andes.

The latest issue of ScieCom Info is now available.

Diane DiEuliis and Robynn Sturm, Policy Forum on Public Access to Federally Funded Research: Implementation, OSTP Blog, December 10, 2009.

Culture a Mouse Click Away in Digital Library, German Missions in the United States, December 3, 2009.

Columbia University Commits to Open-Access Publication Compact, press release, December 11, 2009. See also our past post on Columbia joining COPE.

Last year, Finland's 26 universities of Applied Sciences launched a consortial OA repository (Theseus.fi) and in October they adopted a joint OA mandate.  Excerpt: Comments This is, by far, the largest set of institutions to adopt a joint OA mandate.  Kudos to the Rectors' Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (ARENE ry) for making it happen.