[OSGeo-Discuss] Sign New Public Access Petition

[Jeroen Ticheler]

This is a message forwarded from BOAI, to sign a petition to support  
public
access to research funded by the US government. Please take a moment  
to sign
it, since this is one way to assure that we have open access to our
important research.

Jeroen Ticheler

-------------------

Dear Friends,

Momentum for public access to publicly funded research reached a  
height last
month with the celebration of a National Day of Action by students  
across
the U.S. and the presentation of over 21,000 individual and  
organizational
signatures to the European Union's Commissioner for Science and  
Research.

To build on this momentum, several leading American organizations -
representing libraries, health groups, students, and consumers - are  
jointly
supporting a Petition for Public Access to Publicly Funded Research  
in the
United States.

This petition, which is open to supporters around the world, will
demonstrate clearly to U.S. policymakers the depth and breadth of  
support
for access to federally funded research in the United States.
As U.S. lawmakers consider policies and legislation to advance public
access, it is critical that supporters step forward and be counted.

Even if you signed the European petition, it's important that you  
sign the
U.S. petition as well. Here's why:
The European Commission petition was written explicitly to support
Recommendation A1 of the EC's Study on the Economic and Technical  
Evolution
of the Scientific Publication Markets of Europe.

The U.S. petition is written to support public access to research  
funded by
the U.S. government as well as the reintroduction and passage of the  
Federal
Research Public Access Act.

The U.S. petition collects state-specific information, which is  
essential to
making the case for public access to individual lawmakers.
The Petition for Public Access to Publicly Funded Research in the United
States (http://www.publicaccesstoresearch.org) is open to individuals  
and
organizations of all types. If you are a researcher whose work is  
funded by
the federal government, your signature is especially important since it
shows that you want your work to be shared and used.

Please distribute this message and invite your members, friends, and
colleagues to sign the petition immediately in order that as much  
progress
as possible may be made in the 110th Congress.

Sincerely,

Heather Joseph

Executive Director, SPARC

P.S. - Please don't delay. Visit (http://
www.publicaccesstoresearch.org) now and add your name to the list of  
public
access supporters. Then ask your friends and colleagues to do the same.

SPARC | 21 Dupont Circle NW, Ste. 800 | Washington, DC 20036 |
www.arl.org/sparc

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