Harvard Journals Now Free

How ironic that the newspapers are raising prices.

"Harvard panel pushes benefits of free journals; Costly publications targeted" by Carolyn Y. Johnson Globe Staff / April 28, 2012

Harvard may be the world’s wealthiest university, but fees for its academic journal subscriptions have gotten so steep - some as much as $40,000 a year - that an advisory council is encouraging faculty to submit their work to “open access’’ online journals that are available for free.

The council also asked Harvard faculty to consider resigning from the editorial boards of the high-priced subscription publications and to urge professional associations to “take control’’ of scholarly literature in their fields.

In a memo sent to faculty last week, the council called the rising prices of journals, which connect researchers with cutting-edge ideas and findings, “untenable,’’ “fiscally unsustainable,’’ and “academically restrictive.’’ It is a sentiment being aired by scholars and universities around the world as academic libraries struggle with rising costs....

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"Harvard, MIT plan free Web classes; Schools hope $60 million initiative will be research boon" by Mary Carmichael Globe Staff / May 3, 2012

The Harvard-MIT move - an altruistic giveaway, a potential research bonanza, and an audacious bet on the future of higher education all in one - instantly made the schools preeminent players in the burgeoning worldwide online education sector. The venture joins several major start-ups in recent months across the country....

Can you believe that I once thought newspapers were altruistic and interested in serving the public good?

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