<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Dear colleagues, <div><br></div><div>I will add to the voice of André. The International Mathematical Union (IMU) and the International COuncil of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM) are precisely nominating a Committee to study the pricing of journals. And this committee will look at the IMU blog on journals <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><a href="http://blog.mathunion.org/journals/">http://blog.mathunion.org/journals/</a></span></div><div><br></div><div>So it is best to put your contributions on this blog. </div><div><br></div><div>Best wishes, Christiane </div><div><br><div><div>Le 2012-01-27 à 15:20, Joyal, André a écrit :</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">
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<title>RE : [cmath] Campaign against Elsevier</title>
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<!-- Converted from text/plain format --><p><font size="2">Dear Tomasz Kaczynski and colleagues,<br>
<br>
You wrote,<br>
<br>
> a fundamental discussion on public research and<br>
> authors rights versus publisher's rights is due<br>
<br>
The International Mathematical Union (IMU) has a blog for that:<br>
<br>
<a href="http://blog.mathunion.org/journals/">http://blog.mathunion.org/journals/</a><br>
<br>
Certainly, we should continue discussing but<br>
there is a need for concrete action.<br>
<br>
David Savitt wrote (<a href="http://thecostofknowledge.com">http://thecostofknowledge.com</a>):<br>
<br>
> Certainly one can debate whether Elsevier is the right specific target,<br>
> but I do think that if one wants to build some sort of movement,<br>
> it’s best to start out in a relatively specific way.<br>
> Targeting a particular bad behavior in a broad way may leave so few alternatives<br>
> as to be impractical for many individuals, and if individuals can’t make a pledge and stick to it<br>
> then one isn’t going to get anywhere. You also have to ask, pragmatically,<br>
> what’s going to get a large number of people to participate? A<br>
> high-minded commitment to a broad principle takes much more effort than a boycott<br>
> of a specific company.<br>
<br>
Best regards,<br>
André<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
-------- Message d'origine--------<br>
De: <a href="mailto:cmath-bounces@cms.math.ca">cmath-bounces@cms.math.ca</a> de la part de Tomasz Kaczynski<br>
Date: ven. 27/01/2012 11:44<br>
À: Nassif Ghoussoub; CMath E-Mail Distribution List<br>
Cc: <a href="mailto:department@math.ubc.ca">department@math.ubc.ca</a>; Profs-Math<br>
Objet : Re: [cmath] Campaign against Elsevier<br>
<br>
Dear Nassif, Dear colleagues,<br>
<br>
I am sympathetic with voices of deception with current publishing <br>
practices but I don't know why this attack is explicitly on Elsevier, <br>
while<br>
<br>
1. The problem is general and it concerns all leading scientific <br>
publishers, with Elsevier ex aequo Springer. Please see this paper <br>
which appeared in The Guardian online half an year ago:<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/29/academic-publishers-murdoch-socialist">http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/29/academic-publishers-murdoch-socialist</a><br>
<br>
For example, in the blog one says about "bundles" of Elsevier: From <br>
2010 on, our library has been pushed to purchase a bundle of All <br>
Springer electronic books in Math, leaving not too much funds for <br>
books from other publishers. Another example, Elsevier charges $ <br>
31.40/paper, Springer $34.95.<br>
<br>
2. The article cited above presents objections which are more <br>
fundamental in nature than charging high prices: it is about <br>
monopolizing the knowledge acquired from public funds. But it occurred <br>
to me that actually Elsevier is the Publisher who's attitude to <br>
Author's Rights e.g. concerning the free on-line distribution of <br>
author's own preprints seems to be the most flexible, see this new <br>
reformed policy:<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorsview.authors/rights">http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorsview.authors/rights</a><br>
<br>
In the view of this policy, the author may not only keep a preprint on <br>
his web page (or in arxiv) but even update it by incorporating <br>
suggestions from referees (who also are paid from public funds, not by <br>
the Publisher) provided there is no involvement of the Publisher's <br>
team in producing the preprint version. So, regardless of how much <br>
Elsevier charges for their final version, whether or not the public <br>
research is publically released, depends on US, THE AUTHORS, not only <br>
on the Publisher.<br>
<br>
I do not find such transparent statements from other publishers, and I <br>
think that many authors feel intimidated by journals' copyright <br>
policies. How many authors can afford purchasing the Open Access <br>
option? Those who do, are they the best authors or best-financed <br>
authors? I see that many publications of scientific Societies and <br>
Consortiums such as IEEE or, why search so far, our CMS, are also a <br>
kind of "Sesame: show open" ;-)<br>
<br>
To recapitulate this, I believe that a fundamental discussion on <br>
public research and authors rights versus publisher's rights is due <br>
rather than blasting one selected publisher.<br>
<br>
Best regards,<br>
Tomasz<br>
<br>
--<br>
Tomasz Kaczynski<br>
Departement de mathematiques<br>
Universite de Sherbrooke<br>
Sherbrooke, Qc, Canada<br>
<br>
<br>
Quoting Nassif Ghoussoub <<a href="mailto:nassif@math.ubc.ca">nassif@math.ubc.ca</a>>:<br>
<br>
> Dear all,<br>
><br>
> This is to inform you about a campaign to boycott Elsevier launched <br>
> by Timothy Gowers on his blog<br>
><br>
> <a href="http://gowers.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/elsevier-my-part-in-its-downfall/">http://gowers.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/elsevier-my-part-in-its-downfall/</a><br>
><br>
> You can participate if you wish by going to the webpage "Cost of knowledge"<br>
><br>
> <a href="http://thecostofknowledge.com/">http://thecostofknowledge.com/</a><br>
><br>
><br>
> Nassif Ghoussoub<br>
> <a href="http://nghoussoub.com/">http://nghoussoub.com/</a><br>
><br>
><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div><div>Christiane Rousseau</div><div>Département de mathématiques et de statistique <br>Université de Montréal<br>C.P. 6128, succ. Centre-ville<br>Montréal, Qc, H3C 3J7<br>Tél: 514 343-7729, <br>Télec: 514 343-5700<br><a href="mailto:rousseac@dms.umontreal.ca">rousseac@dms.umontreal.ca</a><br><a href="http://www.dms.umontreal.ca/~rousseac">www.dms.umontreal.ca/~rousseac</a></div></div><div><br></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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