UK - Public libraries get online access to research journals

[Bob]

UK

Public libraries get online access to research journals
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25981183

Hundreds of thousands of research journal articles are to be made available on computers in public libraries.

The Access to Research initiative will give the public access to articles on health, biological research, engineering and social sciences for the first time.

More than 8,000 journals from around the world are included.
...
Several major publishers have signed up to Access to Research, meaning their material will be available free, but only when viewed by computer terminals in public libraries.

It isn't clear about the date that access will be available.

 

[Bob]

A bit more info here:

Access to Research Initiative Makes Journal Research Free to Public
By Mercy Pilkington
http://goodereader.com/blog/digital...tiative-makes-journal-research-free-to-public

According to a press release, “Access to Research will provide licensed online access to over 1.5 million journal articles and conference proceedings through library terminals. With 8,400 journals included in the initiative at the moment, this will make content in the fields of Health and Biological Sciences (20%), Social Sciences (18%) and Engineering (14%) available to the public for the first time. Users will also be able to read a wide variety of articles in the fields of Art & Architecture, Business, Environmental Science, History, Journalism, Languages, Politics, Film, Philosophy and Religion, Mathematics and Physics.”

Over 8,700 different journals will have content included in the initiative, content that is published by ALPSP, Bloomsbury Publishing, Cambridge University Press, Dove Press, Elsevier, Emerald, IOP Publishing, Nature Publishing Group, Oxford University Press, Portland Press, SAGE Publications, Science Reviews 2000 Ltd., Springer, Taylor & Francis, Versita, Wiley, Wolters Kluwer Health. A number of library and publishers associations are also invested in the project, which will run for two years in pilot stage to gauge the use and interest from the public.

 

[Bob]

And this seems to be the project's webpage:

Access to Research
http://www.accesstoresearch.org.uk/

Search facility:
http://freetoviewjournals.pls.org.uk/

The search facility allows you to see what is available on their system, but you can only read the papers via a participating library terminal.

 

[Simon]

Thanks Bob. Encouraging.

Looks like you can't save or print a copy, and can only access at a library so the housebound are excluded, as are those with limited mental energy - reading a whole paper is hours of work if you are not familiar with the area.

But still, progress. And at least this way you can check out an article before paying for a personal copy (either directly or requesting from your library for a fee) which removes the risk of paying and getting a dud - which is often the case given that abstracts can be so misleading.

 

[MeSci]

And this seems to be the project's webpage:

Access to Research
http://www.accesstoresearch.org.uk/

Search facility:
http://freetoviewjournals.pls.org.uk/

The search facility allows you to see what is available on their system, but you can only read the papers via a participating library terminal.

Won't people be able to save the papers to a memory stick or CD?

Oh - @Simon says not. What - not even copy and paste?

 

[Bob]

Won't people be able to save the papers to a memory stick or CD?

Oh - @Simon says not. What - not even copy and paste?

The idea is, as Simon says, that you can only read the papers at a library terminal.
Whether you can copy and paste depends on the system they use, but the intention is that you can't.

T&Cs:

I will not download onto disc, CD or USB memory sticks or other portable devices or otherwise save, any publications accessed through this search.

http://freetoviewjournals.pls.org.uk/

 

[MeSci]

I think the idea is, as Simon says, that you can only read the papers at a library terminal.
Whether you can copy and paste depends on the system they use, but I think the intention is that you can't.

Have to be a hidden camera then...

 

[Simon]

ooo, just seen this in T&C:

G I will not make more than one copy of any publication accessed through this search and I will not remove any attributions and copyright notices from such copy;

So maybe you can take a (print) copy for personal use. Now that would be good, as someone else can get a copy for you (my library is not in the scheme).

 

[Sean]

Screen snaps are your friend.

 

[MeSci]

Screen snaps are your friend.

Only if you can save them. Is it possible to send emails from a library computer? If so, you could email copies to yourself!

 

[Sean]

Only if you can save them.

Fair point.