Very good.
Mr. Chair, how much time...?
Evidence of meeting #114 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was works.
Evidence of meeting #114 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was works.
2:35 p.m.
Liberal
2:35 p.m.
Associate University Librarian, University of British Columbia
As Susan said, we have an e-reserve system we use, and our staff looks over all of the material that goes in there. We have an annual click-through of the copyright guidelines and requirements for the university. Every year people click through our requirements, and if we change our device, they have to click through it again. That's another thing we've done.
Also, in the context of the Connect learning management system, there's a metadata template through which the faculty members tell us why they think they can put a file into the learning management system.
2:35 p.m.
Liberal
2:35 p.m.
Associate University Librarian, University of British Columbia
I can definitely give you the numbers in the context of the e-reserve system, absolutely.
2:35 p.m.
Liberal
Terry Sheehan Liberal Sault Ste. Marie, ON
One of the questions I do ask is whether you track and whether you have the numbers. If you can submit those numbers to us, that would be most helpful to paint a picture of what's happening at UBC.
2:35 p.m.
Liberal
Terry Sheehan Liberal Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Part of what we're trying to do here is explore the various ways these things are undertaken and take a look at best practices at the same time. That's what we've been doing.
2:35 p.m.
Liberal
2:35 p.m.
Conservative
Matt Jeneroux Conservative Edmonton Riverbend, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, everybody, for being here today.
I'll start my questions on the open access policy, beginning with Mr. Lorimer, and then I'll move to a bit more of a focus on fair dealing and Access Copyright, which will most likely be for Ms. Parker.
Mr. Lorimer, in February 2015, the then science minister, Ed Holder, introduced an open access policy which mandated that all publishing that resulted from research funded by the tri-council must be freely accessible to the public within 12 months of their publishing. Given that a large portion of tri-council grant money is delivered to universities, can you speak on behalf of your organization as to whether or not you supported that policy when it came forward?
2:40 p.m.
Treasurer, Canadian Association of Learned Journals
Yes, the Canadian Association of Learned Journals supports that, and generally, Canadian journalists, I would say a good 90%, follow that policy and make it available within 12 months. We don't have a quarrel with that.
What we worry about is whether the policy may end up going further so that we can't earn revenues in Canada or outside of Canada. Given the 12-month window, a journal can still earn substantial revenues.
2:40 p.m.
Conservative
Matt Jeneroux Conservative Edmonton Riverbend, AB
Are you concerned that it would be shorter than 12 months, or are you concerned that it would extend to other areas?
2:40 p.m.
Treasurer, Canadian Association of Learned Journals
No, we're concerned that it might go shorter than 12 months.
It works for science journals. You can go shorter in some sciences, but in social sciences and humanities, and I was just doing some research on this, the 20 most used articles in one of the journals I am involved with were published between 1992 and 2009. That's where you're getting the most use, so 12 months isn't really a lot of protection, and we rely on the good graces of the libraries to continue to subscribe to the latest.
2:40 p.m.
Conservative
Matt Jeneroux Conservative Edmonton Riverbend, AB
Right, okay.
Putting aside the 12-month window—keeping that the same but extending it outside the tri-councils—would you be supportive of that extension?
2:40 p.m.
Treasurer, Canadian Association of Learned Journals
Do you mean extending it in the sense of requiring all the content of all journals?
2:40 p.m.
Conservative
Matt Jeneroux Conservative Edmonton Riverbend, AB
No, I mean all publicly funded research. I'm speaking specifically about the granting councils.
2:40 p.m.
Treasurer, Canadian Association of Learned Journals
Yes, we would support that, but with the understanding that journals add considerable value. They add it not only in the sense of peer review but through professional editing and professional layout, and so forth. There is work being done. We don't sit around and just collect a little bit of money for shuffling things online.
Given that recognition, yes, we would support publicly funded material being made publicly available.
2:40 p.m.
Conservative
Matt Jeneroux Conservative Edmonton Riverbend, AB
Okay.
You referenced the position paper on journal open access policies, in which you note, “there remains a substantial difference of opinion among members of the Working Group about how a move toward open access should be pursued”.
Could you elaborate on what some of those differences would have been?
2:40 p.m.
Treasurer, Canadian Association of Learned Journals
Sorry, but what are you quoting from?
2:40 p.m.
Conservative
Matt Jeneroux Conservative Edmonton Riverbend, AB
It is the position paper on journal open access policies.
2:40 p.m.
Treasurer, Canadian Association of Learned Journals
I'm sorry, it's doesn't immediately come—
2:40 p.m.
Conservative
Matt Jeneroux Conservative Edmonton Riverbend, AB
The CALJ has published “CALJ Position Paper on Journal Open Access Policies”, which recommends that all journals adopt open access policies that permit free digital access for articles, and so on and so forth.
In there is a quote that says there was “a substantial difference of opinion among members of the Working Group about how a move toward open access should be pursued”.
2:40 p.m.
Treasurer, Canadian Association of Learned Journals
Yes, I understand. What we were basically referring to was that there are various business models for moving forward. Some would immediately have all their content be open access and there wouldn't be anything more to it than that. There are other journals that earn considerable income and sell their content to secondary aggregators, which sign contracts with foreign aggregators, secondary publishers, really, and make them available. They're taking their earned income and putting it together with their costs, effectively, to make it open access as soon as possible, but they are trying to maintain a presence in the marketplace to earn enough income to have a quality journal.
