FROM THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR
NIH Public Access Policy

In September of 2004 the National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposed a policy to improve public access to journal articles published as a result of NIH-funded research. The proposed policy would have required that researchers submit electronic copies of their final manuscripts, based in whole or in part on NIH-funded research, to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central (PMC) database within six months of acceptance for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The main goals of the policy were:

• to make the published results of NIH-funded research more readily accessible to researchers, educators, health care professionals and the public
• to provide a searchable database of the publications, and
• to ensure the preservation of research findings.

The NIH received more than 6,000 comments on the proposed policy during the comment period, which ended on November 16. Comments were largely supportive of the proposed policy, with many expressing concern about the high cost of journal subscriptions. Some of the concerns about the policy included the potential for redundancy with existing systems, the expense of maintaining the PubMed Central database, and the potential financial impact on current publishers of scholarly journals, including professional associations and societies.

The revised policy (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-05-022.html), which was released by NIH on February 3 rd and will take effect on May 2^nd, recommends that researchers submit their articles to PMC within twelve months of acceptance for publication, rather than requiring deposit within six months. NIH also indicated that compliance with the policy is strictly voluntary, noncompliance will not be tracked in any way, and that there will be no repercussions for researchers who choose not to comply.

NIH also released a document (http://www.nih.gov/about/publicaccess/index.htm) discussing the implementation of the policy . However, many details remain to be determined as NIH works with all stakeholders to refine the process and evaluate the outcomes. An NIH Public Access Advisory Working Group will be established by the National Library of Medicine Board of Regents to advise NIH on implementing and assessing the policy. As more details become available, they will be posted on the PMC website (www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov) and publicized in this newsletter. While the policy is not as definitive as many had hoped it would be, it is at least a step forward in improving access to scholarly information.

Mary L. Ryan,
UAMS Library Director