Open Access: Current Status, AAS Perspectives

Kevin Marvel

American Astronomical Society

In late 2009, the Office of Science and Technology Policy issued a request for input (RFI) regarding “enhancing public access to archived publications resulting from research funded by Federal science and
technology agencies”. Motivated by President Obamas focus on building an “unprecedented
level of openness in government focused on research funded by US tax dollars”, the RFI was only originally open from December 10, 2009 to January 7, 2010, with primary input provided via an online blog. Requests from scholarly publishers, including the AAS, extended this deadline by a few weeks, which allowed more substantive input as well as allowing the inclusion of the Scholarly Publishing Roundtable recommendations (details available at: http://www.aau.edu/policy/scholarly_publishing_roundtable.aspx?id=6894). As of early February, it is not yet clear what OSTP will do with this input, but it is highly likely the agency will move forward with a formal Proposed Rulemaking (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notice_of_proposed_rulemaking), which will be announced in the Federal Register (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/). This formal process allows for community input, presentation of a draft rule or policy, community comment on the draft and presentation of a revised draft, prior!
to final enactment of a formal government policy. The timeline for this process is announced at the time the rulemaking is announced and is typically 90 days in total. I will present the current status of this US government action and the AAS position on this issue moving forward as it applies to the publications of the Society.