May 18, 2020
Provide input on scholarly communication at K-State by May 22
Kansas State University is one of many colleges and universities grappling with the effects of an unsustainable scholarly communication model — the system through which research and scholarship is created, evaluated and disseminated.
Access to publicly funded research is increasingly facilitated by for-profit corporations, which charge ever-increasing prices to the institutions creating the work. Dubbed "The Serials Crisis" by the academic library community, this model has negatively impacted research and scholarly communication at K-State and around the world. Scholars, librarians, universities and advocacy organizations at both national and international levels are responding to the need for open access to publicly funded research and data.
To address these issues at K-State, Provost Charles Taber, Faculty Senate President Tanya González, and Dean of Libraries Lori Goetsch created the Scholarly Communication Task Force during the 2019 fall semester. The purpose of this task force is to review the current landscape of scholarly communication practices on campus and offer recommendations to improve not only access to information at and from K-State, but also to our institutional participation in the movement toward open scholarship.
The task force created three subcommittees to thoroughly review scholarly communication initiatives to date in three primary arenas: professional societies; the United States; and internationally. The primary findings from each of these three areas are provided in the task force's brief report. Also included in this brief report are the current scholarly communication initiatives in which K-State is already involved.
The task force seeking input from the campus community regarding the consideration of alternatives to the system of scholarship. This information will assist the task force as they make recommendations regarding new campus policies, guiding principles, and other strategies that will support increased open sharing of research and scholarship at K-State. To provide input to the task force, please complete this Qualtrics survey by Friday, May 22.