The Movement for Open Access: Fundamental for International Research of the Future

Ralf Schimmer, Program Director Digital Library Services, Max Planck Society, Germany

The Max Planck Society is a strong player in international research and was one of the initiators of the “Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities” in 2003 (http://oa.mpg.de/openaccess-berlin/berlindeclaration.html) and the subsequent series of workshops. Over and above the well-known economic arguments of the serials crisis and general considerations of justice and fairness in the business of scholarly publication, the engagement of the Max Planck Society for Open Access is driven by a deep concern about the mechanics and requirements of international research of the future. The presentation will give a report on the Open Access activities and policies of the Max Planck Society and describe Open Access as a fundamental requirement for the emerging research infrastructures around the globe.