The New York State Higher Education Initiative (NYSHEI) is calling for your help in conveying the importance of open access to New York representatives in Albany. The NYSHEI-drafted bill, TAPFR – Taxpayer Access to Publicly Funded Research (A.180/S.4050), will be presented to the state legislature shortly.

NYSHEI’s TAPFR Policy Paper describes the goals of this bill:

• each researcher funded totally or partially by New York State taxes submit an electronic copy of a manuscript that has been accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal;
• that the manuscript is preserved digitally in a repository that provides free public access and long-term preservation; and,
• free, online access is publicly available no later than six months after publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

NYSHEI is asking that anyone who has an interest in open access write to their representatives. They are also providing a sample TAPFR Letter of Support that you could use as a spring board for your own letter.

New York, by becoming the first among states to adopt an open access policy, would give its research and researchers an advantage over colleagues in other states.  Making discovered knowledge more available leads to greater influence as the work is more available for citations.  Additionally students, faculty, and the academic institutions themselves will benefit through lower costs and more access to peer-reviewed scholarship.

Please help NYSHEI and New York and show your support for openness and public access to publicly-funded work!