On February 28th, 2019, the University of California System announced that it had ended months of contract negotiations with Elsevier Publishing and has terminated all subscriptions. According to a UC System press release, “Elsevier was unwilling to meet UC’s key goal: securing universal open access to UC research while containing the rapidly escalating costs associated with for-profit journals”.
Portland State University participates in a cooperative Elsevier contract with Oregon State University and the University of Oregon, which expires in December 2020. Leading up to that, PSU Library will work closely with PSU administration and the Faculty Senate Library Committee, looking at usage data, costs, and information about PSU faculty publishing in Elsevier journals. We are committed to engaging PSU faculty, researchers, and students about issues pertaining to our Elsevier contract, including the role of Open Access (OA) at PSU. We would also like to remind that PSU Faculty Senate has recently approved an Ad-Hoc Committee on Open Access for Faculty Publications, which will also address the broader issue of OA at PSU.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Tom Bielavitz, Interim Dean, Library bielavit@pdx.edu.