Librarians speak out against Harvard Publishing’s latest restrictions

As of August 1, 2013, all databases containing Harvard Business Review, a journal published by Harvard Business Publishing (HBP), became “read only” for 500 (HBR 500) of the most popular Harvard Business Review articles. Campuses may pay a premium to restore full access to link, save, and print the affected articles.  EBSCO, exclusive provider to electronic Harvard Business Review articles, notified subscribers in spring of 2013 about this change.  These new access restrictions will affect researcher’s ability to access and use these articles.

Librarians decry the erosion of full access to scholarly material. Members of the Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS) of the Reference and User Services Association(RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) have clarified the restrictions with HBP and EBSCO, considered implications for libraries, colleges and universities, and offer suggestions for addressing this newest access restriction to an electronic journal.

Join us in urging HBP and other publishers to work with libraries to find access and pricing models that honor our shared educational and scholarly missions, and to broaden the discussion by informing their administrators, constituents, and legislators about the situation and its relevance to scholarly communications and the costs of higher education.

To access this statement,  visit: http://www.ala.org/rusa/sections/brass/brasspubs/publications/statement_hbr

For further information, please contact:

Ann Fiegen, Past BRASS Chair 2012-2013 and HBR Task Force Chair, afiegen@csusm.edu;
Andy Spackman, BRASS Chair 2013-2014, andy_spackman@byu.edu

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Learn more about the association at www.ala.org/rusa.

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