Sunday, March 15, 2009

Taylor & Francis: free, free, free?

3 of the 4 items prominent on the Taylor & Francis website as of today focus on free: Free online access, Free articles, Free alerting service.

None of this "free" stuff has anything to do with open access, of course - this is free samples or metadata designed to attract subscribers. But does it suggest a company struggling to position itself for a future where information is free?

If so, this may be a good sign for the future of T & F. What next? My advice: work on your iOpenAccess program to make it a real open access program, and work with libraries on combined iOpenAccess / subscription deals.

This post is part of the Transitioning to Open Access series.