As readers will know I have written Open letters to publishers with whom I have a connection about their connection with PRISM. I am pleased to report that I have a clear response from CUP, the University’s press. Interestingly – and I shall comment on this in later posts – my normal email didn’t get through (as I think this may not be uncommon). Stephen Bourne of CUP writes:
I heard about PRISM launch for the first time last week, from which you will understand that Cambridge University Press has in no way been involved in, or consulted on, the PRISM initiative.
PRISM’s message is over-simplistic and ill-judged, with the unwelcome consequence of creating tension between the publishing community and the proponents of Open Access. While there will inevitably be some differences in philosophy between those two communities, we believe that there will always be a place for alternative forms of publishing, and that we can and should co-exist. With that objective in mind, Cambridge University Press has long been constructively engaged in Open Access issues, the Cambridge Open Option (http://www.journals.cambridge.org/action/forAuthors?page=open# ) being an example of one of the forms of publishing we offer. We will continue to be open to discussions on this matter.
Yours sincerely,
Stephen Bourne
PMR: Thank you, Stephen, for a very clear statement.