tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961882.post6425132934704345747..comments2024-03-17T08:30:21.129+00:00Comments on Open and Shut?: The Open Access Interviews: Leslie ChanRichard Poynderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05433823131339077354noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961882.post-86345815898428993082008-09-27T07:33:00.000+00:002008-09-27T07:33:00.000+00:00Thank you both for the additional information. I r...Thank you both for the additional information. <BR/><BR/>I requested interviews with both Professor Franco Vaccarino, Principal of the University of Toronto Scarborough and Vice-President of the University of Toronto, and the Vice-Principal (Academic) and Dean of the University of Toronto Scarborough. I understand that it was the latter who withdrew the funding for BioLine.<BR/><BR/>Yesterday I received the following reply from the University:<BR/><BR/><I>Dear Richard,<BR/><BR/>Your request for an interview with the Dean of University of Toronto Scarborough has been forward to my department. I regret that we are unable to grant your request for an interview at this time since the matter is the subject of a grievance that is being handled internally and confidentially.<BR/><BR/>If I can be of any further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me.<BR/><BR/>Laura Matthews<BR/><BR/>Manager, Marketing and Communications<BR/>University of Toronto Scarborough<BR/></I>Richard Poynderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05433823131339077354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961882.post-52320613780391722852008-09-19T18:39:00.000+00:002008-09-19T18:39:00.000+00:00Dear Mr. Poynder, I have read with interest the...Dear Mr. Poynder,<BR/> I have read with interest the comment submitted to your blog. Mr. Mitchell does not have the timeline quite right, but he is correct when he says that funding promised to Bioline was revoked. Since I am the “silent partner” in Bioline, the librarian who made the 5 year funding commitment to the project, beginning with May of 2007, I would like to offer some clarification, in part to make sure that it is understood that I am not the person who withdrew the promised funding.<BR/> I manage an acquisitions budget for the University of Toronto. I try to manage the money with which I have been entrusted in a responsible manner. It seems clear to me that libraries have fallen into the mindset that our acquisitions money is meant to buy publications but really we should be open to any way of investing in making knowledge available to our scholars, and the more scholars who have access to the knowledge the better it is for all of us. Thus I have been supporting Bioline as long as it has been at U of T Scarborough. <BR/> The money pledged for 2007 -2011 was to run Bioline while also allowing for the development of a business plan to diversify the funding. U of T was not being asked to fund Bioline by itself forever. We met with the head of my division, the Chief Librarian of U of T and she gave her consent to our 5 year funding plan.<BR/> However, when the new budget year came around in May of 2007, to my complete surprise, the Dean of Leslie Chan’s campus stated that he was rescinding the approval of funding previously granted by the Chief Librarian. The transfer of funds I had requested was never completed. Neither I nor the Chief Librarian report to this Dean, I might add. <BR/> I am of the opinion that Dean acted improperly and that the University should fulfil the commitment that was made. With representation from my Faculty Association, I am now pressing for a review of the Dean’s decision. I am hopeful that the senior University administrators will understand what is at stake, and will agree to restore funding to Bioline as was originally agreed to by the University Libraries.<BR/> <BR/> <BR/><BR/>Yours truly,<BR/> <BR/>Marla MillerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7961882.post-82082029094832730612008-08-23T13:04:00.000+00:002008-08-23T13:04:00.000+00:00Dear Mr Poynder.I'm taking the liberty of forwardi...Dear Mr Poynder.<BR/><BR/>I'm taking the liberty of forwarding to you a coy of an e-mail I recently sent to President Naylor of the University of Toronto regarding BioLine International. I've read an interview you did with Leslie Chan on BioLine and thought you might be interested. What Prof Chan does not make clear is that the promised funding for BioLine is being cut at the end of this month. <BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>Dear President Naylor,<BR/><BR/>I recently heard that the University of Toronto is going to renege on its commitment to fund BioLine International. .<BR/><BR/>In 2006, U of T made a five year commitment to BioLine International for five years. I understand that the University's support for BioLine will cease at the end of this month, less than two years later. <BR/><BR/>Having made the commitment, U of T should honour it. Apart from being, in a pretty obvious way, the right thing to do, abandoning support of BioLine cannot be in the University's own self-interest. U of T will not only be undermining its own international standing with the scholars and academic publishers who are involved with BioLine, it will be turning its back on a successful undertaking in international community building. The University will be presenting itself as parochial in the extreme. That SPARC, of which U of T is a member, should be helping to lobby for the support of BioLine to help stave off its demise as a result of U of T's actions is more than a little ironic. It is difficult to see how a decision like this can do anything but harm the University's reputation and standing.<BR/><BR/>But public relations aside, BioLine has been a striking success. Last year there were over 3.5 million downloads from BioLine. <BR/><BR/>Since BioLine International is a relatively inexpensive, successful international project that encourages scholarly publishing, provides real and much needed assistance to the academic life of developing countries and has been manifestly successful, I would ask that the University's decision to withdraw its support be urgently reconsidered.<BR/><BR/>Thank you.<BR/><BR/><BR/>-- <BR/>Peter MitchellMitchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05721142015487408379noreply@blogger.com