SPEC Kit 310: Author Addenda · 17
“Since the NIH Public Access mandate, we
frequently connect our promotion of author ad-
denda to a broader education campaign about
PMC deposit. The library offers a service that as-
sists with PMC deposit, and much of our one-on-
one addendum consulting occurs as a result of
that service.”
“While these voluntary addenda provide a
useful tool in discussions with faculty, we don’t
believe that active promotion of the addenda will
result in substantial adoption on our campuses.
Thus we have taken an approach of discussing
author rights and copyright in the context of other
services we offer, e.g., publishing, instructional
support, [and] reserves.”
Clearly there is difficulty in measuring the ef-
ficacy of author addenda, and this in turn makes it
difficult to sell the concept to authors. However, au-
thor addenda can serve as a “tool” to educate authors
about their rights, even if they never end up using an
addendum. One respondent explained, “in general,
addendum[s] have not been useful except as an edu-
cation tool for faculty and graduate students.”And
another noted, “it’s very difficult to claim to faculty
that it is an effective tool.”
Despite the difficulty in measuring success with
addenda, librarians are being asked by their admin-
istrations, with increasing frequency, to “demonstrate
active participation in scholarly communication ac-
tivities,” which includes discussing author rights and
author addenda. Many libraries are in the process
of developing or posting positions which require
legal expertise to help them manage the increasing
demand for author rights management, and to help
promote the rights of their institution’s authors. One
librarian explained, “As head of collection develop-
ment I tried for several years to convince the Provost’s
Office and the Dean of Libraries that the faculty need
legal counsel who will advise them about the amount
of risk to take, rather than protecting the university
from risk. Some of the faculty agree, but no position
has been forthcoming.”
The topic of author rights may arise in any situ-
ation or discussion with faculty authors which un-
derscores why understanding and explaining au-
thor rights is becoming a necessary part of many
librarians’ work. One person noted, “We have seen
an important change in our experiences with the is-
sues. ..[a] conversation about OA quickly shifted to a
conversation about author agreements and addenda,
with attention on the many various reasons for enter-
ing into better agreements. We always conclude with
one simple point of emphasis: Whatever you sign,
keep a copy.”
The survey suggests that academic libraries face
a steep learning curve in this arena. Increasingly,
libraries are providing services, or are being asked to
provide services, to help authors navigate a new en-
vironment where intellectual property, author rights,
and copyright have become a substantial component
of discussions related to scholarly communication,
and to the endeavors of the university at-large.
Notes
1. Association of American Universities, Association
of Research Libraries, The Coalition for Networked
Information, National Association of State Universities
and Land Grant Colleges, “The University’s Role in
the Dissemination of Research and Scholarship,”
February 2009
http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/disseminating-research-
feb09.pdf
2. Committee on Institutional Cooperation, Statement
on Publishing Agreements, 2008
http://www.cic.net/Libraries/Library/authorsrights.
sflb
3. NIH example language: “Journal acknowledges that
Author retains the right to provide a copy of the final
peer-reviewed manuscript to the NIH upon accep-
tance for Journal publication, for public archiving in
PubMed Central as soon as possible but no later than
12 months after publication by Journal.”
http://publicaccess.nih.gov/FAQ.htm#c3
“Since the NIH Public Access mandate, we
frequently connect our promotion of author ad-
denda to a broader education campaign about
PMC deposit. The library offers a service that as-
sists with PMC deposit, and much of our one-on-
one addendum consulting occurs as a result of
that service.”
“While these voluntary addenda provide a
useful tool in discussions with faculty, we don’t
believe that active promotion of the addenda will
result in substantial adoption on our campuses.
Thus we have taken an approach of discussing
author rights and copyright in the context of other
services we offer, e.g., publishing, instructional
support, [and] reserves.”
Clearly there is difficulty in measuring the ef-
ficacy of author addenda, and this in turn makes it
difficult to sell the concept to authors. However, au-
thor addenda can serve as a “tool” to educate authors
about their rights, even if they never end up using an
addendum. One respondent explained, “in general,
addendum[s] have not been useful except as an edu-
cation tool for faculty and graduate students.”And
another noted, “it’s very difficult to claim to faculty
that it is an effective tool.”
Despite the difficulty in measuring success with
addenda, librarians are being asked by their admin-
istrations, with increasing frequency, to “demonstrate
active participation in scholarly communication ac-
tivities,” which includes discussing author rights and
author addenda. Many libraries are in the process
of developing or posting positions which require
legal expertise to help them manage the increasing
demand for author rights management, and to help
promote the rights of their institution’s authors. One
librarian explained, “As head of collection develop-
ment I tried for several years to convince the Provost’s
Office and the Dean of Libraries that the faculty need
legal counsel who will advise them about the amount
of risk to take, rather than protecting the university
from risk. Some of the faculty agree, but no position
has been forthcoming.”
The topic of author rights may arise in any situ-
ation or discussion with faculty authors which un-
derscores why understanding and explaining au-
thor rights is becoming a necessary part of many
librarians’ work. One person noted, “We have seen
an important change in our experiences with the is-
sues. ..[a] conversation about OA quickly shifted to a
conversation about author agreements and addenda,
with attention on the many various reasons for enter-
ing into better agreements. We always conclude with
one simple point of emphasis: Whatever you sign,
keep a copy.”
The survey suggests that academic libraries face
a steep learning curve in this arena. Increasingly,
libraries are providing services, or are being asked to
provide services, to help authors navigate a new en-
vironment where intellectual property, author rights,
and copyright have become a substantial component
of discussions related to scholarly communication,
and to the endeavors of the university at-large.
Notes
1. Association of American Universities, Association
of Research Libraries, The Coalition for Networked
Information, National Association of State Universities
and Land Grant Colleges, “The University’s Role in
the Dissemination of Research and Scholarship,”
February 2009
http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/disseminating-research-
feb09.pdf
2. Committee on Institutional Cooperation, Statement
on Publishing Agreements, 2008
http://www.cic.net/Libraries/Library/authorsrights.
sflb
3. NIH example language: “Journal acknowledges that
Author retains the right to provide a copy of the final
peer-reviewed manuscript to the NIH upon accep-
tance for Journal publication, for public archiving in
PubMed Central as soon as possible but no later than
12 months after publication by Journal.”
http://publicaccess.nih.gov/FAQ.htm#c3
