COLLOQUY

THE QUESTION

RESPONSES

BACKGROUND

The only reasons given for sharing copyright with the university, as Provost Koonin proposes, are:

First, from Provost Koonin, that it eliminates "the nuisance of responding to requests for reproduction rights."

Second, from Professor Harnad, that "as an ally [in relation to the publishers], the university is a much more substantial entity than any single author. An individual author might be intimidated about archiving a paper in xxx; a collective institutional policy would quell anxieties."

The first reason is negligible. The second is puzzling since the other proposals--from the AAAS group and from the Yale librarians--assume that universities can be of help without helping themselves to a share in the professors? copyright. Thus I have asked for more substantial reasons. No further reasons have been given.

I have said nothing whatever about Provost Koonin's sincerity or "real goals", nor have I said anything about the general trustworthiness of administrators or their "real goals". What I am saying is that, given a choice, professors need reasons for giving up exclusive control of their work by sharing copyright with the university, regardless of how benevolent the intent of the administrators. Administrators have different aims at different times, depending upon the problems facing the universities at the time, and this is especially so in times of profound change. It is obviously foolish to give up something as valuable as exclusive copyright without a good reason. What are the reasons? Rhetorical discreditation of disagreement as "paranoid", "distrustful", and so forth, does not substitute for giving reasons and answering objections.

Finally, I must say that it seems a little odd that I am the only one questioning the wisdom of sharing copyright with the university when no substantial reasons are given and objections are simply ignored.

-- Joseph Ransdell, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Texas Tech University (posted 10/20, 9:52 a.m., E.D.T.)

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