On March 13, 2024, the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries signed on as a supporter of the statement from the University of California and Authors Alliance that the longstanding Federal purpose license as a foundation for guidance language and implementation of the the White House Office of Science and Technology Planning (OSTP) public access guidance (“the Nelson memo”). This memo directs federally-funded authors to deposit their scholarly publications, without an embargo, in agency-designated public access repositories. These requirements will impact authors, their institutions, and especially the offices that deal with research funding and grant compliance.
As a signatory to this statement, ASERL supports reliance on the Federal purpose license by federal agencies for implementation of the Nelson memo. We encourage federal agencies to explain the license in their public access plans, FAQs and other supporting documentation, and grant instruments. ASERL believes that doing so will provide grant recipients with a clear understanding of their obligations as authors, facilitate better compliance with funder requirements, and help realize “the benefits of federally funded research that the American public deserves” envisioned by the Nelson memo.
ASERL further encourages others in the research ecosystem to support this initiative. A list of current signatories can be found here.