Nature Web Focus: Access to the literature: the debate continues

The Internet is profoundly changing how scientists work and publish. New business models are being tested by publishers, including open access, in which the author pays and content is free to the user. This ongoing web focus will explore current trends and future possibilities. Each week, the website will publish specially commissioned insights and analysis from leading scientists, librarians, publishers and other stakeholders, as well as key links, and articles from our archive. All content is.

Britain decides 'open access' is still an open issue - July 22, 2004

Can journals function if authors, instead of readers, carry the cost of publication An inquiry by the UK House of Commons Science and Technology Committee concluded this week that we will just have to wait and see. After five months of investigating access to journals in science, technology and medicine, the committee has reported that the concept of 'author-pays' open access seems "viable" but requires "further experimentation".
http://www.nature.com/nature/focus/accessdebate/29.html

The best business model for scholarly journals: an economist's perspective - July 16, 2004

The answer to the question 'What is the best business model for scholarly journals' depends on who is asking. In this article, we first characterize the views of some of the major players in the market (for-profit publishers, non-profit publishers, libraries) on which business model is best. We will consider the two commonly discussed business models, the traditional (or 'Reader Pays') model on the one hand and the Open Access (OA) ('Author Pays') model on the other.
http://www.nature.com/nature/focus/accessdebate/28.html

A professional society's take on access to the scientific literature - July 9, 2004

The Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC), the flagship journal of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), will celebrate its centennial in 2005. The JBC predated the ASBMB by one year. This is notable in that a professional scientific society grew out of the need for a discipline-oriented scientific publication. The expertise represented by a discipline is a very important consideration in the establishment andor maintenance of the scientific literature.
http://www.nature.com/nature/focus/accessdebate/27.html