European Organizations Band Together to Launch SPARC Europe Delegates at LIBER Annual Meeting Formally Back Initiative, Vote Unanimously to Localize Scholarly Communication Solutions 13 July 2001 - SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), an alliance of research libraries, library organizations and research institutions that supports increased competition in scientific journal publishing (www.arl.org/sparc), and LIBER, the principal association of the major research libraries of Europe (www.kb.dk/liber), announce the launch of SPARC Europe. Delegates at last week's LIBER annual meeting in London voted unanimously for LIBER to serve as the umbrella organization for SPARC Europe, which will facilitate competition in the European scientific journals marketplace and introduce advocacy initiatives tailored to the European research and library communities. Several national organizations and institutions in Europe are joining with LIBER to sponsor the startup of SPARC Europe, including: the Consortium of University Research Libraries (CURL) in the UK; the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) in the UK; the Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL) of the UK and Ireland; and UKB, the Netherlands cooperative of research libraries, in collaboration with IWI, the SURF Foundation program for innovation in scientific information supply. Support of additional national and pan-European organizations is being sought by SPARC Europe. SPARC Europe will collaborate with the international SPARC organization based in Washington, DC, but will develop Europe-focused initiatives under the direction of a European managing board and a Europe-based program officer. A European membership base, including a number of current SPARC members, will support this work. Membership in SPARC Europe is open to national and academic libraries, library organizations and research institutions in the region. "SPARC Europe will enable the European research and library communities to take an assertive role in addressing the problem of high journal prices," said Elmar Mittler, LIBER President and Library Director at the University of Goettingen (Germany). "SPARC Europe's tailored advocacy and outreach projects, partnerships with learned societies and academic institutions, and encouragement of competition in the marketplace will offer constructive solutions to the journals crisis. This agenda is a strong complement to LIBER's mission. LIBER's 300 members, and the greater European research and library communities, will benefit greatly from SPARC Europe's results-oriented mandate." "Scholarly communication is intrinsically international, and so must be solutions to the problems threatening it," said Rick Johnson, SPARC Enterprise Director. "The members of SPARC Europe are in a unique position to enhance awareness of the issues among scholars across Europe, while also connecting into a global context and offering viable alternatives. Successful SPARC outreach projects such as Create Change and Declaring Independence offer a proactive role in the evolving scholarly communication marketplace. Similarly, innovative SPARC Europe-supported publishing partnerships will offer alternatives for authors, readers, and libraries." SPARC Europe membership inquiries may be directed to: Chris Bailey, Glasgow University Library, Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8QE Scotland UK. Tel: +44 141 330 5637. Fax: +44 141 330 3213. E-mail: C.A.Bailey@lib.gla.ac.uk. To regularly receive information on SPARC Europe via e-mail, sign up at: db.arl.org/sparc/contacts. --- SPARC was formally established in 1998 as an initiative of North America's Association of Research Libraries to address the problem of high scientific journal prices. SPARC advances the interests of scientists and scholars, their institutions, and the public through publishing partnerships and educational programs that promote a more competitive scholarly publishing marketplace. SPARC's international membership currently numbers approximately 200 institutions, library consortia, and affiliated organizations in North America, the U.K., continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. LIBER (Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche) is the principal association of the major research libraries of Europe. Founded in 1971 under the auspices of the Council of Europe, its current membership includes research libraries in more than thirty countries. LIBER represents and promotes the interests of research libraries, assisting research libraries in Europe to support a functional network across national boundaries in order to ensure the preservation of the European cultural heritage, to improve access to collections in European research libraries, and to provide more efficient information services in Europe. For further information: SPARC: http://www.arl.org/sparc Create Change: http://www.createchange.org Declaring Independence: http://www.arl.org/sparc/di LIBER: http://www.kb.dk/liber/ Announcement jointly issued on 13 July 2001 by LIBER, CURL, JISC, SCONUL, UKB and SPARC ###