-------- Original Message --------
Subject: PubScience under threat (fwd)
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2001 13:15:35 +0100
From: Stevan Harnad <harnad@cogprints.soton.ac.uk>

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 21:24:38 +0200
From: "Declan Butler, Nature" <dbutler@CYBERCABLE.FR>
Reply-To: September 1998 American Scientist Forum
     <SEPTEMBER98-FORUM@LISTSERVER.SIGMAXI.ORG>
To: SEPTEMBER98-FORUM@LISTSERVER.SIGMAXI.ORG
Subject: PubScience under threat

Dear Stevan
This exclusive article...

Budget proposal casts doubt over physics portal's future

A powerful congressional committee has passed a budget bill which, if
enacted, could close down PubScience, a free search service for the
physical
sciences literature, operated by the US Department of Energy (DoE).

The budget bill, which was passed last week by the House appropriations
subcommittee for energy and water development and was expected to be
endorsed by the full appropriations committee, is likely have a chilling
effect on other government-operated services, including the National
Library
of Medicine's PubMed Central, according to some observers.

... and an associated leader...

Defending tax-funded navigation

Opinion, Nature
A congressional committee has erred in its appropriate desire to support
free enterprise.

...will appear in tomorrow's Nature. I've arranged for them to be made
available on free access now on

http://www.nature.com/nature/debates/e-access/

I thought this may be of interest to members of this forum. Please feel
free
to copy this message to others who may be interested in this
development.

Cheers
Declan