The group reviewed a draft change proposal for its policy initiative: “Achieving Equitable, Sustainable Access to the University of Maryland’s Scholarship and Research”. It is now under review by the Office of General Counsel and will be used to guide discussions with stakeholders to build support.
The group discussed whether the document was directed purely at faculty, rather than students and/or staff. It was noted that students are entitled to the rights of anything they write and that some staff members publish papers. More research on the Harvard model related to staff and students is needed. Additional points may be added to the draft to answer these questions. As a reference, Penn State defines "University Researchers" in their open access policy https://policy.psu.edu/policies/ac02
The issue of digital preservation was raised. It was noted that DSpace [the open-source software behind DRUM] is not a digital preservation platform. But because DRUM serves as the archive for UMD theses and dissertations, preservation is part of its remit. Additionally, compliance with public access requirements in tax-funded research, and which will be housed in DRUM, means that preservation is a vital and necessary component of DRUM management. The points in the draft about sponsored research open-access mandates will be strengthened.