University of California loses access to new Elsevier content

University's contract with publisher lapsed months ago.


The University of California (UC) has been attempting to reach a deal with the Elsevier that would combine the fee for accessing content and publishing OA articles (see article published here earlier this year).

UC cancelled its subscription to Elsevier in February, but the publisher had continued to provide access to its content. However, that access has been terminated by the publisher. This means that UC cannot access papers published in 2019. The UC’s previous contract with Elsevier means they will continue to have access to most content published earlier.

UC’s Academic Council encouraged researchers and others to use alternative methods (such as online repositories) to access Elsevier’s content and asked them to refrain from paying for their own subscriptions to Elsevier journals.

Elsevier has established nationwide licensing agreements in Norway and Poland, and is close to reaching a deal in Hungary. However, it has failed to reach a resolution with consortia of libraries and research institutions in Germany and Sweden.

STM Publishing; The Scientist.