The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), ‘Definition for all those who do not know’s: (which is almost the largest nerd association in the world for computer science) has made an announcement that has laundered. The ACM Digital Library became fully open access in January. No more paywall, no more institutional sabo, no "sorry, no access". Just click and read.
Let's talk briefly about the dimension: The ACM Digital Library is one of the most important collections of scientific literature in computer science. Decades of conference volumes, specialist articles, magazines and newsletters. Everything is freely accessible. That's no small thing.
Why does the ACM do this?
The association expects to gain more visibility for research. And that makes sense: What no one can read, because it is hidden behind a payment barrier, no one will quote, no one will apply, no one will develop. Free access means more eyes on research, and more eyes mean more innovation in practice at best.
Students and smaller research institutions that do not have the budget of a large university in their backs will particularly benefit. Anyone who has ever tried to get a full-text paper without institutional access knows exactly what I'm talking about. Spoilers: Sci-Hub is not the official solution. 😉
The ACM also emphasizes that the authors of this step Do not lose intellectual property in your work. The association wants to continue to stand up against copyright infringements and protect the integrity of the works. Open access does not mean ‘wild west download’, but organised, free access with clear rules of the game.
What do you get for free and what does it still cost?
Here it is worth taking a closer look, because the ACM draws a clear line between two variants:
Digital library basic is the free version. It includes full-text access to scientific journals, conference proceedings, magazines and newsletters, all hosted and maintained by the ACM. Basic search functions are included, as well as links between authors and institutions. For most occasional users and students, this should be enough.
Digital Library Premium is the paid subscription for members. Then there's the ACM Guide to Computing Literature (i.e. the comprehensive indexing and abstracting service), advanced search, filter and research functions, mass downloads, saved search queries including notifications as well as detailed author and institution profiles. And because AI just sticks on it everywhere: AI summaries, podcasts and recommendations are also only available in the subscription version.
So the model is actually clever: The core is free, the power features are reserved for those who are willing to support the ACM as a member.
Open access is not a hype, it's a movement.
What the ACM is doing here is not single-handed. Open Access as a knowledge-sharing strategy is gaining momentum worldwide; And, of course, in Germany. Libraries, research institutions and funding organisations have been pushing the pace for some time. The fact that one of the most renowned scientific societies in computer science is now taking this step is a strong signal to the industry.
Incidentally, the ACM did not decide to do this on its own, but in dialogue with authors, representatives of the Special Interest Groups (Siggs), editorial management, libraries and research institutions. That sounds like more of a consensus process than a top-down decision, which I find quite positive.
TL:DR
That's really good news, no ifs and buts. Science that is publicly funded or at least operated in the public interest should also be publicly available. Computer science as a discipline thrives on the rapid transfer of knowledge, on cooperation across institutions and national borders. Paywalls are slowing it down.
Whether the basic access is sufficient in the end or whether you will sooner or later take advantage of the premium subscription, everyone has to decide for themselves. But at least you have the choice now, so far it has not been self-evident.
The publication model explains the ACM in a YouTube video. If you want to go deeper, you will find all the details in the ACM press release and on the About-Page of the Digital Library.