They're becoming more common. The entire University of California system already has a similar policy, of institutional open-access archival by default, but with a waiver process for a handful of cases where the author thinks it's needed: http://osc.universityofcalifornia.edu/open-access-policy/
Unfortunately, few Caltech classes have lectures that are actually worth it to be posted online (unlike the MIT ones, who are IMO far superior in teaching quality, for the most part)
Re:Caltech Announces Open Access Policy
by WalterBright on Thursday December 12, 2013 @01:20PM
(#6896062)
I attended Caltech about 35 years ago. I kept my notes, but looking at them now without recalling the context of the lectures makes them a bit on the incomprehensible side.
I sure wish those lectures had been recorded and I could refresh my memory on the more interesting ones.
I've also seen some of the MIT online videos, and my recollection is the Caltech lectures I attended were of comparable quality.
It is, unfortunately, fairly uncommon.
Indeed. It is becoming less uncommon, especially in the UK where I work with a national policy to require research papers arising from tax payer funded work to be published using OA. Also, the Universities are really leading the way: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access_mandate
UCL are exceptional in this regard and we work closely with the institution and many of it's students and alumni publishing their (OA) books and journal articles: http://www.ubiquitypress.com/ebooks and to download these books: http://www.doabooks.org/doab?func=publisher&pId=1194
OA shares many parallels with the rise of Free/Open Source software its uncanny.
Re:Caltech Announces Open Access Policy
by BHSPitMonkey on Thursday December 12, 2013 @04:17PM
(#6897348)
It's a big topic at my institution, and here at the Libraries it's constantly being pushed and advocated with faculty and through conferences we play a part in.
I do wonder, how common is such a policy at other institutions? I assume this must be uncommon, since it's apparently newsworthy?