The University Libraries are celebrating International Open Access Week Oct. 24-30 in recognition of the global movement to make the benefits of research, technology, education and human creativity available to everyone. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines open access as “free access to information and unrestricted use of electronic resources for everyone.” That means there are no financial or legal barriers preventing anyone from using digital content, from scientific publications to textbooks, from research data to music, from videos to photographs.
“The ‘open’ movement is having an impact on science, medicine, education and software development,” says Melody Herr, head of scholarly communications at the University Libraries. “It already benefits many of us in ways we may not even be aware of. And it has the potential to do even more.”
As a short introduction to open access, Herr and her colleagues produced a two-minute video. You can find additional information about open access in the Open Access research guide.
This year, the theme for the week is “Open for Climate Justice.” The advocacy organization openaccessweek.org chose this theme “to encourage connection and collaboration among the climate movement and the international open community. Sharing knowledge is a human right, and tackling the climate crisis requires the rapid exchange of knowledge across geographic, economic and disciplinary boundaries.”
“We put together a short infographic on what climate justice is and how people can learn more about it. We are also highlighting a few open access journals that share about climate and climate change, and how it is affecting all of us,” says Cedar Middleton, institutional repository coordinator for the Office of Scholarly Communications. “We want to help everyone know they have access to this information if they want to make an impact on the planet.”
Throughout the week, look for additional announcements from the University Libraries about open access resources and opportunities to participate in the open movement.