Countries all over the globe will be celebrating Open Access Week from October 23-27. The annual, international event celebrates the free and open sharing of research and ideas online.
“Open access means that information is available online, free of cost, and generally without restrictions on how it can be used or shared,” said Illinois State University’s Scholarly Communication Librarian and Music Librarian Anne Shelley.
In order to honor this year’s theme, “Open in order to…” Milner Library will host a webinar with copyright expert and Dean of Libraries at the University of Kansas Kevin Smith at 3 p.m. Tuesday, October 24, in room 614A at the library.
The webinar will feature a panel of academic library administrators and university press directors who will discuss a variety of models, initiatives, and sustainability of publishing open monographs. The event is free and open to the public.
“It’s easy to see how society can benefit from free access to research, but scholars aren’t always aware of how they can benefit, too,” said Shelley, who noted Milner houses many open access journals, and manages the University’s institutional repository, ISU ReD–a digital archive that collects and openly shares the research and creative activities of Illinois State University faculty, students, and staff. “Our goal is to continue conversations with faculty and others on campus about how open access can make their work available to more readers.”
For additional information on Open Access Week on library services related to publishing, open access, and open educational resources, contact Shelley at aeshell@ilstu.edu.
