Category Archives: oa.advocacy

Open Data Watch – Unlocking the Data Revolution

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“Open Data Watch is an international, non-profit organization working at the intersection of open data and official statistics. Our work supports the implementation of change in the production and management of official statistical data. Concentrating efforts in three areas — policy advice, data support, and monitoring — ODW seeks to make development data better and more accessible for increased use and impact.

An example of the interaction between these workstreams, the Open Data Inventory (ODIN) provides in-depth assessments of data coverage and openness that countries actively use to identify and address data gaps. The ODIN Gender Data Index, for instance, checks for data needed to address gender issues. Only with high-quality and open data can international organizations, governments, and citizens solve the challenges of measuring and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)….”

Open Research Competencies Coalition | Working together to improve open research skills in the UK

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“The open research support and scholarly communications sectors are key growth areas within universities. They support open research practices, open access, repository management, publishing advice, bibliometrics and research data management. However, in the rapid evolution of this sector a skills gap has developed. There are difficulties with identifying and describing the skills needed and in recognising their interconnectedness. This lack of role profiles presents challenges in the recruitment and development of open research support staff. Competencies are usually gained on-the-job, and through self-development. There is a high turnover of trained employees between research support teams and out of the sector.

In addressing the skills gap, ORCC aims to identify and map the skills and competencies needed by the current and future open research support workforce. Professionalising these roles across the sector will achieve the very highest quality of support for researchers. ORCC engages heavily with the library and research management communities through active outreach at community workshops and conferences. A recent workshop organised by ORCC, in cooperation with FAIRsFAIR and EOSC Synergy highlighted the need for UK institutions to take a coordinated and strategic approach to building the competences and capabilities for Open Research.

ORCC was founded in 2017 and was previously known as SC3. Its new name (as of July 2021) is Open Research Competencies Coalition (ORCC). ORCC is not a part of Jisc and is grateful to Jisc for hosting its web page….”

Book launch: “We so loved Open Access” | SciELO 25 Years

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Coordinator: Jan Velterop
Editor: Leila Posenato Garcia
Authors: Abel Packer; Peter Suber; Robert Kiley; Rob Terry; Ginny Barbour; Martin Paul Eve; Melissa Hagemann; Subbiah Arunachalam; Bernard Rentier; David Prosser; Hélène Bosc; Susan Veldsman; John Willinsky; Dominique Babini; Jan Velterop
Year: 2023
ISBN: 978-65-993452-6-5
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21452/abec.2023.isbn.978-65-993452-6-5

 

Synopsis

The SciELO Program was created in the late 1990s when the idea of free access to scholarly content began to gain momentum, even before the term “open access” had been coined. At that time, access to academic publications was limited and costly, restricted to university libraries and the collections they subscribed to. With the emergence of the World Wide Web, electronic access to academic information became practically possible, allowing for wider and faster dissemination of scientific publications. However, the restricted access publishing system still dominated. In this book, the origins and evolution of the open access movement are explored from the perspective of individuals who actively participated. These pioneers of open access shared their experiences, successes, collaborations, and visions for the future on the occasion of SciELO’s 25th anniversary. The book pays tribute to their pioneering efforts and the crucial role played by SciELO in supporting open access and spotlighting regions of the world that were previously underrepresented in global academic communication. This celebration demonstrates how SciELO firmly placed these regions on the map of global academic communication and contributed to strengthening the open access movement throughout its successful journey. 

Table of Contents

Front Matter / Elementos Pré-textuais / Páginas Iniciales

Foreword 

The Journey of SciELO’s 25 years: reality beyond utopia and illusion

Fast and slow at the same time

Supporting Open Access for 20 years: Five issues that have slowed the transition to full and immediate OA

Research is born free but everywhere is in chains…. (apologies to Rousseau)

The power and importance of open access

“The guy who bangs on about open access”

Reflections on the Development of the Open Access Movement

Open Access in India: A long way to go and miles before we sleep 

Liège, a cradle of academic Open Access voluntarism

Publication Equity: a neglected aspect of open access?

My Open Access librarian’s story

Sivulile – “We are Open” – in South Africa

Reflections on twenty-five years of the Public Knowledge Project

The movement towards open access and open science in Latin America: the view from CLACSO

Open Access, an inevitable evolution to fit a fundamentally changed environment

 

‘A Toolkit for Knowledge Rights Advocacy’ – KR21 Workshop Report – LIBER Europe

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“During the LIBER Annual Conference in July, Knowledge Rights 21 held the workshop “A Toolkit for Knowledge Rights Advocacy”. Organisers Stephen Wyber (Director of Policy and Advocacy, IFLA) and Giannis Tsakonas (Director, Library & Information Centre, University of Patras and LIBER Vice President) took an engaging and interactive approach to trigger participants’ reflections and motivate them to join the growing KR21 movement. KR21 is advocating for progressive and positive change in the way we provide access to knowledge – both on the ground and through legal reform….”

Promoting Open Access in Research-Performing Organizations: Spheres of Activity, Challenges, and Future Action Areas

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Abstract:  Open access (OA) has become a critical issue in science policy and affects a wide range of activities in universities and research labs. Research-performing organizations (RPOs), defined as publicly funded universities and research institutions, face significant challenges in shaping the OA transformation. This article examines the spheres of activity available to RPOs for shaping the OA transformation, using a categorization of 22 spheres of activity related to OA. These spheres of activity include strategy and communication, services and infrastructures, business relationships with publishers, and collaborations. Current challenges and future action areas in promoting OA are also described, providing support for RPOs in handling OA and highlighting key issues. The categorization can serve as a tool for systematically assessing OA activities at RPOs and shows that OA is a cross-cutting issue in these organizations. Collaboration on OA activities, both within and beyond organizations, presents a challenge. To effectively promote OA, it is crucial to strengthen the interaction between funding agencies and RPOs. Libraries are critical stakeholders, playing a vital role in advancing OA at the local, national, and international levels in partnership with RPO management and other partners in faculty, administration, and information technology.

 

FediGov

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“Public institutions (government agencies, broadcasters, educational institutions) predominantly use proprietary platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The companies behind them have a lot of influence on who communicates on their platforms and how. Furthermore, through prominent linking and use of the services, public institutions advertise them and get the public to use them.

We want to convince public authorities to rethink their use of social media. This is possible with the gradual transition to federated free software solutions….”

Advocates for Open Access!

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“Vital Partnerships between libraries and publishers in an Open Access landscape: new initiatives, new business models and a glimpse into the future.

After the success of the first two De Gruyter 2023 quarterly webinars, we are proud to announce that Webinar 3 will take place on 28th September, beginning at 2 pm UK time. By popular demand, it will follow on from Webinar 1, to explore further aspects of Open Access. Webinar 3 will focus on the recent American OSTP “Nelson memo”; emerging OA business models, focusing especially on Subscribe-to-Open and why it has become one of the most popular Open Access models; consider where Open Access now stands on the global stage, the long-term financial sustainability of OA models; and how best to reduce inequities in scholarly publishing, particularly for authors in resource-limited contexts. Join us to discuss these and other issues arising in adapting to the changing publishing landscape of Open Access. This is the third in the De Gruyter webinar series 2023: Challenging the Status Quo: Taking Libraries into the Future….”

Making the Case for Open Educational Resources | AAC&U

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“Open educational resources (OER) are openly licensed, no-cost educational materials, such as free online textbooks, that have been shown to have a variety of benefits for students and their learning.

As the title suggests, Making the Case for Open Educational Resources is designed to assist OER advocates in their work to craft persuasive presentations, publications, and arguments as they promote OER.

Graphics displayed throughout the publication are available for you to download and use in your own publications, presentations, and on your advocacy website. Download the graphics.”

ORCID Announces Second Round of Global Participation Fund Awardees –

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“In 2022, we launched ORCID’s Global Participation Fund (GPF) to provide grants under two different programs—Community Development and Outreach and Technical Integration—as a means of improving understanding and encouraging uptake of ORCID in under-represented countries in the Global South. These grants are awarded on a biannual basis in the amount of US$5,000–20,000, with a duration of 12 months. The GPF is one of the initiatives of our Global Participation Program (GPP), which is designed to increase ORCID membership in the Global South.

Grants from the Community Development and Outreach program support local partners in under-represented areas to build ORCID Communities of Practice. These grants can be used to support local outreach activities, training, and tech support resources for the creation and growth of ORCID consortia that serve those regions.

Grants from the Technical Integration program can be used to fund software development to build and update ORCID integrations in open-source systems. This will foster participation in ORCID in currently under-represented regions and support the creation of technical documentation, outreach, and support for resources created through the grants….”

Making the Case for Open Educational Resources | AAC&U

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“This webinar will launch a new AAC&U publication, Making the Case for Open Educational Resources. Open educational resources (OER) are openly licensed, no-cost educational materials, such as free online textbooks, that have been shown to have a variety of benefits for students and their learning. As the title suggests, Making the Case for Open Educational Resources is designed to assist OER advocates in their work to craft persuasive presentations, publications, and arguments as they promote OER. While resulting from an exhaustive review of the literature, this publication and webinar are not intended to present a comprehensive summary of all the research regarding OER and open practices. Their purpose is to highlight key studies, utilizing attractive and easy-to-comprehend graphics that OER advocates can leverage to inform and underpin their advocacy efforts in various contexts and to various audiences. The webinar, publication, and associated infographic downloads (made available following the webinar) aim to immediately help campus advocates and leaders more easily make an evidence-based case for OER.”

 

Oppose Section 552 That Will Block Taxpayer Access to Research – SPARC

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“The U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) has released an appropriations bill containing language that would block implementation of the 2022 updated OSTP policy guidance (the Nelson Memo) that would ensure immediate, free access to taxpayer-funded research. If enacted, this will prevent American taxpayers from seeing the benefits of the more than $90 billion in scientific research that the U.S. government funds each year.

Congress is currently working through its annual appropriations process and considering this troubling provision to block taxpayer access to research. Now is the time to tell Congress to remove Section 552 of the House Commerce, Justice, and Science bill! …”

Contributing to build “an open, free, and secure digital future for all” through the Global Digital Compact – Diff

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“In this blog post, we explain a promising opportunity for the Wikimedia Foundation and communities to build the foundations of our digital future together with other like-minded parties across the world: the Global Digital Compact. We also explain and share our written contribution as well as public statements we made to outline our understanding and recommendation on the policy topics that are most important to the Wikimedia mission and to the wider free and open knowledge movement. We hope that the resources that we explain and share below will be useful to Wikimedia chapters and affiliates around the world, in addition to government policymakers as well as non-governmental allies, committed to protecting and supporting free knowledge communities….”

UAEM Netherlands Pushes For Clinical Trial Transparency — Universities Allied for Essential Medicines

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“On June 20th, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines Netherlands (UAEM NL) called upon the General Secretary of the Central Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects (CCMO) to address concerns regarding clinical trial transparency within the country.

This initiative garnered support from various allied organizations, including Health Action International, Doctors Without Borders the Netherlands, Wemos, and TranspariMED.

The CCMO is currently undergoing the reform of the Dutch National Trial Registry. As health advocacy organizations, we are eager to contribute to this pivotal effort aimed at enhancing the prompt registration and reporting of results for all clinical trials conducted in the Netherlands and eagerly anticipate engaging in productive discussions with the CCMO….”

Moving away from APCs: a multi-stakeholder working group convened by cOAlition S, Jisc and PLOS – The Official PLOS Blog

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“cOAlition S, in partnership with Jisc and PLOS, are seeking to establish a multi-stakeholder working group to identify business models and arrangements that enable equitable participation in knowledge-sharing. The aims of this working group and the eligibility criteria that interested parties must meet in order to apply are outlined below.

We anticipate that the group will consist of a maximum of twelve individuals and will represent the three key stakeholders – funders, institutions/library consortia and publishers – in roughly equal proportions.

Once established, the working group is expected to convene up to six times. The key outcome from this collaborative effort will be the development of a model (or multiple models) that, if implemented, would enable equitable participation in knowledge sharing….”