“Short glossary containing the main concepts related to Rights Retention and Open Licensing developed by Project Retain led by SPARC Europe. This is part of the Knowledge Rights 21 programme.”
“This helper includes key resources on rights retention for institutions and researchers: including examples of rights retention policies, support documents and guidelines and a key reading list….”
“In January 2023, OpenAIRE, LIBER, SPARC Europe, and COAR launched a joint strategy aimed at strengthening the European repository network. As a first step, a survey of the European repository landscape was undertaken in February-March 2023. The survey found that, collectively, European repositories acquire, preserve and provide open access to tens or possibly hundreds of millions of valuable research outputs and represent critical, not-for-profit infrastructure in the European open science landscape. They are used for sharing articles that may be pay-walled in published journals, but also for providing access to a large variety of other types of research outputs including research data, theses/dissertations, conference papers, preprints, code, and so on.
However, in order to ensure the European repository network is fit for purpose and able to support the evolving needs of the research community, the survey also identified three areas in particular that could be strengthened: maintaining up-to-date, highly functioning software platforms; applying consistent and comprehensive good practices in terms of metadata, preservation, and usage statistics; and gaining appropriate visibility in the scholarly ecosystem.
Despite the challenges, the current climate offers exciting opportunities for repositories. Many funders are actively promoting the repository route for articles because of their role in supporting equitable access to content (i.e. no fees to access or deposit). The value proposition for open science is growing and repositories are increasingly recognised as the main mechanism for collecting and providing access to a wide range of other research outputs. Add to this, the nascent, but growing, interest in the publish-review-curate model in which repositories have a central function, and it seems they are well placed to expand their current role in the ecosystem.
The survey provides essential data that will help shape a joint strategy to enhance and strengthen European repositories that will be developed over the next several months.”
“By invitation, SPARC Europe recently attended the Global Summit on Diamond Open Access. Participants reflected on the current diamond OA publishing system and how to develop and sustain a solid scholar-led not-for-profit diamond OA publishing ecosystem. The event created a very fertile ground for discussion by bringing people from across the world, from 75 countries and over 450 organisations speaking in four languages.
As world leaders in this area and our host, Redalyc demonstrated its extraordinary and admirable leadership in OA diamond with its innovative policy, organisation, infrastructure and community. A strong shared vision, collective services, increasing efficiency and resilience in hard times, capacity-building and collaboration have been crucial to their success. From the summit we also gained a clear view of the work of others worldwide as they spoke to their diamond policies and practices as well as to their aspirations, whilst also highlighting some of the challenges in creating a diamond OA world….”
As the SPARC Europe Communication and Engagement Leader, you will work closely with the SPARC Europe Director and with the Open Education Community Manager. You are responsible for effectively communicating and engaging on important Open Science and Open Education to a range of stakeholders to support our change efforts.
You will do this by taking a targeted approach, strategizing and implementing that strategy in various communities, such as OA books, diamond OA, research data management, open infrastructure, open education and, of course, you will help disseminate the work of SPARC Europe and that of our partners to the relevant audience.
Responsibilities and tasks
Disseminating the work of SPARC Europe and its projects in a concise, creative, engaging and targeted way.
Developing strategies to communicate and engage with our stakeholders effectively year on year.
Developing and implementing knowledge-sharing activities such as community meetings, webinars, and other events, and using social media and other platforms to share news and good practice.
Developing and implementing information campaigns to mobilise change or raise awareness.
Progressing and supporting our networks to develop them into thriving communities of practice.
Writing blog posts and newsletters as well as concise information materials.
Conducting some stakeholder research
Education, experience, knowledge, skills and ability
A Bachelor degree or equivalent.
At least 5-10 years communications / marketing experience serving the academic community. Experience with academic libraries is preferred.
Excellent interpersonal communication skills, including strong writing, presentation, social media and meeting facilitation skills.
Experience with advocating for Open Science and/or Open Education.
Involvement in managing and growing networks or communities and in building trust in a changing environment.
Ability to manage multiple projects at the same time, with a result-orientated focus.
Driven yet empathetic, and flexible.
In short, if you are interested in using your creativity with your strong communication skills and your passion for Open to support change on an international level for a more Open society, this position is for you.
Remuneration and conditions of appointment
We are offering a position of employment in an innovative sector for a respected Open policy and advocacy organisation. We are looking for support for 32-40 hours per week. You must be located in Europe.
Initially it is a contract for one year with the prospect of an extension and a permanent contract. Salary depends on education and experience. We ask you to propose your expected net remuneration in your application.
The post holder is required to work remotely 4-5 days a week between Monday to Friday, and may be expected to travel to certain meetings or conferences 2-3 times per year in Europe, although these will be limited.
Further information and applications
If you are interested in this position, then apply by sending your CV and please state why you are motivated to work with SPARC Europe and why you’re right for the position. How you communicate this motivation is up to you.
Please send your application no later than Friday, 15 September 2023 to info@sparceurope.org
The first round of interviews will take place online in September 2023.
For questions about the vacancy, please contact: Vanessa Proudman, Director, SPARC Europe, info@sparceurope.org
“Europe has seen a significant growth in activity to establish and advance open access (OA) policies over the last decade. However, copyright has been the thorn in the side of many authors, funders, and their institutions who wish to publish OA, since many publisher policies and processes are no longer fit for purpose.
Today, we require the rights to publish, share, adapt, and reuse material for research, educational, or multilingual needs….”
“This report investigates the current landscape of non-legislative policy practices affecting researchers and authors in the authors’ rights and licensing domain. It is an outcome of research conducted by Project Retain led by SPARC Europe, as part of the Knowledge Rights 21 programme. The report concludes with a set of recommendations for institutional policymakers, funders and legislators, and publishers.
It is accompanied by the study dataset.
This project was funded by Arcadia – a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin.”
This is the first event in our ENOEL Workshop series, organized by SPARC Europe and the European Network of Open Education Librarians (ENOEL) Our three workshop facilitators are: – Sylvia Moes (VU University, Netherlands) – Mira Buist-Zhuk (University of Groningen, Netherlands) – Lambert Heller (TIB – Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology, Germany) In this workshop, you will learn about the benefits of open textbooks and identify opportunities for integrating them effectively into courses. Using several engaging examples, you will get to explore the current open textbook publishing practices in several European universities and engage in reflective discussions on the challenges and opportunities of open textbooks. Whether you are an enthusiastic academic librarian, an experienced educator, or an open textbook self-starter, come join us and unlock the full potential of open textbooks in education. The chat will be open for the audience to ask questions and engage in the discussion directly with our experts. Attend this session, and you will: – Understand the concept and benefits of open textbooks – Identify opportunities for integrating open textbooks effectively into course design and instructional practices – Explore the current landscape of open textbook publishing practices in several European universities – Reflect on the challenges and opportunities presented by open textbooks.
We are pleased to announce our participation in the recently launched Open Book Futures (OBF) project, funded by Arcadia and the Research England Development (RED) Fund.
Open Access (OA) publishing has transformed how scholars and the wider public access academic content. However, despite the many benefits of OA, the number of OA books published each year is still relatively low compared to OA journal articles. In response to this challenge, the OBF project was launched with the intention of significantly increasing and improving the quantity, discoverability, and accessibility of academic content, ensuring it is freely and easily available to not only scholars but also the general public. The intention is to build on the pioneering work conducted within the Community-led Open Publication Infrastructures for Monographs (COPIM) project.
SPARC Europe’s role in OBF
SPARC Europe will contribute to the OBF project in various ways:
We bring our experience establishing and running The Global Sustainability Coalition for Open Science Services (SCOSS) and our connections to Invest in Open Infrastructure to advise the project. The Open Book Collective Development Fund’s grant allocation work will address a gap in the funding landscape by offering financial support to smaller and newer OA book initiatives, and we look forward to supporting this effort.
We will contribute directly to the outreach work being conducted by Work Package 2, on behalf of the Open Book Collective, and Work Package 3, on behalf of the Opening the Future revenue model.
Specifically, we will raise awareness of this important initiative and explore new opportunities for OA books to build a more sustainable infrastructure for OA books.
We are excited about the challenges that lie ahead for OBF. Our contribution will help initiate a step change in the ambition, scope, and impact of community-led OA book publishing. Together, we will improve the quantity, discoverability, and accessibility of long-form publications ensuring they are freely and easily available to scholars and the wider public.
You can read more about the project here and stay informed by regularly checking our news page.
“We are pleased to announce our participation in the recently launched Open Book Futures (OBF) project, funded by Arcadia and the Research England Development (RED) Fund.
Open Access (OA) publishing has transformed how scholars and the wider public access academic content. However, despite the many benefits of OA, the number of OA books published each year is still relatively low compared to OA journal articles. In response to this challenge, the OBF project was launched with the intention of significantly increasing and improving the quantity, discoverability, and accessibility of academic content, ensuring it is freely and easily available to not only scholars but also the general public. The intention is to build on the pioneering work conducted within the Community-led Open Publication Infrastructures for Monographs (COPIM) project….”
DIAMAS is also organising a series of survey-a-thons to assist participants with completing the survey in different languages, you can see information about these events here: http://diamasproject.eu/survey-a-thon-series/.
SPARC Europe and LIBER will host a joint one in English on 26 April 2023, 10 CEST. Please register here.
“The aim of this survey is to gain a better understanding of the repository landscape in Europe in order to develop a relevant and effective strategy to strengthen repositories in the region….
The survey is being undertaken by OpenAIRE, LIBER, SPARC Europe, and COAR as part of their Joint Strategy to Strengthen the European Repository Network. Results of the survey will be presented in a report in summer 2023. Aggregate, anonymised data will be deposited into the Zenodo repository. No personal information will be shared beyond the survey analysis team and contact information will be used for internal purposes only.
The survey is open to any open research / scholarly repository based in Europe and should be completed by a person who is responsible for managing the repository….”
“Some key highlights for 2022 were:
We properly got into our new facilitator role to support the Council for National Open Science Coordination in 2022 by managing a range of knowledge-exchange conversations with scores of national OS policymakers from across Europe.
The DIAMAS Project — ‘Developing Institutional Open Access Publishing Models to Advance Scholarly Communication’ began in the autumn of 2022. As one of 23 project partners, we will lead the work on supporting the sustainability of institutional publishing, and we are excited about managing engagement for the project.
For more equity in Open, we made headway on reforming copyright for Open Access through a new project, Project Retain, where we worked hard to gather insights into the rights retention and open licensing policies of institutions of Higher Education, funders, and publishers.
The Open Access Books Network (OABN), which we helped build and co-coordinate, became an OPERAS Special Interest Group (SIG). This new organisational move will bring more stability to this important network.
Our European Network of Open Education Librarians (ENOEL) continued to grow, strengthen, advocate, and develop Open Education (OE) across the continent.
We are proud to announce that SCOSS – together with over 300 libraries worldwide – has so far helped raise 4.85 million EUR to sustain Open Science Infrastructure. One-third of these pledgers are recurrent! We are so grateful that even in hard economic times, libraries are investing in open infrastructure….”
“Open science is ushering in a new paradigm for research; one in which all researchers have unprecedented access to the full corpus of research for analysis, text and data mining, and other novel research methods. A prerequisite for achieving this vision is a strong and well-functioning network of repositories that provides human and machine access to the wide range of valuable research outputs. Repositories also support much needed bibliodiversity in the system as they collect a diverse range of content types, domains and languages, and are fundamental for achieving Europe’s desired changes to research evaluation, whereby “assessment of research, researchers and research organisations recognises the diverse outputs, practices and activities that maximise the quality and impact of research”.
Currently, Europe has one of the most well-developed networks globally with hundreds of repositories hosted by universities, research centres, government departments, and not-for-profit organisations. However, there are significant variations across the European repository landscape with differing levels of support and funding; and, while some countries have strong national coordination, others do not. In a practical sense, this means that some repositories have access to the resources they need to provide a well-functioning service, while others find it a challenge to maintain up-to-date software platforms and suitable staffing levels….
To that end, today OpenAIRE, LIBER, SPARC Europe, and COAR are launching a joint strategy aimed at strengthening the European repository network. Through this strategy we are committed to working together – and with other relevant organisations – to develop and execute an action plan that will reinforce and enhance repositories in Europe. As a first step, we will undertake a survey that will enable us to have a better understanding of the current repository landscape and identify priority areas of action. The survey will be available in February 2023.”
The institutional OA diamond publishing sector can be challenged by fragmentation; its visibility can be limited, its service of varying quality, and its sustainability is not always secure. A new European Commission-funded project, DIAMAS, aims to build capacity amongst institutional publishers in Europe to address some of these challenges. It will run for 30-months and started on 1 September with 23 partners collaborating. SPARC Europe is one of the project’s partners.