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Category: open access

On “Comprehensive Brief to Open Access to Publications and Research Data for the Federal Granting Agencies,” by Kathleen Shearer

On “Comprehensive Brief to Open Access to Publications and Research Data for the Federal Granting Agencies,” by Kathleen Shearer

In this 2011 document, “Comprehensive Brief to Open Access to Publications and Research Data for the Federal Granting Agencies,” Kathleen Shearer reviews the research dissemination landscape in Canada, especially within the context of open access. She divides her report into two sections: publications and data. Although the general premise behind open access and open data is the same (that is, free and universal access to research materials), the implementation considerations are actually rather different. There remain challenges to Canadian researchers’…

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On “Require Open Access to Results of Research Funded by Canadian Taxpayer” by Heather Morrison et al.

On “Require Open Access to Results of Research Funded by Canadian Taxpayer” by Heather Morrison et al.

The “Require Open Access to Results of Research Funded by Canadian Taxpayer” report was developed by Heather Morrison, Leslie Chan, Michael Geist, Stevan Harnad, and Christian Vandendorpe, among others, for the Government of Canada. It preempts the “Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications” by ~5 years, although it is a clear precedent of that policy. Morrison et al. make direct recommendations in “Require Open Access”: primarily, they suggest that all funded research should be required to be deposited in institutional…

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On the Government of Canada’s “Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications”

On the Government of Canada’s “Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications”

Governments around the world are developing policies to encourage or ensure open access to the research they fund. These policies vary in scope and implementability, but all of them take the line that publically funded research should be publically available. The “Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications” lays out the Government of Canada’s approach and attitude toward research sharing and dissemination, funneled through the Tri-Agency. The goal of this document is to convince researchers to make their output openly available,…

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On “Capitalizing on Big Data: Toward a Policy Framework for Advancing Digital Scholarship in Canada”

On “Capitalizing on Big Data: Toward a Policy Framework for Advancing Digital Scholarship in Canada”

“Capitalizing on Big Data: Toward a Policy Framework for Advancing Digital Scholarship in Canada” is a consultation document that was compiled by the Government of Canada (namely the Tri-Council and CFI, in collaboration with Genome Canada) and released in October 2013. The primary aim of this document is to argue that funding policies for digital scholarship and infrastructure in Canada need to be coordinated. The document’s compilers contend that Canada does not have sufficient infrastructure to manage the increasing load…

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On “Optimizing Open Access Policy,” by Stevan Harnad

On “Optimizing Open Access Policy,” by Stevan Harnad

Stevan Harnad, in the article “Optimizing Open Access Policy,” makes the case for universal open access by route of mandated Green Open Access (OA), that is, of universities and funding agencies requiring that all researchers submit their work to institutional repositories. He argues that the current state of Gold OA is still not a sustainable option for universities, as they are now paying article processing charges (APCs) for authors as well as maintaining their subscriptions to journals. This system has…

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On “Introduction to Open Access” and “Open Access Infrastructure”

On “Introduction to Open Access” and “Open Access Infrastructure”

As with the Open Access for Researchers UNESCO curriculum,Open Access for Library Schools was developed under UNESCO’s Open Access Program. On their website UNESCO writes, “The carefully designed and developed sets of OA curricula for researchers and library and information professionals are based on two needs assessment surveys, and several rounds of face-to-face and online consultations with relevant stakeholders” (n.p.). I’ve read over a couple of the modules that appear to be most pertinent for my research, and will offer…

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On “A Good Idea, a Difficult Reality: Toward a Publisher/Library Open Access Partnership,” by Rowland Lorimer

On “A Good Idea, a Difficult Reality: Toward a Publisher/Library Open Access Partnership,” by Rowland Lorimer

The title of this article by Rowland Lorimer, “A Good Idea, a Difficult Reality: Toward a Publisher/Library Open Access Partnership,” may be a bit misleading. When one reads through the article itself, it seems to argue that libraries should not have a substantive role to play in OA, or at least in the publishing side of OA. (Is that a partnership?) Lorimer rightly acknowledges the complexities of scholarly communication, and the need for objective study into successful models. But its…

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On “‘Free to All’: Library Publishing and the Challenge of Open Access,” by Michah Vandegrift and Josh Bolick

On “‘Free to All’: Library Publishing and the Challenge of Open Access,” by Michah Vandegrift and Josh Bolick

In the published conference paper “‘Free to All’: Library Publishing and the Challenge of Open Access,” Micah Vandegrift and Josh Bolick argue that libraries need to be unwavering forces in the promotion and implementation of open access (OA) publishing. They contend that libraries are increasingly becoming “library publishers” (107). Although I do think there’s an argument to be made to this end, it is not overwhemingly clear to me, from the paper itself, just how libraries are publishers. My immediate…

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On “Concepts of Openness and Open Access,” and “Sharing Your Work in Open Access,” from the UNESCO curriculum, Open Access for Researchers

On “Concepts of Openness and Open Access,” and “Sharing Your Work in Open Access,” from the UNESCO curriculum, Open Access for Researchers

The UNESCO curriculum Open Access for Researchers was developed under UNESCO’s Open Access Program. As their website states, “The carefully designed and developed sets of OA curricula for researchers and library and information professionals are based on two needs assessment surveys, and several rounds of face-to-face and online consultations with relevant stakeholders” (n.p.). I’ve read over a couple of the modules that appear to be most pertinent for my research, and will offer brief responses below. Module 2, “Concepts of…

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On “Beyond Open: Expanding Access to Scholarly Content,” by Alice Meadows

On “Beyond Open: Expanding Access to Scholarly Content,” by Alice Meadows

Alice Meadows provides a review of major low cost or public access initiatives  in “Beyond Open: Expanding Access to Scholarly Content.” She summarizes the New School for Social Research’s Journal Donation Project , Research for Life, the International Network for Access to Scientific Publications (INASP), Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL), patientACCESS, Access to Research, Emergency Access Initiative (EAI), and Strengthening Research and Knowledge Systems (SRKS). Meadows’ review is useful insofar as it provides a broad sense of low cost / public…

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