Open Access Week Promotes Free Use Of Scholarly Research [Oklahoma University]

For the first time ever OU Libraries are participating in Open Access Week this week to promote the free use of information for scholarly research.

Open Access Week is an opportunity for the academic and research community to learn about the benefits of having open access to scholarly research and the rights to using that research, according to openaccessweek.org. Universities and research institutes have used this week to give faculty a chance to vote on campus open-access policies, to report on the benefits of open access and to commit new funds to support open-access publication.

“Open Access makes the results of scholarly research freely availabile to anyone, anywhere, with an Internet connection,” said Cecelia Brown, director of the OU School of Library and Information Studies. OU Libraries has created a resource guide for faculty members, librarians and research funders to educate them about what they can do to promote open access. There is a display about open access on the main floor of Bizzell Memorial Library, and the library will also hold a webinar about copyright laws from 1:30-3 p.m, according to the OU Libraries website.