Open Access and Open Access Week

The beginning of the open access movement was a response to technological change through the continuous development of the internet and the rising cost of scholarly journals alike.

By Mark Kosta

Open access (OA) is underpinned by a philosophy that scholarly knowledge available free of charge and free of most copyright restrictions has the power to transform academic research and inquiry. Furthermore, open access has the potential to improve science, medicine, industry and society as a whole. The two main drivers that deliver OA research articles and other resources are open access journals and open access repositories such as the University of Sydney Library’s Sydney eScholarship.

For eight successive years now the movement draws attention to its aims and philosophy with the yearly recurring Open Access week. This international event is an opportunity to highlight and promote the aims of open access. This year’s theme is Open for Collaboration.

The Library will participate in Open Access Week through social media as well as with information and articles on open access themes.

So watch this space and look out for: #OAWeek #Sydney_library and follow us on social media: