York University has distinguished itself as a leader in the open access arena by proclaiming that all articles, books and other scholarly communications produced by librarians and archivists there will be available on an open access basis. I know and respect several librarians at York University and this increases my respect for them even further. The policy was passed on October 1 of this year and it will be evaluated again in a year.
My impression is that Canadian universities, as a whole, are lagging behind their American counterparts in adopting open access (I’ve blogged previously about the Ivy League Compact on Open Access Publishing Equity). However, I get the sense that the gap is smaller here than in social media where many institutions in Canada were years behind the United States. Indeed, fellow library blogger Heather Morrison has written about Canadian leadership in open access movement compiled a great list of open access news and announcements from across Canada that is worth a look. For information professionals working in education, this is an area for us to lead both in advocating for its value (e.g. scientific research becomes available to all who want it) and showing how to implement it.
To underscore the importance of open access, I am making my Master’s thesis, “The Role of Civil Society Organizations in the Net Neutrality Debate in Canada and the United States,” will be available on an open access basis through the University of Toronto TSpace depository at the end of November. Further details on how to access it will be posted it when it goes online.
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