As we approach the close of Open Access Week…
This week has been a very interesting as we hear the stories of how librarians (and in many cases students) have embraced Open Access Week. While I have not attended any events in person, I have been able to share in many — some supported through the INASP competition, others managed and financed entirely by the host libraries. A common theme and realisation coming out of the activities this year is around the increased visibility researchers get from publishing in Open Access journals and depositing their papers in repositories. There have also been many comments about the value of using OA articles and an increasing awareness that these are of a high quality as they have usually gone through stringent peer review processes.
As the week draws to a close, I would like to share a few links and snippets to some of the events we have been watching, supported or took part in.
- Addis Ababa University Libraries have held workshops raising awareness of the importance of OA and AAU’s participation in and policies on Open Access through their institutional repository
- National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe is encouraging researchers to publish in OA journals and is working with researchers to realise the value of contributing their papers to the institutional repository
- The University of Zimbabwe has presented special awards to individuals who have made impact in the development of the UZ Institutional Repository, including those researchers who have deposited the most articles in their IR
- Mr Chouhan of Tribhuvan University, Nepal, has been active in sharing links to Nepal Journals Online
- At Uganda Martyrs University, the library has partnered with the Research Directorate to use this week to launch their IR “DSpace@UMU”.
- Students at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya have arranged activities throughout OA Week and will again be holding their annual Beauty Pagent to crown Mr. and Miss JKUAT Open Access 2012
With all the enthusiasm and interest this year, I am already anticipating Open Access Week 2013!
