October 21 - 27, 2024

Have you heard of Open Access?

This principle has been gaining traction around the world and is important for all members of the research community whether you are reading, writing or publishing.

As per Open Access Australasia (https://oaaustralasia.org):

Open Access has the aim of reducing barriers to accessing research to ensure that current research is disseminated as widely as possible. This makes access to the most up-to-date information more equitable.

Currently, the District Library Service mostly accesses research for you under copyright and licencing law through the journal subscriptions that we and other libraries hold. It costs a great deal for subscriptions to journals and it does mean that at times we are not able to supply you with an article because its access is too restricted. Other times we do get lucky and find you an article that is available under open access!

To learn more about Open Access and how it is relevant to your work, check out the following links:

• Open Access Australasia
• The Australian Research Council's Open Access Policy
• International Open Access Week
• Deakin University's LibGuide to Open Access - a succinct explainer
• Open access for all: Empowering researchers and communities worldwide (article from SpringerNature)
• Publish OA, support the SDGs: Make your research impactful (article from SpringerNature) - particularly relevant for those who publish their research