“Open Access (OA) is not an end in itself, but a means to other ends, above all, to the equity, quality, usability, and sustainability of research. We must assess the growth of OA against the gains and losses for these further ends.” –BOAI 20 Recommendations
Since the launch of the BOAI, we
SPARC News Archive
Blog Authors
Latest from SPARC News Archive
Ashley Gordon Joins SPARC Team as Programs and Operations Manager
SPARC welcomes Ashley Gordon as our new Programs and Operations Manager. She will assist with member programs and communications as well as manage key operational and business functions.
Ashley has experience with nonprofits in both direct service and administration. She was program operations manager for an organization that offered mentoring and summer learning opportunities to…
Public Domain Day Celebrates Creative Works from 1928
Hundreds of people from all over the world gathered together on January 25 to honor the thousands of movies, plays, books, poems and songs that recently entered the U.S. public domain.
Steamboat Willie, Walt Disney’s 1928 animated film featuring Mickey Mouse, had top billing at the virtual event. Literature now free from restriction for…
Faculty in Colorado and Wyoming Pass Resolutions to Strengthen Libraries in Negotiations with Publishers
Faculty members at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Wyoming in Laramie recently backed measures asserting their commitment to prioritize specific values in negotiations with major publishers—including author’s rights and open access, accessibility, affordability, preservation, privacy and security, scholarly sharing, and transparency.
The actions were intended to publicly align the values of…
Open Textbook Pilot Grantees Share Vision for Innovative Projects Across the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Education has named six new recipients of federal Open Textbook Pilot grants for FY23. Project leaders across the country are gearing up to use the nearly $12 million in awards to expand the use of Open Educational Resources (OER).
This latest investment brings the total investment in the pilot program (since…
US Repository Network launches pilot to enhance discoverability of Open Access content in repositories
An interoperable and well-functioning network of repositories is an essential component of US national research infrastructure and will play a crucial role in creating a more open and equitable global scholarly communications system. With the advent of the recent OSTP Memorandum requiring Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research, there is a…
SPARC Report Urges Action to Address Concerns with ScienceDirect Data Privacy Practices
Today, SPARC released Navigating Risk in Vendor Data Privacy Practices: An Analysis of Elsevier’s ScienceDirect. Produced in collaboration with Becky Yoose of LDH Consulting Services, the report documents a variety of data privacy practices that directly conflict with library privacy standards, and raises important questions regarding the potential for personal data collected from academic…
CERN-NASA Summit Convenes Open Science Thought Leaders Seeking to Promote Greater Collaboration
More than 100 open science leaders, policymakers, practitioners, and advocates met in Geneva, Switzerland, July 10-14 for a summit sponsored by CERN and NASA to develop strategies for accelerating the adoption of global open science.
On November 1, organizers released a closing statement and call to action for the work going forward.
Members of the…
Experts Assure Library Community that CDL Continues
Despite recent litigation, the practice of controlled digital lending (CDL) continues — and is likely here to stay, according to experts recently gathered for a webinar hosted by SPARC.
“CDL is not dead. It’s been around for a long time. It’s ingrained into a lot of libraries as a means of considering access differently,” said…
SPARC Announces New Visiting Program Officer for Open Education Leadership
Christina Riehman-Murphy has joined the SPARC team as a Visiting Program Officer for Open Educational Leadership. Christina is the Sally W. Kalin Librarian for Learning Innovations and Open & Affordable Educational Resources Librarian at Penn State University, and will serve part-time for the next year in this newly-created SPARC VPO role.
“One of the things…