Open access is a movement that supports the free availability of literature to the global community by making the outputs of knowledge production available on the public web. This not only supports users’ ability to read, search, and distribute full-text content but also institutions, like the academy, to provide access without the financial, legal, and technical barriers associated with publishing bodies. To date, the operationalization of Open Access content in UBC Library has mostly followed pathways that have been constructed for licensed content. This session will provide an overview of open access and explore functional areas of UBC Library including access & discoverability, licensing & permissions and budgeting on how a greater transition of paywalled content to Open Access could impact and what might be done for preparation.

Join Donna Langille (Community Engagement Librarian, UBCO) and Erin Fields (Scholarly Communication and Open Education Librarian, UBCV) for a brief overview of open access, followed by a keynote address by Sheldon Armstrong, Associate University Librarian, Collections Library Administration.