SPARC (The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) today announced that the theme for this year’s 8^th International Open Access Week will be “Open for Collaboration.” 

The theme highlights the ways in which collaboration both inspires and advances the Open Access movement—from the partnerships behind launching initiatives such as PLOS and ImpactStory, to the working relationships the community has established with policymakers that have delivered Open Access policies around the world.   The theme also emphasizes the ways in which Open Access enables new avenues for collaboration between scholars by making research available to any potential collaborator, anywhere, any time.

Established by SPARC in 2008, International Open Access Week provides an opportunity for the academic and research community to continue to learn about the benefits of Open Access, to share what they’ve learned with colleagues, and to help inspire wider participation in helping to make Open Access the norm in scholarship and research.  This year’s Open Access Week will be held from October 19^th through the 25^th.

The “Open for Collaboration” theme will also explore how cooperation between stakeholder communities helps to set the default to open for scholarly communication.  At a broader level, the theme will provide an opportunity for Open Access supporters to consider working with those in similar, allied movements for Open Data and Open Education to advance common goals more quickly.

“The energy that’s generated when smart, committed people work together on issues they care deeply about is palpable,” said Heather Joseph, Executive Director of SPARC.  “This year’s Open Access Week gives us the opportunity to highlight examples of that energy in action – and to create opportunities for new partnerships to be forged.”

Last year’s “Generation Open” theme addressed the important role students and early career researchers play within the Open Access movement, and coordinated efforts between librarians and the students on their campuses have proven to be effective in advancing the conversation around Open Access at universities around the world. 

International Open Access Week is a distributed, community-driven week of awareness for opening up scholarly communication, celebrated by institutions and organizations across the world.  For more information about International Open Access Week, please visit www.openaccessweek.org.

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About SPARC

SPARC®, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, is an international alliance of academic and research libraries working to correct imbalances in the scholarly publishing system.  Developed by the Association of Research Libraries, SPARC has become a catalyst for change.  Its pragmatic focus is to stimulate the emergence of new scholarly communication models that expand the dissemination of scholarly research and reduce financial pressures on libraries.  More information can be found at www.sparc.arl.org. Connect with us on Twitter at @SPARC_NA.