Awakening and Rekindling Interest in Open Access: How to Instill Enthusiasm and Keep It Alive

King Library 255/257

How can academic librarians awaken and keep alive the enthusiasm for open access on their campuses? What are the typical stages of open access awareness? After you’ve tried the obvious strategies--such as celebration of Open Access Week, acknowledgement of faculty open access publications, promotion of open access resources, and passage of symbolic faculty endorsements of open access—what is the next step? This is a tale of two libraries: One, a medium-sized, research-intensive university, has reached a plateau in its innovative adoption of open access initiatives; the other, a small, primarily undergraduate, private university, is just beginning its open access initiatives. The presenters, each intensively involved in scholarly communication issues at their respective institutions, will share their experiences and talk about points of resistance and challenge. Then they will lead participants in an interactive exercise to brainstorm new ways to awaken and rekindle interest and regain momentum in the pursuit of open access initiatives at any type of college or university, no matter the size, mission, or stage of awareness.