In February 2013, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a memo entitled “Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research.” It directs all federal research agencies to develop and implement open access plans over the next several years.
The OSTP directed agencies to submit proposals for compliance by August 22, 2013. Although many details are still unknown, it is very important for academic institutions—in particular, academic libraries—to closely monitor developments and proactively assess existing resources to ensure compliance.
In response to inevitable changes, a Public Access Working Group has been formed, comprised of members from different Fondren departments. The purpose of this working group is to conduct an assessment of Fondren’s ability to meet new federal public access requirements.
Be on the lookout for the group’s report later in the semester!
Learn more about the SHared Access Research Ecosystem (SHARE)—a model for making federally funded publications available—that is supported by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL): http://www.arl.org/focus-areas/public-access-policies/shared-access-research-ecosystem-share
