First Steps to Promoting Open Access for Research Data and Publications on Campus.

Anjum Najmi, Phillip Reynolds, and Dillon Wackerman

Open Access (OA) is “the free, immediate, online availability of research articles coupled with the right to use these articles fully in the digital environment.” (SPARC, 2014) While much of the conversation about OA centers on business models, economics, workflow processes, institutional policy, and the transformative influence on academic publishing, limited dialogue occurs about best practices to guide educational and research institutions when planning to develop a policy on Open Access.

In 2015, the Dean’s Council at Stephen F Austin State University (SFASU) agreed to support Open Access on campus for research data and publications. The SFA Scholar Works, the University’s institutional repository would archive a wide range of research and scholarship produced by the academic community (i.e., faculty-student research, electronic thesis and dissertations (ETDs), and multimedia items). The Steen Library and Center for Digital Scholarship would play an active role in encouraging and educating members of the academic community on adopting Open Access and developing a policy for open research data and publications.

However, many concerns among faculty on campus in regard to adopting a required mandate to open research created the need to consider methods that first focused on faculty interests, concerns, and ultimately acceptance. Student research: undergraduate and graduate were viewed as essential tools for building consensus. Results one year later were surprising and reveal how key measures when considered can help to initiate change. This presentation will discuss best practices and provide examples of the innovative steps taken to generate support for Open Access at SFASU.