Library Intelligencer

Washington, DC – A new portal for educational materials on the “concept, principles, advantages, approaches and means to achieving Open Access,” the Open Access Scholarly Information Sourcebook (OASIS), is now online. Launched at the recent ELPUB meeting, the new Web resource was featured at an Open Access Week Web cast today.

OASIS aims to provide an authoritative ‘sourcebook’ on Open Access. The site highlights developments and initiatives from around the world, with links to diverse additional resources and case studies. Materials are presented according to specific focus areas, to reflect diverse interest in wider access to research. OASIS focus areas highlight Researchers, Librarians, Publishers, Administrators, the Public, and Students.

Administrators visiting the site are invited to explore the “Institutional Advantages of Open Access” and consider: Business Aspects of Institutional Open Access Repositories; Institutional Repositories for Research Management and Assessment; Developing an Institutional Open Access Policy; The Optimal Open Access Policy for Institutions; and more.

Topics for Researchers zero in on the “Benefits of Open Access for research dissemination,” and offer in-depth discussions on: Open Access-What is it and why should we have it?; Citation impact; Managing your research profile; Ways to provide Open Access to your work; Author’s Rights and Author Addenda; and Publisher Permissions and Embargoes.

OASIS is a community-building as much as a resource-building exercise. Users are encouraged to share and download the resources provided, and to modify and customize them for local use.

The site is coordinated by Alma Swan, of Key Perspectives Ltd, UK and Leslie Chan, University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada and overseen by a steering committee and advisory board of international Open Access experts and advocates.