Abstract

Håkan Carlsson
Lund University, Lund, Sweden

Open Access - Reaching the Masses

The open access movement has reached adulthood with institution after institution making declarations in support of the effort. One of the main goals of the movement is to reach the masses with unrestricted scientific information. This is all well, but the question is how we reach the masses of researchers at our own institutions with these new and promising alternatives.

As a backdrop to the effort, the issue of the role of the university libraries can be discussed. Are the libraries in our universities today generally seen as comfortable partners in issues of publishing and scientific communication? What are the strengths and weaknesses of library organizations in the work, and how is the experience of the libraries best conveyed?

This presentation with take off in the idealistic roots of the Open Access movement and survey how this has led to practical applications with examples from my own institution. Focus will be put on the challenges faced in the implementation of university Open Access declarations and ways to reach researchers – at a useful and constructive level - with information and education regarding the new publishing options. Practical tools and developments will be shown and the driving force and motivation for the library involvement will be addressed.