Public Access in Transition: Nelson Memo, Federal Licensing, and the Future of Open Scholarship (Online)
In response to the memorandum issued in 2022 by the White House of Science & Technology Policy (also known as “Nelson memo”), federal agencies are actively revising, developing, finalizing, and announcing public access policies that will further expand access to federally funded research. The NIH is taking the lead, with its revised public access policy having gone into effect on July 1.
These changes raise important questions: What will compliance look like in practice? How should faculty, researchers, and institutions position themselves to meet new requirements? What is the status of policy development across agencies? How have publishers responded to these new policies? And what role will libraries play in supporting campus-wide compliance?
This panel brings together leading experts in open scholarship policy and infrastructure to explore the practical and policy dimensions of these questions:
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Dave Hansen, Executive Director of Authors Alliance, will discuss the critical role of the federal purpose license and its implications for sustainable and lawful public access.
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Peter Suber, Senior Advisor on Open Access at Harvard library and Director of the Harvard Open Access Project at the Berkman Klein Center, will provide insights into the evolution of public access policies across presidential administrations and the lessons we can draw from past transitions.
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Heather Joseph, Executive Director of SPARC, will provide a high-level view of current developments in policies related to open access, open data, and open education—and what they signal for the future.
Join us for three expert presentations, followed by a moderated Q&A session where you’ll have the opportunity to engage directly with the panelists on the implementation of the Nelson Memo and how libraries can play a key role in supporting compliance and advancing open scholarship.
Event Accessibility
Harvard Library is committed to making our events accessible to everyone. If you require an accommodation to fully participate in the discussion, please contact Emily Kilcer to discuss options.
OAWeek 2025-1
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Join Harvard Library in celebrating International Open Access Week 2025, October 20-26!
The 2025 Open Access Week theme asks, “Who Owns Our Knowledge?” In response to this important question, Harvard Library will host events and offer materials that explore how, “in a time of disruption, communities can reassert control over the knowledge they produce.”
Find and register for OA Week events, read the annual Open Access Week Statement from Martha Whitehead, Vice President for the Harvard Library and University Librarian, and consider how you can participate in and reassert control over your own knowledge production.
Presentations and materials from the week’s sessions will be shared on the Open Science Framework.
If you have questions about open access or any of the Open Access Week offerings, please contact Harvard Library’s Open Scholarship and Research Data Services.
