Just in time for Open Access Week: Announcing the ASU Digital Repository | The Library Channel

"This week is the 6th International Open Access Week, dedicated to celebrating and raising awareness of open access to scholarly information. Open access is the free, immediate, online access to the results of scholarly research, and the right to use and re-use those results as you need. One aspect of The ASU Libraries’ commitment to open access has been the development of the ASU Digital Repository to serve as a central place for sharing and preserving the scholarly and creative work of Arizona State University.  ASU faculty and researchers now have a tool that preserves their research and also provides international exposure through commercial search engines, such as Google and Bing, as well as the ASU Libraries web site. The ASU Digital Repository is now online and open for business. 'Our goal with the ASU Digital Repository is to advance research and learning here at ASU,' said Phil Konomos, Associate University Librarian and Chief Technology Officer at ASU Libraries.  'The ASU Digital Repository will provide broader access to important digital collections, as well as articles, data, and other works by ASU’s world class faculty.' Many studies have demonstrated that open access articles have increased citation rates and impact. Additionally, providing free, online access to ASU scholarship benefits the local community as well, allowing teachers in K-12 schools to use reliable and cutting edge references in their lesson plans. The ASU Digital Repository also encourages transdisciplinary research by engaging scholars and researchers worldwide, increasing impact globally through the rapid dissemination of knowledge. The ASU Digital Repository also functions as a tool to help faculty meet public access policies and archival requirements specified by many federal grants. 'Researchers are now faced with new requirements in order to secure grant funding. The ASU Digital Repository is there to help them,' Konomos says.