Assessing the Role of OpenAlex and DSpace Repository in Advancing Open Access at Kastamonu University: A Comparative Study · Libraries Bridging Boundaries: Challenges & Strategies for Global Openness. IFLA Division D Midterm Meeting: Koç University, Istanbul, Türkiye, June 5-7, 2024

Abstract:  This article examines the role of libraries in promoting open access initiatives, explicitly focusing on OpenAlex model publishing and the DSpace repository at Kastamonu University, Türkiye. The study investigates the awareness and understanding of open access principles among the university’s librarians and the library’s role in supporting these initiatives to some extent. This study is a prototype survey, establishing a foundation for a more extensive investigation in the future. Open Access platforms, like OpenAlex and DSpace, aim to democratize knowledge, foster innovation, and promote collaboration by making research freely accessible to all. The article highlights the importance of open access models, such as the Budapest Open Access Initiative  and Diamond Open Access. It seeks to answer critical questions regarding the awareness, usage, and understanding of open access publishing, DSpace, and the OpenAlex model among university librarians. The Voyant is a tool for text processing. Preliminary results show that while library workers are aware of open science and DSpace, their awareness of OpenAlex is relatively low compared to previous subjects. In other words, they understand the open access phenomenon and DSpace, but OpenAlex is new to them.