Beyond the Ivory Tower: The Real-World Importance of Open Access Today

"Open access advocates routinely proclaim the importance of information as a public good. Access to information and knowledge has been codified in the UN Declaration of Human Rights (Article 19). But what is actually happening on the ground? Does it matter that we make scholarly research open to those beyond academia? Who else is finding, reading and benefitting from open content? Where are they and what are they doing with the information? In short - why do we care about opening up access to scholarship? And what is the risk of not having this content openly available?

At a time when the relevance of taxpayer-funded research at universities and other institutions is being questioned and debated, this session will include perspectives from four US-based speakers. Panellists will explore not just how open access contributes to the general information environment, but if and how open access can serve as a force multiplier in this current period of destabilisation and uncertainty."