University of Maryland's Senate Approves Policy to Enhance Equitable Access to Scholarly Publications | UMD PACT

"At its meeting on April 6, 2022, University of Maryland's Senate voted to approve a new institutional policy that will advance equitable, open access to the University's research and scholarship. In alignment with the University's land-grant mission and its social justice values, the new policy, entitled "Equitable Access to Scholarly Articles Authored by University Faculty," aids in the removal of price and permission barriers related to discoverability and access for anyone seeking UMD's peer-reviewed scholarly work. 

The policy was spearheaded by UMD PACT, a campus-wide working group sponsored by the University Library Council, the Office of the Provost, and the Division of Research. The benefits and features of the policy are summarized briefly below: ...

Through the policy, faculty members grant certain nonexclusive rights over their scholarly articles to the University of Maryland. This grant of nonexclusive rights, called the Equitable Access License, allows the University to distribute peer-reviewed versions of the articles free-of-charge to the general public, through DRUM, the University of Maryland’s online institutional repository. Faculty members commit to depositing (self-archiving) peer-reviewed versions of their scholarly articles into DRUM. The policy includes waiver and embargo options to enhance author freedom and control over their work...."