Video: Open Access -- Defraying Costs and Expanding the Reach of Scholarly Research

ALBANY, N.Y. (October 23, 2011) -- As students across the country grapple with the increasing costs of a college education, the University at Albany will join others in the academic community in a national movement to mitigate the rising costs of journals and eliminate barriers to the access of knowledge by advancing 'Open Access.' Scholarly research, whether in the form of textbooks or peer-reviewed journals, is one of the contributing factors in the rising costs of higher education. The concept of open access refers to free, immediate online access and the right to use scholarly research.

"Students and the population-at-large should have access to information without having to pay exorbitantly for it," said Gerald Zahavi, professor of history and director of the University at Albany’s Documentary Studies program. Zahavi served as editor for several years of the Journal for Multimedia History, an open-access journal in a digital format.

Open Access Week, a global event now in its fifth year, provides the academic and research community an opportunity to learn about the potential benefits of open access, to share what they've learned with colleagues, and to inspire a wider participation in helping to make open access a new norm in scholarship and research.

The University at Albany Libraries highlighted Open Access Week with exhibits and a program of activities, including a forum and discussion on Wednesday, Oct. 26, including a keynote lecture by New York University Physics Professor David Hogg on 'Open Science, Free Software, and Citizen Astronomers.' The lecture was followed by a tour of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, a global education, research, development and technology deployment resource dedicated to preparing the next generation of scientists and researchers in nanotechnology.

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