The Leatherby Libraries is proud to celebrate Open Access Week 2024. Open Access Week is an international celebration, originally put together by SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) and student advocates, which aims to make openness the default for research and celebrate the idea of free access to information. It’s a chance to learn about Open Access’ potential to facilitate research across the globe, increase exposure to scholarship, and influence scholars’ ability to use and reuse research results. This year Open Access Week is taking place October 21st to October 25th, and the theme is “Community Over Commercialization.”

The theme is focused on approaches to open scholarship that serve the best interests of the public and the academic community. The Leatherby Libraries has a longstanding dedication to promoting open access here at Chapman University, whether it’s through our open repositories Chapman University Digital Commons and Chapman Figshare, our many research guides on Scholarly Research & Publishing, or the open resources shared through our Database A-Z List.

Open Access Week Activities

Open Access Week Tabling

We will have information tables in the first-floor lobby of the Leatherby Libraries and at the Library Services Desk at the Health Sciences Study Commons at the Rinker Campus on:

    • Thursday, October 17th from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
    • Monday, October 21st from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Stop by to learn more about open access and pick up some information and goodies!

Open Access Week Workshops

This year, in celebration of Open Access Week, we’ll be offering a series of workshops focused on open access services and opportunities at the Leatherby Libraries:

  • Monday, October 21: What to Consider When Choosing Where to Publish – Open Access Options and Helpful Strategies
    This workshop will teach you how to evaluate open access publishers and journals to maximize your impact and avoid questionable or predatory publishers. You will also learn about several library resources, including Cabell’s, Journal Citation Reports, and Ulrich’s, as well as open tools like the Directory of Open Access Journals to help find possible platforms for publishing your research.
  • Tuesday, October 22: Open Health Data and Statistics
    Are you looking to find and access public health data? In this workshop, we will investigate resources that provide access to datasets and statistics on key health measures such as life expectancy, mortality rates, and disease prevalence. We will also discuss resources that offer information on important health determinants, including insurance coverage, income levels, and behavioral factors. During this session, we’ll explore essential sources of health data and statistics, including the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), State Health Facts, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, and the City Health Dashboard.
  • Wednesday, October 23: OA Publishing Options at Chapman: Increase Your Scholarly Reach!
    Learn about the opportunities available for Chapman faculty, staff, and students to publish their research open access for free! Whether it’s to comply with funding mandates or to increase the visibility of their scholarship, many researchers are choosing to make their work publicly available through open access publishing these days. Chapman University provides many opportunities for researchers to publish open access for free, whether through one of our agreements with commercial publishers like the American Chemical Society, Springer, or Wiley or through the SOARS (Supporting Open Access Research and Scholarship) Program!
  • Thursday, October 24: Intro to Dataset Searching Workshop
    Do you need help finding the right datasets for your research or project? This workshop will guide you through the essential steps of conducting a successful dataset search. Datasets often contain numerous variables, but only a few may be relevant to your specific needs. Discover how to effectively locate and evaluate datasets using a two-step process of identifying potential datasets and examining their content to ensure they include the required variables. In this session, we will define what constitutes a dataset and a variable, provide guidance on identifying useful dataset resources, and explore how and why the useful variables in a dataset may differ from the title, abstract, and keywords.
  • Friday, October 25: Open Educational Resources
    Kick off your weekend by exploring the pedagogical possibilities and cost-saving potential of Open Educational Resources (OER). This workshop will introduce the OER concept and show you how to find, identify, and adopt OER for your courses.

Each workshop will be offered in a hybrid format, so you can attend in person or online via Zoom. Please register via the links above.

If you have questions about Open Access Week at the Leatherby Libraries, please contact lrds@chapman.edu.

* During the Academic Year 2024-2025, Leatherby Libraries proudly celebrates 20 years of supporting the academic experience at Chapman University.