From the 23rd to 29th October 2023, the Library celebrated International Open Access Week – a week providing an opportunity for the academic and research community to join together, take action and raise awareness around the importance of community control of knowledge sharing systems.
As an academic library, we support Open Access Week as it is an important opportunity to encourage open research and scholarship in universities, which will lead to a freer exchange of information around the world.
As part of Open Access Week, the Library ran two open access activities which proved popular with staff and students; an Open Access Escape Room and an Open Access Quiz. As the open access symbol is orange and Open Access Week is close to Halloween, the events adopted a spooky Halloween theme.
The Open Access Escape Room activity was set in the year 2119 where all research is freely available. Participants were asked to help thwart a dastardly villain who was determined to lock away all research at Curtin University and reap the benefits of the exorbitant subscription fees that was the norm back in the early 21st Century. Our intrepid supporters of open access vanquished the villain time and time again. They left with chocolates and bragging rights that the future of open access was assured.
The Open Access Quiz was also a hit with staff and students. The online quiz rewarded participants who scored more than 80% with entry into a raffle competition. This saw two happy winners walk away with a basket of orange themed goodies.
In addition to the escape room and the quiz, we aimed to promote awareness on the topic by displaying open access fun facts on the screens in TL Robertson Library. We also held an open access workshop as part of the Library’s Publishing Power Hour workshop series, which is an annual workshop series focusing on important publishing information for Curtin authors.
The Library’s International Open Access Week celebration was nothing short of a spooky, spectacular success. It was a week when the spirit of accessibility and knowledge came together to create an unforgettable experience for all who dared to join.
Written by Kitty Delaney, Faculty Librarian
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