Every October, libraries, societies, publishers and authors around the world gear up to celebrate International Open Access Week. Since 2008, Open Access Week has been an annual opportunity to discuss and explore the issues related to information access. This year’s theme, Open for Whom? Equity in Open Knowledge, builds on discussions begun in 2018. As increasingly the default of systems is to be open, all stakeholders must be intentional about designing these frameworks to ensure that they are inclusive, equitable, and truly serve the needs of a diverse global community. 

Open access journals have leveled the playing field for many researchers seeking to publish affordably. Likewise, publicly available datasets have facilitated the work of those needing datasets for preliminary or feasibility studies, or multi-cohort studies. Open datasets have fueled the work of citizen scientists, leading to breakthroughs in research and an increase in enthusiasm for science among crowdsourced project participants. While great work in open access has been done, next-generation technologies are opening the door to even greater possibilities. At Galter Library we hope to highlight advances in open access publishing and spotlight the contributions of our staff in building equitable open systems for knowledge sharing. 

• Interactive Quiz: How much do you know about Open Access? Visit our library’s first floor atrium to take an interactive quiz on open access, earn a sweet treat for your efforts, and learn more about the theme of this year’s OA Week.  
• Open Access Roles and Personas: How might the importance of Open Access be different for persons with different roles? Check out our on-site digital monitors for a graphical representation detailing the importance of OA Week for the various stakeholder groups (personas) involved in the research process. The Personas Project is one of several in which Galter Library is involved in as part of Northwestern University’s partnerships with The Center for Data to Health (CD2H), the data and informatics coordinating center for the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at NIH. 
• Next-generation Tools: Are you curious about the Galter team’s progress on one of the many ongoing projects at the CD2H that support openness? A Galter Library’s Digital Systems team is working collaboratively with partners to advance open access through repositories and other digital resources. Come take a peak at a next-generation repository and data index system that will help scientists across the clinical and translational spectrum to locate tools, data, and expertise that will enhance their research process.  
• On-site Demonstrations & Goodies: Come and see a demonstration of the next generation repository. Learn about the Personas Project (and pick up a packet of personas trading cards while supplies last). Demonstrations will take place in Galter Library from 12 noon – 2pm on October 21, 22, and 24 

Galter Library staff support and provides consultation and information on various scholarly communication issues, including Open Access, throughout the year. View these GalterGuides: 

• DigitalHub
• NIH Public Access Policy
• Open Access Health Resources
• Open Access Publishing Guide