The web site contains information about open access efforts at KU and around the world. Current topics include the Elsevier boycott organized by mathematicians, the Federal Research Public Access Act, and current news stories and webcasts about access to scholarly research.

• Introduction to Mapping and Data Visualization (Wednesday, February 29, 2pm – 5pm)
• Using New Media Technologies to Foster Participation in/out of the Classroom (Thursday, March 1: 9am -noon)
• Introduction to Digital Collection Tools (Thursday, March 1: 1pm – 4pm)
• Digital Humanities in the Undergraduate Curriculum (Friday, March 2: 9am – noon)
• Analytical Methods in XML (Thursday, March 1 and Friday, March 2: 8:30am – 4pm — *two-day workshop*)

For more information, and to register, see http://idrh.ku.edu/workshops2012

On the heels of the White House’s Office of Science & Technology Policy’s Request for Information–issued in December 2011 and completed January 12, 2012–two Congressmen who have received several donations from a large commercial publisher sponsored this bill in Congress seeking to essentially outlaw public access policies like that of the National Institutes of Health. Please read the Alliance for Taxpayer Access’s information at http://www.taxpayeraccess.org/action/action_access/12-0106.shtml and see the collection of resources compiled by the Harvard Open Access Project, Harvard Law School at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/hoap/Notes_on_the_Research_Works_Act .

There are a couple of opportunities to register your opposition to the RWA:

1. In order for the White House to take action, 25,000 signatures are needed on the petition at whitehouse.gov by February 22, 2012. Please go to http://bit.ly/yFtntP and sign!   You will need a whitehouse.gov account in order to do this.  Registration is quick and easy.
2. There is a second petition you can sign to show your opposition to the RWA:  http://www.thepetitionsite.com/207/support-the-open-access-movement-stop-the-research-works-act/

Please see http://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/dspace/handle/1808/8330 for video highlights, handouts, and presentations from the events scheduled during Open Access Week, including The Future of Scholarly Publishing: Alternative Perspectives to the Commercialization of Knowledge, a panel discussion featuring three national experts on open access and scholarly publishing.

For more information, see the KU Call to Action page.

How you can help: Respond to the RFI by January 12, 2012

You can assist this effort by responding to the RFI. The deadline for submissions is January 12, 2012. The eight questions and submission instructions are posted here: http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2011/11/04/2011-28623/request-for-information-public-access-to-peer-reviewed-scholarly-publications-resulting-from. Submissions should be sent via email to publicaccess@ostp.gov.

Thank you for your commitment to public access and the advancement of these crucial policies.

Also, congratulations to the authors of the 10 most popular items in KU ScholarWorks during November, 2011, including four dissertations! The top 10 listing is now available on the KU ScholarWorks web site.