Open Access Week 2025

Join Harvard Library as we celebrate International Open Access Week starting October 20.

We're marking the annual, international celebration of Open Access Week. Join us from October 20 through October 26 as we celebrate the collective progress we've made and explore this year’s theme: “Who Owns Our Knowledge?”   

Along with colleagues from across the University, we'll host events and share resources that inform and connect our efforts and ask what more we can do to encourage and support a more open, sustainable scholarly landscape. 

Keynote

Public Access in Transition: Nelson Memo, Federal Licensing, and the Future of Open Scholarship 

Tuesday, October 21 @ 11:00am ET
via Zoom

Join Heather Joseph, Dave Hansen, and Peter Suber — leading experts in open scholarship policy and infrastructure — to explore the practical and policy dimensions of questions related to the 2022 White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (also known as “Nelson memo”), which requires federally funded research, including publications and data, be immediately available for the public to freely access and fully use. 

Join us as we explore:  

  • What is the status of policy development across agencies?
  • What will compliance look like in practice?
  • How should faculty, researchers, and institutions position themselves to meet new requirements?
  • How have publishers responded to these new policies?
  • And more.  

Register for Public Access in Transition

Open Access Week Events

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Data for the Public Good: A Health Datathon

Monday, October 20
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Countway Library

Help capture and preserve our public health care data in the Climate and Health Research Coordinating Center Harvard Dataverse Collection.

Register for Data for the Public Good
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Public Access in Transition: Federal Licensing and the Future of Open Scholarship

Tuesday, October 21
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Virtual

Explore the practical and policy dimensions of questions related to new rules requiring federally funded research be immediately available to the public.

Register for Public Access in Transition
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Unlocking Open Access: Introduction to OA Models

Wednesday, October 22
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Virtual

Join for a discussion of various open access models and recent developments in both open access publishing and rights retention.

Register for Unlocking Open Access
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Pathways for Diverse Data in AI

Wednesday, October 22
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Virtual

Join Professor Ruth Okediji and Assistant Dean Amanda Watson to discuss opportunities and hurdles for greater diversity in data and its importance for the development of AI.

Register for Pathways for Diverse Data
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Build Your Research Identity: ORCID, Google Scholar, and More

Wednesday, October 22
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Cabot Library

This hands-on session will introduce you to tools that help you establish a credible and visible scholarly presence, including ORCID, Google Scholar, and more.

Register for Build Your Research Identity
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Ready, Set, Share! All You Need to Know to Deposit Your Scholarship in DASH

Friday, October 24
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Virtual

Drop by to learn how — and why — to deposit your scholarship in Harvard’s open access repository, DASH.

Register for Ready, Set, Share!
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Copyright First Responders Presents: Data Cartels

Friday, October 24
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Virtual

Join Sarah Lamdan for a discussion of her 2022 book "Data Cartels: The Companies that Control and Monopolize Our Information."

Register for Data Cartels

Pop Ups

We'll be popping up around campus ready to talk with you about making your work openly available, navigating Harvard’s open access policies, managing your research data, and finding open resources to support your research and teaching. 

Pick up free swag, grab informational handouts, and discover how you can contribute to making research accessible to all. All are welcome! 

  • Monday, October 20 @ 11:30am to 2:00pm: Student Center at Harvard Griffin GSAS, Lehman Hall
  • Wednesday, October 22 @ 12:00pm to 1:30pm: Cabot Library Discovery Bar
  • Wednesday, October 22 @ 1:00pm to 3:00pm: Countway Library Information Desk
  • Friday, October 24 @ 2:00pm to 4:00pm: Cabot Library 

You can also get free resources and swag all week at the Loeb Music Library, Tozzer Library, Frances Loeb Library, and Gutman Library.