It's Open Access Week, and so far 2011 has impressed me. From Barbara Fister's reveal of what journals are costing her library (going against nondisclosure agreements), to Maura Smale's Open Access Pledge.

I'm joining Maura and Barbara and many other colleagues who are celebrating Open Access this week.

At Maura's recommendation, I signed the Open Access Pledge. I also think that Maura's new publishing pledge is fantastic. I would like to use it as my own from here on out:

1. I will not submit articles I have authored or co-authored to any closed, subscription-based journals.
2. I will not undertake peer review for any closed, subscription-based journals.
3. I will not join the editorial board for any closed, subscription-based journals.
4. I will not accept the editorship of any closed, subscription-based journals.
5. I will make my own research and scholarship available online wherever possible.

What is Open Access? As someone who has struggled with variances in OA definitions, I believe that the Berlin Declaration captures OA in the clearest manner:

Open access contributions must satisfy two conditions:

The author(s) and right holder(s) of such contributions grant(s) to all users a free, irrevocable, worldwide, right of access to, and a license to copy, use, distribute, transmit and display the work publicly and to make and distribute derivative works, in any digital medium for any responsible purpose, subject to proper attribution of authorship (community standards, will continue to provide the mechanism for enforcement of proper attribution and responsible use of the published work, as they do now), as well as the right to make small numbers of printed copies for their personal use.

A complete version of the work and all supplemental materials, including a copy of the permission as stated above, in an appropriate standard electronic format is deposited (and thus published) in at least one online repository using suitable technical standards (such as the Open Archive definitions) that is supported and maintained by an academic institution, scholarly society, government agency, or other well-established organization that seeks to enable open access, unrestricted distribution, inter operability, and long-term archiving.

Open Access is more than the ability to view an article without paying for it,* or without your library having to pay for it. Open Access can be seen as a commitment to hacking copyright--in a way that provides more ways for everyone to use a creators' work (similar to the ways that free software licensing insures more freedom).

Please join us for CUNY's Open Access Week if you are able, or plan/discuss/pledge wherever you are!

In March, Rooster(Rachel), Jenna and I edited Zine Librarian Zine #3 just in time for the Zine Librarians (Un)Conference in Seattle. You can download your own copy on this zinelibraries.info page (beware before copying that you may need to re-order the pages).

Confronting one another across differences means that we must change ideas about the way we learn; rather than fearing conflict we have find ways to use it as a catalyst for new thinking, for growth.

Just finished reading Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks late this evening, and now listening to a talk hooks gave at the Women of Color Conference. A few random thoughts follow.

I made a list of zine links for Utne Reader recently!
http://www.utne.com/Media/Alt-Wire-World-of-Zines-with-Librarian-Alycia-...