Recent News
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The Government Accountability Office (GAO) releases its report on Public Access Policies
Relating to U.S Federal Agency compliance with the current U.S. requirements for Public Access to Federally Funded
Research Outputs
The Report describes the current state of 19 agencies and recommendations for improved compliance
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Open Publishing Awards Announced
The Open Publishing Awards were announced on 16 October 2019. The awards are given in four categories; Open Content, Open Source Software, Open Publishing Models, and Open Publishing Lifetime Contribution. Information for recipients is available at https://openpublishingawards.org.
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The University of Texas at Arlington sets aside $500,000 for OER
In an effort to improve access to course materials, the University of Texas at Arlington academic administration has approved the allocation of $500,000 to support the creation of OER. The UTA library will manage the projects using this funding. See the full story at https://www.uta.edu/news/news-releases/2019/10/01/library-oer.
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University of British Columbia's New OER Fund Grants
On September 10, the Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic, UBC Vancouver announced the Open Educational Resources (OER) Fund. In alignment with UBC’s Strategic Plan, Shaping UBC's Next Century, the Office of the Provost has committed $250,000 in annual funding for the next four years to support OER resources, course enhancements and events.
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Principles for Open Scholarly Infrastructures
"Everything we have gained by opening content and data will be under threat if we allow the enclosure of scholarly infrastructures. We propose a set of principles by which Open Infrastructures to support the research community could be run and sustained." - Geoffrey Bilder, Jennifer Lin, Cameron Neylon
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Paywalls block scientific progress. Research should be open to everyone
Worldwide organizations are vying for open access research papers. Academics need to take action.
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UC terminates subscriptions with world’s largest scientific publisher
In an effort to combat excessive costs associated with Scientific journals, UC System cancels subscription with Elsevier.
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How Merger of Two Textbook Giants Could Impact Course Materials
McGraw-Hill and Cengage hope to move forward with a 100% subscription based business model which would mean no more options for students to find more affordable options on their own.
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What the McGraw-Hill, Cengage merger means for textbook prices
Merger may provide cheaper prices in the short run, but critics fear that as the market trends towards a monopoly, prices will again rise. Could also limit the material accessible to professors and students.
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Barnes and Noble Partner with OpenStax to Expand OER
A Business Law textbook will now be included in the OpenStax library of free educational resources.
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University Students Saved $177 Million in 2018 by Using OpenStax.
Universities around the country are utilizing the OpenStax open educational resources. Schools are saving students millions every year and students are enjoying the benefits.
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Cengage & McGraw-Hill Merger Faces Major Opposition
Over the past two months, SPARC has been working with industry and antitrust experts to build a complaint against the merger, which they intend to file with the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division.
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How to Get the Most Out of Your Textbook
Here are 6 helpful tips that every student should know about as they study their textbooks.
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SPARC Urges Department of Justice to Block Merger Between Cengage and McGraw-Hill
Today SPARC submitted a detailed filing to TheJusticeDept opposing the Cengage/McGraw-Hill Merger.
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