Published: Oct. 12, 2022

The University Libraries is hosting a speaker series for Open Access Week, Oct 24 - 28, a week that explores the implications of free and immediate online access to scholarly research. 

The theme of this year’s talks is “Open for Climate Justice.” Speakers will explore the importance of openly sharing research and data that can help scientists, policymakers, communicators and others collaborate to address the inequities that shape the impact of climate change and find solutions to its challenges. Registration is open.

Catherine Stihler, CEO of Creative Commons is the keynote speaker. Her talk, on October 24 at 2 p.m. is entitled "Social Justice through Better Sharing." 

Beth Osnes, associate professor of theatre and environmental studies, will give a talk entitled, "Enacting Climate: Activating Climate Solutions for All," taking place October 25 at 10 a.m.

Martin Halbert, Science Advisor for Public Access for the National Science Foundation (NSF) will speak at 1 p.m. on October 25.. His talk is entitled, "The 2023 Federal Year of Open Science Initiative: Aligned Efforts to Advance Open Science." 

Max Boykoff, professor of environmental studies, will speak on Oct. 27, at 3. His talk is entitled, "The Media and Climate Change Observatory, based at CU Boulder."

Other highlights of this year’s Open Access Week include an educational game that explores the moral questions that arise when we talk about open access (OA) and climate justice. Each question requires you to make a choice similar to those researchers make when deciding how to share their work. There are no right or wrong answers and your responses will be captured anonymously and used to help us understand public opinion on OA. 

Climate Justice is an explicit acknowledgment that the climate crisis has far-reaching effects that impact people differently based on social and economic factors such as education, income, employment status, environment and more. We recognize that sharing knowledge is a human right, and tackling the climate crisis requires the rapid exchange of knowledge across geographic, economic and disciplinary boundaries.