International Open Access Week is celebrated from October 19 to 25

From October 19 to 25, the Open Access Week 2020 is officially celebrated, with the theme “Open with Purpose: Taking Action to Build Structural Equity and Inclusion”. The event, led internationally by the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) and in Portugal promoted by the Open Access Scientific Repositories of Portugal (RCAAP), aims to encourage institutions, organizations and individuals to act towards making openness the default for education and research. On the other hand, it is also a time to focus on the importance of equity at the center of this work.

Despite happening between the 19th and the 25th, the idea is that, in each institution, the organizers can host discussions and take action at any time that is most suitable, adapting the theme and the activities to the local context, especially in a year with disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Portugal, the RCAAP reinforces the appeal for the institutional repositories, journals and other institutions to provide scientific and academic content, educational resources, initiatives and other activities, keeping in mind the horizon of equity.

The Open Access Week Advisory Committee reinforces the fact that structural racism, discrimination and exclusion are present and persist in a context where openness is a core value. "As a global community, it is important to understand that the systems and spaces of the present are often built on legacies of historical injustice and that addressing these inequalities is a necessity", states the official announcement of this year's event.

Thus, openness can be a powerful tool for building more equitable systems of knowledge sharing, and the (re)construction of research and investigation in open patterns by default is an opportunity for more equity in this context. “We need to examine who these spaces and systems are designed for, who is missing, who is excluded by the business models we use, and whose interests are prioritized. As we work together to rebuild these structures, we need to commit to moving from conversations to concrete commitments and to hold one another accountable for making real progress”, writes the Committee official announcement.

2020 will be the third consecutive year in which the theme for Open Access Week focuses on the urgent need for action for equity and inclusion. The theme has already been discussed in 2018 (“Designing Equitable Foundations for Open Knowledge”) and 2019 (“Open for Whom? Equity in Open Knowledge”). The proposal is to continue to underline the urgency to center this work. The International Open Access Week is an opportunity to catalyze new conversations, create connections across and between communities, to facilitate co-design and move towards building more equitable foundations for opening up knowledge.

Also highlighted during the Week is the need to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the whole year. These values ​​must be integrated into the community since the construction of infrastructure and governance structures, and in the way discussions are organized.

More information about the International Open Access Week: www.openaccessweek.org.