The Open Access Seminar, organized by the Library, was held on 16 April, 2009 during the Library Week.

The speaker, Mr. Derek Whitehead is a leading figure in open access movement of scholarly and research work in Australia. He is the Director of Information Resources at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia.  He is the current President of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and the Chair of the Australian Digital Alliance, an Australian copyright user lobby group.

A commitment to research carries with it a responsibility to extend the circulation of such work as far as possible and to all who are interested in it and all who might profit by it.  The growth of the Internet and digital technology has caused a dramatic and rapid change in how scholarship is created and communicated.  Researchers are mindful of maximizing their research impact by opening research access.  The seminar explored a number of areas to make research results and publications free online, and their impact on trends in scholarly communication and publication.  Mr. Whitehead’s presentation addressed these issues and also dealt with the institutional repositories, the ways in which they were used and provide value to the university, and their connection to provision of open access.

The talk was well attended by PolyU scholars and staff.