SPARC

Statement of Agency’s Reinstatement of Terminated IMLS Grants Statement of Agency’s Reinstatement of Terminated IMLS Grants Washington, DC– Upon further review, the Institute of Museum and Library Services has reinstated all federal grants. This action supersede...

Some good news: IMLS is restoring all federal grants that had been terminated earlier this year. A win for libraries and library organizations across the U.S. www.imls.gov/news/stateme...

InclusiveAccess.org — Convenient or Confined? Inclusive access can provide first-day access to content, but it constrains students’ choices as consumers.

While inclusive access programs are advertised as a solution, they make it harder for students to make personal choices & fall short on making course materials affordable long-term. Explore the fine print in our contract library: sparcopen.org/our-work/aut.... www.inclusiveaccess.org/facts/conven...

Tune in tomorrow, Dec. 4, at 1pm ET to hear SPARC's @hjoseph.bsky.social chat w/ author Samuel Moore about Publishing Beyond the Market, a book about a more ethical, non-commercial approach to #OpenAccess publishing. Sign up for the free @archive.org event here: www.eventbrite.com/e/book-talk-...

We're pleased to work with @authorsalliance.bsky.social on publication of this new white paper in the joint Legal Pathways to #OpenAccess project. sparcopen.org/news/2025/au...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Paying Twice to Learn: Digital Textbooks, Courseware, and Student Data Privacy. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the w... As SPARC’s Navigating Risk in Vendor Data Privacy Practices reports have documented, “user tracking that would be unthinkable in a physical library setting now happens routinely through publisher plat...

Coming up today, Dec. 2, from 2-3 p.m. Eastern: "Paying Twice to Learn: Digital Textbooks, Courseware, and Student Data Privacy." It's not too late to register. sparcopen-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Contact Us - SPARC

SPARC members are invited to gather in DC or online for our members-only meeting on Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. in conjunction with CNI. Hear from the SPARC team on the current landscape & progress on our priority program areas. Reception to follow. Complete to request the RSVP link: sparcopen.org/contact/

Check out our recap of #OpenEd25! Takeaways from students, researchers, professors & administrators on what inspired them connecting w/ the #OpenEducation community last month in Denver. Save the date for virtual #OpenEd26 Oct 27-29, 2026. sparcopen.org/news/2025/op...

SPARC: Setting the Default to Open in Research and Education SPARC is a global organization committed to making Open the default mode for all research and education, empowering people to solve big problems and make new discoveries through the adoption of Open A...

Congratulations to the newly elected members of the SPARC Steering Committee: Teresa Lee (York University Libraries, Canada); Josh Bolick (U of Kansas); Holly Mercer, (U of Maryland); Yasmeen Shorish (James Madison U); Camille Thomas (Florida State U). Thanks to all who voted! sparcopen.org

Impact Stories Archive - SPARC Open Access, Open Data, and Open Education have already resulted in significant advancements in disease prevention, economic development, crisis management, improved education, researcher career devel...

Just what does #OpenAccess #OER #OpenScience look like in practice? More students succeeding in college, increased training opportunities for in-demand jobs, improved knowledge exchange for researchers solving the world's pressing programs & more. Download & share!
sparcopen.org/impact-stori...

Find out about exciting events that took place during #OAweek 2025 (sparcopen.org/news/2025/in...) & organizations supporting #OpenAccess in our series of profiles (www.openaccessweek.org/theme-profiles). Glad to highlight the good work of Anna Liakopoulou at IFMSA & others in advancing open.

Guide for Authors Complying with U.S. Federal Agency Public Access and Publisher Policies - SPARC

SPARC has pulled together tips & resources to help authors understand requirements under the 2022 OSTP Nelson memo. Learn more, including how agencies do not charge a fee for authors to deposit their manuscripts, making this an easy & cost-effective compliance option. sparcopen.org/our-work/gui...

Open Education Community Keeps Eyes on the Horizon at October Conference - SPARC

More than 1,600 people attended #OpenEd25 last month in Denver & online! Hear what some of them had to say about the experience. We just posted a wrap-up story on the event w/ key takeaways & their hopes for the future of #opened #OER. sparcopen.org/news/2025/op...

cOAlition S reinforces Open Access commitment while advancing next strategic phase <p>cOAlition S today reaffirmed its commitment to the foundational mission of accelerating full and immediate Open Access while expanding its vision to encompass the broader goal of rapid, open, trans...

cOAlition reaffirmed its commitment to the foundational mission of accelerating full and immediate #OpenAccess while expanding its vision to encompass the broader goal of rapid, open, transparent, and equitable sharing of trustworthy scientific knowledge.

www.coalition-s.org/coalition-s-...

YouTube video by SPARCvideo PIDs 101 Webcast

Learn all about the basics of persistent identifiers (PIDs) in a recording of our Nov. 4 webcast. SPARC's @carlyrobinson.bsky.social covers community definitions, commonly used PIDs & examples of how they can be used to develop more open systems of research. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnom...

International Open Access Week 2025 Highlights from Discussion on Theme: “Who Owns Our Knowledge?” - SPARC

The events of #OAweek 2025 underscored how communities around the world are asserting their right to determine how knowledge is shared, preserved & built on. We've just published a post highlighting a sample of resources, presentations & blogs shared during the week. sparcopen.org/news/2025/in...

InclusiveAccess.org – The Facts on Affordable Access Textbooks Inclusive Access and Affordable Access programs add the cost of textbooks into college tuition and fees. Do the advertised benefits outweigh the costs and challenges? Get the facts.

SPARC has resources to help you understand automatic textbook billing ("inclusive access") and what's happening on your campus. Browse our Textbook Billing Contract library: sparcopen.org/our-work/aut... www.inclusiveaccess.org

Open Access 101 Series - SPARC

#OpenAccess is a significant area of academic library work across the #highered landscape, impacting nearly everyone in the profession. We've recorded our OA101 series designed w/ the Scholarly Communication Notebook team as a helpful intro or refresher. Listen & share! sparcopen.org/our-work/ope...

Guide for Authors Complying with U.S. Federal Agency Public Access and Publisher Policies - SPARC

See SPARC's new Guide for Authors Complying with U.S. Federal Agency Public Access and Publisher Policies, providing options for researchers to consider while navigating funder public access requirements and publish policies. sparcopen.org/our-work/gui...

Deep Dive: Data Governance Conference Speakers As part of our original Deep Dive:AI, we gathered a diverse collection of leaders to collaborate in drafting a definition for “Open Source AI”. Speakers from law, academia, NGOs, enterprise,…

If you missed the Open Source Initiative's virtual event last month on data governance & open source AI, you can catch the recorded sessions here. Speakers from law, academia, NGOs, enterprise & the Open Source community shared their insights.

opensource.org/datagovernan...

Unbundling Profiles - SPARC

Check out our stories on 8 libraries that have unbundled from a journal package or cancelled a Big Deal altogether. The profiles describe the context of the decision, preparation, how continuing access to materials was secured, campus response, next steps & advice. sparcopen.org/our-work/big...

OpenEd25 Feedback Form Please click the link to complete this form.

Last week's #OpenEd25 conference connected & inspired #OER advocates from all parts of the world. As you reflect on your experience, please share what you liked & what could be better for #OpenEd26. The feedback form is anonymous, but data may be shared publicly. form.jotform.com/252953517519...

Colorado's continued commitment to #OpenEd is benefiting students statewide. Learn how state grants are funding the expansion of #OER & zero textbook cost degrees from open champions Chealsye Bowley, Nicholas Swails, Emily Ragan in our impact story here: sparcopen.org/impact-story...

📣 Join the next European Network of Open Education Librarians #ENOEL workshop, “Embrace the Open: Open Education and Generative AI, hands-on," to learn together with us how GenAI tools can help deliver #OpenEducation objectives.
📅 13 Nov 2025
⏰ 13.00-14.30 CET
🔗 tinyurl.com/ENOELWorksho...

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) invited public comment on its new draft data management template. Its goals of promoting data reuse, improving accessibility & enhancing interoperability are important & achievable. See SPARC's comments here: sparcopen.org/wp-content/u...

Data Analysis for Negotiation - SPARC

Considering walking away from a Big Deal? We have a suite of resources to help libraries with publisher negotiations. Leverage data, find alternative access, engage your campus, invest in open models & strategize to align negotiation outcomes with library values. sparcopen.org/our-work/neg...

Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom ...

Tune in tomorrow, Tues., Nov. 4 @ 2pm ET for our free PIDs 101 webcast. We will cover commonly used persistent identifiers, community definitions & benefits of PIDs in developing new pathways for scientific communication. Submit your ?s ahead. Register here: sparcopen-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

OpenEd25 Feedback Form Please click the link to complete this form.

What one word would you use to describe your #OpenEd25 experience? Inspiring? Invigorating? Engaging? Conference organizers welcome your feedback on the form below.
Save the date for next year's virtual #OpenEd26 to be held Oct 27-29, 2026.
form.jotform.com/252953517519...

Oklahoma’s Online Microcredential Program Highlights New Model for Co-Designing and Delivering Curriculum - SPARC

Learn about Upskill OK & its innovative platform that allows students to earn microcredentials & badges. Leveraging partnerships w/ industry & #OER, it is addressing workforce needs. Shout to Anna Dunn, Mickey Jack & other Oklahoma #highered leaders for their work. sparcopen.org/impact-story...

Open Education Conference

It's the final day of #OpenEd25. The past two days have been full of inspiration, connection, and learning—and there is still so much ahead! Here's today's schedule: opened25.sched.com. Thanks to all who helped bring together the #OpenEd community once again! openeducationconference.org

Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom ...

Reminder: Our PID101 webcast is Tuesday, Nov. 4 @ 2pm ET Learn about the basics of persistent identifiers (PIDs) - community definitions, commonly used persistent identifiers & examples of how PIDs are used to develop more open systems of research. Register: sparcopen-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...