UC Berkeley Library Scholarly Communication & Information Policy

Title slide with dark teal background. Main heading reads 'Navigating NIH's Revised Public Access Policy: On-the-Ground Experiences from Librarians and Researchers' in white text with a vertical yellow-green accent line on the left. Below are presenter names: Katie Fortney (California Digital Library), Tim Vollmer (UC Berkeley), and Anneliese Taylor (UCSF). At the bottom: 'SJSU Open Access Conference | October 21, 2025'

We’re happy to be joining the SJSU Open Access Virtual Conference to discuss how librarians and researchers are navigating the updated NIH Public Access Policy: scholarworks.sjsu.edu/oa-un-confer...

October 21, 2025. Free to register at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

This diagram, titled "The metrics ecosystem," illustrates the different ways scholarly impact is measured. The six categories are: Author-level: Measures impact based on a researcher's Publications, Citations, and the Journals they publish in. Journal-level: Measures the "Impact," Citations, and Reputation of the publication itself. Article-level: Measures the impact of a single paper through Citations, Bookmarks, Social media mentions, and Views & downloads. Alt-metrics: Measures broader "Attention" and social engagement for All outputs, often tracked by the Altmetric "donut." Data, code, & software: Measures the use of non-publication outputs through Citations, Dataset downloads, and GitHub forks.

Next week, join our workshop to understand scholarly metrics and learn how to amplify your academic work. Oct 14, 11a-12p, Zoom. RSVP: update.lib.berkeley.edu/2025/09/25/r...

Upcoming Events | OCEAN

This fall semester, we and Open Copyright Education Advisory Network (OCEAN) are co-hosting a Discussion Series on AI and its implications professionals working in libraries, archives and museums and for authors, artists, scholars, researchers who work with them.

More info and registration here:

CONTRACTUAL OVERRIDE | The Copyright Society How Private Contracts Undermine the Goals of the Copyright Act for Libraries and Researchers, and What We Can Do About It

Check out the article @rachaelgs.bsky.social wrote with
@authorsalliance.bsky.social. It explores how academic researchers & libraries are navigating private contracts that override key copyright exceptions meant to protect research, teaching, and innovation. copyrightsociety.org/journal-entr...

"Managing & Maximizing Your Scholarly Impact" workshop flyer for October 14, 2025, 11a-12p on Zoom, hosted by Berkeley Library with colorful open access logo.

UCB students & faculty: Join our workshop to learn why research impact matters, discover key metrics to measure it, and explore practical tools to amplify your scholarly work. Oct 14, 11a-12p, Zoom. RSVP: update.lib.berkeley.edu/2025/09/25/r... @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social

Berkeley Library workshop flyer: Copyright & Your Dissertation, September 16, 2025, 11a-12p on Zoom. Features colorful paint splatter design with open access symbol.

Have questions about copyright in writing your dissertation or thesis? Join our online workshop next week where we’ll help you navigate copyright and info policy issues. RSVP for the Zoom: update.lib.berkeley.edu/2025/09/09/r...

Event flyer for 'From Dissertation to Book: Navigating the Publication Process' workshop on November 18, 2025, 11:00a-12:30p via Zoom, hosted by UCB Library. Features headshots and names of three speakers: Raina Polivka (Senior Editor, UC Press), Jacob Grumbach (Associate Professor, Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley), and Dave Hansen (Executive Director, Authors Alliance).

Attention @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social social science and humanities grad students: Are you interested in eventually writing a scholarly book? Come to our Zoom panel to learn the ins and outs of the process. Great lineup of speakers. Nov 18, 11 am. RSVP: update.lib.berkeley.edu/2025/09/09/n...

Berkeley Library workshop flyer: Copyright & Your Dissertation, September 16, 2025, 11a-12p on Zoom. Features colorful paint splatter design with open access symbol.

Are you a PhD/Masters student working on your dissertation or thesis? Join this workshop on Sept 16 in which we’ll give you practical guidance for navigating copyright questions and other legal considerations for your writing and publication. RSVP for the Zoom: berkeley.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Person using stylus to write on tablet displaying a digital checklist with "PLAN" at the top.

Using AI and Text Mining with Library Resources: What Every UC Berkeley Researcher Needs to Know update.lib.berkeley.edu/2025/09/02/b... @ucberkeleylibrary.bsky.social @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social

Contractual Override: How Private Contracts Undermine the Goals of the Copyright Act for Libraries and Researchers, and What We Can Do About It We’ve written before about the use of contracts limiting author’s access to fair use, including how publisher contracts restrict innovation by undermining scholarly AI research.  Though contra…

We’re pleased to share a draft of our paper, “Contractual Override: How Private Contracts Undermine the Goals of the Copyright Act for Libraries and Researchers, and What We Can Do About It”. We are especially grateful to @rachaelgs.bsky.social for co-authoring this paper with us.

Fall 2025 workshops flyer showing an illustrated person with headphones working on a laptop while sitting on stacked books. Three workshops are listed: "Copyright and Your Dissertation," "Managing and Maximizing Your Scholarly Impact," and "From Dissertation to Book: Navigating the Publication Process." UC Berkeley Library Scholarly Communication & Information Policy contact information included.

Check out the Fall 2025 copyright and publishing workshops hosted by our office. update.lib.berkeley.edu/2025/08/19/f... @ucberkeleylibrary.bsky.social @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social

A collection of 8 academic book covers displayed in a grid, covering topics including media studies, East Asian politics, archaeology, urban planning, indigenous studies, and library science.

Supporting open access book publishing at UC Berkeley: Fall 2025 Update update.lib.berkeley.edu/2025/08/19/s... @ucberkeleylibrary.bsky.social @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social

Thank you to everyone who joined us and @arl.org yesterday for our discussion of recent AI and copyright decisions and their effect on authors and libraries. You can watch the recording below:

AI and Copyright: What Authors and Libraries Need to Know about the Bartz v. Anthropic and Kadrey v. Meta Cases Join ARL and Authors Alliance for an essential discussion on how recent landmark court decisions are shaping the landscape of AI and copyright law. This webinar is open to the public.

Join us and @arl.org on July 28, 2025, 1-2pm ET for a discussion of the latest AI copyright litigation, what these rulings mean for libraries, researchers, and authors, and practical guidance for moving forward.

Submit questions and register here:

www.authorsalliance.org/2025/07/21/a...

Federal Agency Publication & Data Sharing Policy Overview & FAQ Events In response to the 2022 Nelson Memo, federal agencies are required to update their public access policies by the end of this year. New policies are now in effect for several agencies: the NIH, CDC,…

We and @sparcopen.bsky.social are hosting two more webinars to support administrators and librarians in their efforts to ensure compliance with public access policies.

These webinars will focus on new publications and data sharing requirements.

More info:

www.authorsalliance.org/2025/07/15/f...

YouTube video by UC Berkeley Library NIH Public Access Policy presentation recording

The NIH’s updated Public Access Policy goes into effect today. Grantees must ensure zero-embargo public access to author accepted manuscripts. Check out our library webinar to learn more: youtu.be/xIzNLo1FbH0?... @ucberkeleylibrary.bsky.social

Wall display at the National Institutes of Health featuring a mission statement about advancing medical research, alongside the U.S. Public Health Service emblem.

NIH's updated Public Access Policy goes into effect next week (July 1). It requires zero-embargo public access to NIH-funded research outputs. Here's what UC Berkeley authors need to know: update.lib.berkeley.edu/2025/06/03/w... @ucberkeleylibrary.bsky.social

Huge news in AI copyright world. Still reading the opinion, but encouraged that Judge Alsup got it right on training. Act I Scene 1 in a long drama, but a promising start.

Anthropic wins on fair use for training its LLMs; loses on building a “central library” of pirated books Yesterday, Judge Alsup released his decision on Anthropic’s motion for summary judgment in the fast-moving lawsuit it is defending, brought by three book authors on behalf of a class of millions ob…

Judge Alsup's decision found that Anthropic's training AI on lawfully acquired copyrighted works was a fair use.

Below we highlight some of the most important parts of the decision on the question of whether using books for AI training is fair use:

www.authorsalliance.org/2025/06/24/a...

A red-brick building with tall white columns and a triangular pediment reading "National Institutes of Health," partially obscured by leafy trees.

The University of California's Office of Scholarly Communication is providing guidance on the revised NIH Public Access Policy going into effect July 1, 2025. osc.universityofcalifornia.edu/scholarly-pu...

Judge Leval’s opinion in the Romanova case “reaffirms that fair use is not an exception to infringement: fair use is the built-in safety valve that ensures copyright serves—rather than stifles—freedom of expression.”

Slide with a red and blue background. The title in bold white and red text reads: “Navigating NIH’s Updated Public Access Policy Requirements.” Below the title, in white text on a blue background, are the presenter names and roles: “Anna Sackmann: Data Services Librarian, Elliott Smith: Biology & Bioinformatics Librarian, Tim Vollmer: Scholarly Communication & Copyright Librarian.”

Reminder: If you’re an NIH grantee and have questions about the upcoming July 1 implementation of the new Public Access Policy, join @ucberkeleylibrary.bsky.social staff tomorrow, June 10, 2025 from 1:00-2:00 pm on Zoom for an overview and Q&A. berkeley.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

UCB community members can join Library staff on Tues, June 10, 1-2pm on Zoom to learn more. RSVP at berkeley.zoom.us/meeting/regi... @ucberkeleylibrary.bsky.social

Wall display at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) featuring the agency’s name in large metallic letters at the top and a mission statement in smaller text below. The text reads: “The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is dedicated to fostering discovery at the frontiers of science and medicine. An agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH conducts and supports medical research to uncover new knowledge that will improve the health of all Americans and the human condition throughout the world.” A round emblem of the U.S. Public Health Service with the year 1798 is also visible on the right.

What UC Berkeley researchers need to know about NIH’s Updated Public Access Policy update.lib.berkeley.edu/2025/06/03/w... @ucberkeleylibrary.bsky.social

AI, Authorship, and the Public Interest – Project Update and Call for Grant Proposals Authors Alliance is pleased to announce the availability of research grants of up to $20,000 to support research projects at the intersection of artificial intelligence, copyright law, and the publ…

We are pleased to announce the availability of research grants of up to $20,000 to support research projects at the intersection of artificial intelligence, copyright law, and the public interest.

More information and application details are below:

www.authorsalliance.org/2025/05/21/k...

A promotional graphic for an online event titled "How to Publish Open Access at UC Berkeley." The event is scheduled for April 8, 2025, from 11 AM to 12 PM on Zoom. The graphic features a dark teal background with white and yellow text. On the left side, there is an open-access logo with a colorful paint splatter effect behind it. In the bottom right corner, the Berkeley Library logo is displayed.

Are you publishing research and want to share your work open access? Join our workshop April 8, 11a-12p on Zoom. We'll guide you on OA publishing options, funding sources, and strategies for maximizing research impact. update.lib.berkeley.edu/2025/03/31/w... @ucberkeleylibrary.bsky.social

The Public Interest Corpus Update – Boston Edition On March 3, librarians, authors, publishers, and technologists gathered at Northeastern University Library in Boston to contribute to a startup plan for The Public Interest Corpus. The Public Inter…

An update on The Public Interest Corpus, a project that supports the creation of high-quality AI training data from memory organizations and their partners that advance the public interest:

www.authorsalliance.org/2025/03/26/t...

A digitally illustrated image features a squirrel wearing a vest and tie on the left and a badger on the right, both appearing to be engaged in conversation in front of an old-fashioned microphone. The background has swirling abstract patterns in shades of blue and green. The title text at the top reads, "Oral History Agreement Toolkit: Protecting Narrators and Improving Institutional Rights Administration," with "Oral History Agreement Toolkit:" in green and the subtitle in red. A footer in the bottom right corner states, "Scholarly Communication & Information Policy, UC Berkeley Library, CC-BY-NC 4.0," in red and green text on a cream-colored background.

We're pleased to announce the release of our comprehensive Oral History Agreement Toolkit—a collection of templates, guidance documents, and resources designed to help transform how institutions approach oral history agreements. update.lib.berkeley.edu/2025/03/13/a... @ucberkeleylibrary.bsky.social

A promotional slide for a workshop titled "Publish Digital Books and Open Educational Resources with Pressbooks." The background is split, with the top portion in dark red and the bottom in white. The title is in bold white text. Below, the event details state "March 11, 2025, 11am - 12pm, Zoom" in gray text. On the left, there is an open-access logo (a stylized open padlock) with a colorful splatter background. In the bottom right corner, the Berkeley Library logo is present.

Coming up in 1 week: Publish Digital Books and Open Educational Resources with Pressbooks. Join us for a demo and kick the tires yourself. March 11, 11a-12p, Zoom. RSVP now: berkeley.zoom.us/meeting/regi... @ucberkeleylibrary.bsky.social

🎉 Wrapping up the 12th Anniversary of #FairUseWeek @fairuseweek.bsky.social w/ a must-read post from Katherine Klosek & Samantha Teremi! They explore AI contract restrictions, library concerns, & break down the differences between copyright & contracts. Read more: sites.harvard.edu/fair-use-wee...