Open @ UTA Libraries

Open @ UTA Libraries is the umbrella for all our open access and open education initiatives. We are committed to open across our services and as a major component of our advocacy among academic libraries and in higher education.

Open access refers to making information relevant to the public available freely and immediately upon publication. Open access can also include reader/user rights to use the information in a variety of ways. Open access offers scholars and educations more visibility and affordability for the materials they wish to publish and share.

Open education refers to a focus on educational opportunity that is inclusive, affordable, and accessible. Open education and open pedagogy practitioners strive to eliminate barriers to education and to increase the contributions of students to curricula. Open educational resources (OER) are one key part of improving educational affordability today.

We support faculty, students, and staff in all aspects of open access publishing, open education, open scholarship, and advocacy.

Our initiatives include:

Open Access Quick Guide

Open access level/color Brief definition How much does it get us?
Gray open access self-archiving whereby authors make their work accessible in a personal venue online or via shared print copies
  • Limited visibility until personal venue no longer exists
  • May reflect the final published version
  • Authors typically have fully transferred rights to publisher
  • Free to the author and reader
  • Difficult to assess
Green open access a version (usually a pre-print) of the publication is in an open access repository, like the UTA ResearchCommons or arXiv.org
  • Online visibility
  • May not reflect the final published version
  • Authors typically have fully transferred rights to publisher
  • Free to the author and reader
  • Difficult to assess beyond local scale
Hybrid open access an open access publication offered in a primarily subscription journal (which keeps other publications behind paywalls)
  • Online visibility
  • Reflects final published version
  • Authors often retain their rights
  • Publishing context is paywalled
  • Free to the reader
  • Cost incurred by author
  • Good assessment options
Gold open access immediate open access offered by the publisher under a Creative Commons re-use license across an entire publication venue
  • Online visibility
  • Reflects final published version
  • Authors often retain their rights
  • Publishing context is entirely open access
  • Free to the reader
  • Cost incurred by author
  • Good assessment options
Diamond/
Platinum open access
immediate open access under a Creative Commons re-use license without any fees to authors
  • Online visibility
  • Reflects final version
  • Authors retain their rights
  • Publishing context is entirely open access
  • Free to the reader
  • No cost incurred by author
  • Good assessment options

 

Recent Blog Posts

The cover image for this blog post is "Paywall film poster with banner" by Leah McCurdy, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. It is a derivative of "Paywall documentary poster,” licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, and was modified by cropping and adding the "Open @ UTA Libraries" banner.

March 12 2024

What's behind that paywall?

Paywalls are all over our lives and there’s something more than money that they require.

Read more about What's behind that paywall?
eatures a young woman with curly hair, smiling and holding a megaphone, symbolizing the amplification of student voices through Open Educational Resources (OER). She stands against a light blue background with three speech bubbles containing the phrases "Your Story Matters," "Education That Speaks to You," and "Diverse Voices, Dynamic Resources,"

February 27 2024

Student Voices: Embracing Open Educational Resources at UTA

This post highlights UTA's OER Department's transformative educational approach, championing inclusivity and innovation. It's a call for collective OER action during Open Education Week, emphasizing OER's crucial role in forging an accessible, equitable educational future.

Read more about Student Voices: Embracing Open Educational Resources at UTA
image of stickers on the back of a monitor with Open @ UTA Libraries banner

February 13 2024

We Heart Data: Love Data Week and Sharing What We Love

Join us in loving data and embracing our nerdery! Share what you love!

Read more about We Heart Data: Love Data Week and Sharing What We Love