Monday, June 12, 2017
The University of Waterloo's institutional repository, UWSpace, has just uploaded its 500th article. This Library service was created to host the publications of Waterloo faculty, students and staff. Building on the success of our electronic theses and dissertations deposits, UWSpace now provides researchers with a free, secure and long-term platform for the presentation, dissemination and preservation of their research and scholarship.
So far, the largest contributors have come from the chemistry department and the Institute for Nanotechnology. However, retiring faculty member John Wright, from the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, added 61 articles and conference papers to UWSpace, wanting to preserve a record of research spanning his career at Waterloo.
Uploaded Monday, June 12, the 500th article is from Simron J. Singh, from the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development, titled: “The role of science in sustainability transitions: Citizen science, transformative research, and experiences from Samothraki island, Greece,” originally published by Island Studies Journal - an open-access publication based out of Prince Edward Island.
Allowing easy deposit of multiple items for faculty, mediated by their copyright review and deposit service, UWSpace is helping researchers ensure their work is compliant with the Tri-Agency Open Access policy on publications. The Library has been running monthly workshops on these requirements and author’s rights, with the next one coming up June 22. UWSpace has also started accepting supervisor-approved 4th year undergraduate student work.
In addition to ongoing workshops – which have now reached over 100 people – the Library's Open Access working group has developed a position paper summarizing a vision for Open Access at Waterloo, including a statement of support from the Library.
Interested in getting involved? The Library is hosting a brainstorming session for faculty and staff on how best to promote Open Access across the university on July 17, in the Dana Porter Library Flex Lab, from 1:30 to 2:30pm.
