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Libraries Honor Open Access Standout Scholars

Two of Texas A&M University’s champions of open access — a growing movement that promotes publishing and viewing research findings for free or at low cost  — were honored by the Libraries at an October event in Sterling C. Evans Library:

• Dr. Daniel Schwartz, associate professor of history, directs an open access reference hub devoted to research findings related to the literature, culture and history of Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic. 
• Alexandra LaGrand, a Ph.D. English student, is the creator of Points Like a Man, a globally recognized, open access catalog documenting over 8,000 performances in Shakespearean drama.

The event also featured a keynote by Will Cross, director of the Open Knowledge Center at North Carolina State University.

The Libraries support open access by negotiating contracts with various publishers that allow Aggie researchers and affiliates to publish their findings for free or at a reduced rate. In turn, this makes findings more readily available to a wider audience.

In addition to increased access to information, open access agreements between Texas A&M and publishers enable researchers to redirect funds from publishing costs to other needed areas.