The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) and the World Bank have announced the speakers for their co-sponsored kick-off event for Open Access Week 2012. The event will be held October 22, from 4pm - 5:30pm, at the World Bank in Washington, DC.
The distinguished panel of speakers comprises experts from the broad range of stakeholders in the Open Access movement - researchers, students, policy makers, publishers and academics. Speakers include Michael Carroll, Professor of Law, American University and founding Board Member, Creative Commons; Matt Cooper, President, The National Association of Graduate-Professional Students; Maricel Kann, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland and member, PubMed Central National Advisory Committee, NIH; Carlos Rossel, Publisher, The World Bank; and Neil Thakur, Special Assistant to the Deputy Director, Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health (NIH). They will discuss why Open Access is an imperative to them, and to their work.
The 90-minute panel will be moderated by Heather Joseph, Executive Director, SPARC, with ample time for questions from audience members. Registration is only required for in-person attendance and can be done by emailing Andrea Higginbotham at SPARC. To view the webcast and participate in the live blog, interested parties may go to the World Bank's live portal.
Open Access Week is now in its sixth year, and offers an opportunity for the academic and research community to continue to learn about the potential benefits of Open Access, to share what they’ve learned with colleagues, and to help inspire wider participation in helping to make Open Access a new norm in scholarship and research. Last year's Open Access Week featured events in more than 130 countries. This year's theme, 'Set the Default to Open Access,' will continue to advance the global conversation, and showcase the many steps taken all over the world towards Open Access initiatives.
