The Pacific University College of Health Professions faculty has passed a resolution in support of making its scholarly work freely available online. The non-binding resolution, patterned after a resolution adopted by the University of Washington Faculty Senate, is said to be one of the first passed specifically by a school or college of health professions in the US.
Following the resolution, the Pacific University Library hopes to see an increase in the number of faculty members contributing work (particularly published articles) to CommonKnowledge, the University's open online repository of faculty and student work. Faculty members' ability to contribute their articles is dependent on the policies of the journals in which they publish.
The push for open access to scholarly literature has been largely a response to the rising costs (and corresponding limited availability) of journal literature for the average consumer. By encouraging faculty members to work with journals and publishers to retain their right to share their published articles openly online, access to the literature is seen to be greatly increased.
While increasing access to journal literature is vital across all disciplines, there is a special need for more equitable access for health professionals, it has been observed. By providing free access to their scholarship, College of Health Professions faculty members expect to help medical practitioners get the best available evidence for clinical decision-making.
In addition to sharing published articles through CommonKnowledge, many College of Health Professions faculty members contribute other forms of scholarly work, from research posters to conference presentations to materials from inter-professional case conferences. Student work - theses, dissertations, graduate projects and critically appraised topics - from the School of Occupational Therapy, School of Physician Assistant Studies and School of Professional Psychology are also currently made available through CommonKnowledge.
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