On October 25, 2012 during the Open Access week, the symposium Participation in Research: Open Access crucial for scientists in the global south took place in the National Library in The Hague.
Short Photo Impression
Photographer: A. Kers
For more photos check our flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tudelftlibrary/sets/72157631951401671/
Presentations
Awareness
Open Access gained a lot of attention in the media recently. Unfortunately,the importance of Open Access publishing for the global south remained largely neglected. This symposium tried to raise awareness of the importance of this cause.
Especially in the developing economies in Asia, Latin America and Africa, science becomes increasingly important. Giving researchers there the opportunity to get acquainted with the scientific output in the West, gives them the opportunity to partake in ‘worldwide’ science. And as long as the output remains behind walls of paid content, no possibility for a dialogue will exist.
Participants
Speakers, the panel and participants were challenged to answer elementary questions, such as “How does science in the Northern and Western hemisphere benefit from an increase in research participation in the South?”. In other words: does the investment in making scholarly publications available in Open Access bring a return to the Western economies or Western science?
With its special attention on the idealistic aspects of Open Access, this symposium preluded on the Berlin 10 conference which celebrated it’s 10th anniversary and was organized for the first time in Africa (Stellenbosch).
