Lehigh’s researchers add value to the world through their work, and that value grows when more people can read, use, and build on it. The belief that access to knowledge is a human right guides the Libraries’ everyday work, from the approachability of our spaces to our plans for the future. This year’s International Open Access Week, October 19 to 25, considers “The Cost of Knowledge:” the labor and systems used to create and share knowledge, and the costs built into them. We invite you to explore the new webinars and resources below, all with the goal of making research at Lehigh more open and impactful.

Discover OpenAlex: An Open Resource for Research

Wednesday, October 21, noon to 1:00 p.m., via Zoom

What can a nonprofit, open database do that proprietary ones cannot? How does it improve reproducibility and interoperability, including in generative AI systems? Sr. Open Knowledge Librarian Phil Hewitt introduces OpenAlex: what it is, why it matters, and how to start using it. Dr. Hsuan-Wei “Wayne” Lee of the College of Health shares how he used it in a recent research project.
Register for the OpenAlex webinar

Announcing our Sr. Open Knowledge Librarian

Open Access Week is a fitting time to announce a new strategic role in the Libraries. As Sr. Open Knowledge Librarian, Phil Hewitt provides expert guidance on the Libraries’ open knowledge strategies and advises faculty, students, and staff on read-and-publish agreements, copyright and publishing considerations, public access policies, marketing the Preserve, Lehigh’s open access institutional repository, and open educational practices. If you have questions or ideas related to these topics please contact Phil at phil.hewitt@lehigh.edu.

New this year: a partnership with Authors Alliance

The Libraries are a Leadership Circle supporter of a first-of-its-kind partnership between our consortium - PALCI - and the Authors Alliance, a nonprofit that helps authors understand their rights and share their work widely. Besides supporting its advocacy, the partnership connects the University with copyright and information policy experts at Authors Alliance. Browse free resources for authors and join the upcoming webinars, including Research and Writing in the Age of AI on Dec. 8.

“Open” by design

Open access shapes the Libraries’ work all year:

  • Read and publish agreements - these agreements negotiated by the Libraries let Lehigh authors publish open access in select journals at no cost to them. [Contact Phil for guidance before you submit, especially to a fully open access journal].
  • The Lehigh Preserve makes Lehigh scholarship, digital collections, and archives openly available and preserves them for the long term. Lehigh researchers can submit their work, including datasets (examples) and, as publishers allow, articles.
  • Subject-expert research and instruction librarians teach students to ask where information comes from, who pays for it, and who can access it. Request a class session to bring these experts into your courses. 
  • Together with top national and international research libraries, Lehigh Libraries innovate and lead collaborative open source development of library systems and repositories, including FOLIO, the platform behind Lehigh’s library service; Project ReShare Lehigh’s interlibrary loan system, the Collaborative Collections Lifecycle Project, and more, so the tools that share research stay open, values driven, and sustainable.

Help shape Open at Lehigh! 

Passionate about open access? Have questions about these programs and services? Contact Phil Hewitt at phil.hewitt@lehigh.edu.

Boaz Nadav Manes
University Librarian
Lehigh University