Open Access Week

UTA Libraries is celebrating the open sharing of knowledge during Open Access Week from Oct. 23 to Oct. 27. The library will host several events throughout the week as part of the celebration.  

Leah McCurdy, Director of Open Partnerships and Services, stated that by attending these events at the Central Library, people will learn about open-access information's role in today's world.  

"The whole goal for the week is to show that open access is not just one thing. It has a variety of different outlets and impacts. It can impact the law enforcement community, scholars, students, gamers and computer scientists," Leah said. "There is a much broader thing than people might be aware of."  

The International Open Access Week's website states that open access to information is the free, immediate, online access to the results of scholarly research and the right to use and reuse those results as you need. It can transform research and scientific inquiry, impacting academia, medicine, science, industry and society.  

Throughout the week, there will be daily presentations and workshops on open-access connections to software licensing, gaming, artificial intelligence, artists, filmmakers, authors and law enforcement.   

The libraries have also partnered with the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department to bring in scholars to talk about online scams related to open access.   

One of the presentations during the week will feature a representative from the FBI, Agent Drema Fouch, who will talk about the role open access information plays in the National Incident-Based Reporting System.  

The NIBRS is the national standard for law enforcement crime data reporting in the United States. It accurately reflects the types of crime addressed by local police agencies, such as simple assault, destruction of property and identity theft.  

For more information about Open Access Week and a list of events, follow the UTA Libraries website or visit its social media pages, Facebook, Instagram and X.