Past SPARC Events
Below you can find an archive of previous SPARC events. Click here to view upcoming SPARC events.
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August 06: OA 101 Session 1: OA Foundations
3pm ET / 12pm PT · Open AccessOpen Access (OA) is a well-established mode of distributing scholarly research that impacts academic libraries and librarians at every level. We all have a role to play in this rapidly evolving landscape. If you’re feeling unclear on foundational concepts, or want a refresher, this session is for you. We’ll cover the basics, including definitions, the development and aspirations of the OA movement, approaches, challenges, and what basic outreach might look like, as well as entry level resources for learning more. Zero previous experience is expected or required. This session is the anchor of a three-part series which also includes OA Case Studies and Emerging Issues in OA.
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July 18: COAPI Community Annual Meeting
1pm EST / 10am PST · Open AccessJoin COAPI (Coalition of Open Access Policy Institutions) for our annual meeting!
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July 10: Webinar: Leveraging NIST’s Research Data Framework to Implement Effective Data Policies and Practices
2 pm ET / 11 am PT · Open DataSPARC and HELIOS Open will host a joint webinar on the National Institute of Standards & Technology's (NIST) Research Data Framework (RDaF) on Wednesday, July 10th at 2 pm ET / 11 am PT. In February, NIST released Version 2.0 of its RDaF including an interactive web application. The RDaF is a customizable tool that can be used by researchers, librarians, and higher education leaders to inform research data management activities on a variety of topics including costs, reproducibility, and the balance of security and openness. Higher education institutions are already finding value by leveraging the RDaF to evaluate existing campus data policies and practices and inform new ones which will be critical in implementing the 2022 Nelson Memorandum. This session will provide an update on the new features of the RDaF 2.0 and explore ways to use the framework through an example from the State University of New York (SUNY). There will be ample time for Q&A.
The webinar is open to individuals at SPARC and HELIOS Open institutions. -
April 24: SPARC Webcast: Addressing Vendor AI Restrictions
Academic publishers are increasingly seeking to restrict the use of AI, through both contract language and revisions to copyright notices. On April 24th at 3pm ET / 12pm PT, SPARC will host a one-hour webcast to better equip libraries in pushing back on these restrictions. The session will touch on successful institutional approaches to weakening these restrictions (Katie Zimmerman, MIT), ICOLC’s newly released guiding principles for AI clauses (Teri Gallaway, SCELC, ICOLC), and the continuing viability of fair use in light of these developments (Kyle K. Courtney, Harvard). Participants on the call will be invited to share recent experiences negotiating these terms and suggestions for better supporting libraries in this area.
Registration is required and open to anyone at a SPARC member institution. -
April 09: April OpenCon Librarian Community Call
2024 has already been an active year for policy, both for open research and open education. The Canadian Tri-Agencies are in the midst of active consultations to update their open research policy to require sharing results without delay. In the U.S., language that would have prevented implementation of the 2022 OSTP Memo was successfully removed from the House CJS appropriations bill before passage, and the Biden Administration has expressed strong support for requiring “inclusive access” textbook programs to be opt-in rather than opt-out. On April 9th at 12pm ET / 9am PT, the next OpenCon Librarian Community Call will feature Katie Steen-James, SPARC’s Manager of Public Policy and Advocacy, who will provide an update on these recent developments and answer questions about what’s next on the policy front for open research and education.
OpenCon Librarian Community Calls are limited to those working in libraries, and registration is required. -
March 07: Do We Need a National Open Education Strategy?
Open EducationOpen education has made remarkable progress, yet the evolving landscape continues to present challenges. As open education work continues to grow at institutions, in states, and across regions, questions increasingly surface about how we might coordinate and advocate more effectively as a field. This includes how to advance open education policies at the national and state level, how to reach institutional leaders, and how to expand sustainable funding.
NCOER (a collaboration among the four regional education compacts), working together with DOERS3 and SPARC, invited members of the open education field to join us for an open conversation about the potential need for U.S. national open education strategy and discuss how we might better collaborate to advance shared priorities. This webinar will share the results of these conversations. -
February 09: Rapid Reaction Webcast: Negotiated Rulemaking & Automatic Textbook Billing
Open EducationThe SPARC policy team will provide a briefing on how regulatory changes proposed in the U.S. Department of Education's negotiated rulemaking process could impact automatic textbook billing ("Inclusive Access" and "Equitable Access" programs).
Registration is open to members of the SPARC community and coalition partners. The webcast will be recorded and distributed to those who register. -
December 10: SPARC Member-only Meetup at CNI 2023
JW Marriott Washington Open AccessWe are excited to have the opportunity to meet in person again this year. The meeting will include a brief presentation followed by a cocktail reception.