Research Guides: Open Access: Open Access Task Force

Open Access Task Force

Background on the Open Access Task Force

When was it formed? USC’s Open Access Task Force was formed on April 25th, 2022
What is the charge? USC’s Open Access (OA) Task Force is exploring the adoption of an open access initiative that would greatly enhance the visibility of scholarly work at USC, increase citation rates, drive innovation, increase the global impact of research, promote equity through public access to information, and assist those needing to comply with grant funding institutions that require open-access publication. This initiative is centered around a free open access repository where the public could access USC peer-reviewed published articles. An open access policy would accompany this repository to grant the university non-exclusive rights to scholarly work of university faculty. This USC policy would include a waiver for any faculty that wish to opt out. This open access initiative is modeled on examples across other universities such as all of the University of California campuses, Harvard University, Stanford, and University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Who charged it? Dr. Julie Hopper, Data Analyst in USC’s Office of Sustainability, with the support of the Presidential Working Group on Sustainability- Research Committee, USC’s Chief Sustainability Officer (Mick Dalrymple), and USC’s Vice President of Research (Dr. Ishwar Puri).
How was the membership determined? Membership of the OA Task Force has been based on recommendations from the USC’s Office of Research and USC’s Office of Sustainability to include key stakeholders that would be involved in the implementation and operations of this open-access initiative should it be adopted.
Who are the current members?
- USC Members:
  - Julie Hopper, PhD (Data Analyst, Office of Sustainability)
  - Silvia Da Costa, PhD (Director, Office of Research Initiatives & Facilities)
  - Alyssa G. Resnick, MLIS (Associate Dean, Technical Services & Collection Development, USC Libraries)
  - Melanee Vicedo, MLIS (Associate Dean, Teaching, Learning and Research Engagement, USC Libraries)
  - Jennifer Dinalo, PhD (Clinical Information Services Librarian, USC Libraries)
- External Consultant:
  - Dr. Peter Suber (Senior Adviser on Open Access, Director of Harvard Open Access Project)

Open Access Task Force and Initiatives: Timeline of Meetings with Faculty, Schools, and Departments

December 14, 2022: Presentation to USC Research Committee

October 11, 2022: Presentation to Rossier Faculty Council

October 5, 2022: Presentation to Dornsife Faculty Council

October 5, 2022: Presentation to Viterbi Faculty Council

September 22, 2022: Presentation to USC Libraries Faculty

August 31, 2022: Meeting with Viterbi Leadership

August 10, 2022: Presentation to Academic Senate Executive Board

May 12, 2022: OA Discussion with Dr. Peter Suber (Harvard)

April 25, 2022: First Official OA Task Force Meeting

Copy of slides presented to faculty councils and meetings

The OA Task Force are gathering support of OA initiatives which includes a letter to President Folt and Interim Provost Graddy.

We support the adoption of an Open Access Initiative at USC consisting of an open access repository, open access policy and open access fund. The open-access repository would serve as a digital repository where scholars can add their peer-reviewed articles (post-publication) for the public to access freely.

Sign onto the letter of support here (or feel free to adapt parts for your letter): https://forms.gle/32942p4gDzxvHEFt5

For questions and more information about the Open Access Task Force, feel free to contact using our emails below.

Julie Hopper, juliehop@usc.edu, Data Analyst, Office of Sustainability

Silvia Da Costa, sdacosta@usc.edu, Director, Office of Research Initiatives & Facilities

Alyssa G. Resnick, agresnic@usc.edu, Associate Dean, Technical Services & Collection Development, USC Libraries

Melanee Vicedo, vicedo@usc.edu, Associate Dean, Teaching, Learning and Research Engagement, USC Libraries

Jennifer Dinalo, dinalo@usc.edu, Clinical Information Services Librarian