Written by Virginia Pow, Meghan Staal, Lucinda Johnston The annual World Digital Preservation Day, organized by the UK-based Digital Preservation Coalition, is celebrated on the first Thursday of every November. This year, on November 5, the University of Alberta Library (UAL) is responding to the call to “highlight the importance of digital heritage and encourage action to protect the records, research, memories and cultural assets that shape our communities,” per the theme…

Here at the University of Alberta Library, we have been advocating for unrestricted public access to research, teaching, and learning materials for many years. By reducing the barriers for potential readers and authors alike, we contribute to a more equitable knowledge environment both on campus and in the wider community. As researchers ourselves, we also take pride in sharing our works openly whenever possible. This often means publishing our work in open…

International Open Access Week is held annually to build global momentum toward the open sharing of knowledge and inspire wider participation in making open access a new norm in scholarship and research. This year, we mark International Open Access Week Oct. 19 – 25, 2026. In April 2026, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) announced the results of its 2025 Aid to Scholarly Journals (ASJ) competition. Six journals published at…

Are your research results getting a healthy dose of attention? “The Cost of Knowledge” is the theme for this year’s International Open Access Week (October 19-25). U of A researchers create and share knowledge to advance human understanding and the common good. The financial cost to fund research can be eclipsed by the human cost of keeping the results of that research hidden. Make sure your published research results are easy for…