The UCAR Open Access Mandate: A Community-Centered Model of Action

Abstract

In its role of managing the US federally-funded National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the non-profit University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) has a strong history of supporting and promoting the atmospheric sciences and related fields. In September 2009, UCAR joined a growing number of other institutions worldwide in passing an Open Access mandate requiring that all peerreviewed research published in scientific journals by its scientists and staff be made publicly available online through its institutional repository, OpenSky. The new policy and accompanying repository will enable UCAR to compile, preserve and share a complete record of its intellectual output; increase its community visibility and impact; and advance research in the atmospheric sciences by providing free, worldwide access to UCAR and NCAR scholarship. The passage of the UCAR Open Access policy was especially noteworthy as it marked the first instance of a National Science Foundation-funded national laboratory to mandate Open Access. Also noteworthy was the broad community-driven process that the NCAR Library, as the leader in this initiative, employed. This presentation will outline the three-phase process adopted by the Library in its effort to reflect both institutional and disciplinary community values and needs through OpenSky services and policies.