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Open Access Resources   Tags: access, articles, audio, books, free, journals, open_access, search, video, web  

Free web collections, book, journals, teaching materials, and other resources. This guide concentrates on English language collections, though some collections mentioned do have resources in several languages.
Last Updated: Mar 9, 2012 URL: http://libguides.southernct.edu/openaccess Print Guide RSS UpdatesShareThis

Open Access Resources Print Page
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What are Open Access resources?

  • Open Access refers to resources that are freely available for viewing and/or use. Open Access is not the same as Public Domain, and most Open Access creators do retain their copyrights.
  • Open Access is part of a continuum ranging from completely closed, subscription/purchase only access to completely open, no barrier publishing. Open Access is not related to the quality of materials or the peer-review/non-peer-review status of the publications.
  • Open Access differs from Open Source or Open Licensed in that the primary use of Open Access materials will be viewing or reading, while Open Source materials are available for modification of the underlying software or text. For instance, Linux is an open source operating system, while the The Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education is an open access journal. An increasing number of Educational Resources are being published with Open Licenses, allowing for modification, re-editing, and other customization.
 

Why should the Distance Learning, and the general Higher Education, community care about Open Access materials?

  • Open Access materials can be excellent resources to supplement online library materials. Many scholarly and peer-review journals have opened their back issues as open access, and others have converted partially or totally to open access for all issues.
  • Open Access materials can often be used when copyright restrictions might prevent the use of "traditional" materials in an online setting. While Open Access materials are, for the most part, still under copyright by their creators, most academic and educational use is permitted without permission. Even if copying is not permitted, open materials can usually be linked from an online syllabus or reading list. Be sure to check the copyright or permissions statement before use.
  • By Educators, For Educators - Many of the Open Access materials highlighted in these pages have been created specifically for educational use.
 

What sorts of materials are available?

Many sources have more than one type of document, just as a print journal may also publish conference papers or technical papers. Be sure to check in other categories, especially the General/Mixed Media category.

  • General/mixed media repositories or guides
    audio/visual resources, megasites, and guides to further resources.
  • Journals
    either full open access or open access to back issues.
  • Books
    while many of the open access texts available on the Internet are also public domain, many authors and publishers have released full or partial versions of current works. For some this is an advertising scheme to create demand for print versions, while others are more interested in presenting their content to the widest possible audience. Links to collections of textbooks, theses and dissertations are also included.
  • Teaching Materials
    slides, tutorials, graphics, etc. Textbooks are listed separately under Books.
 

Further information on Open Access in general

Sciences & Distance Learning Librarian

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Rebecca Hedreen
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Buley Library, Room 122H
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hedreenr1@southernct.edu
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Subjects:
Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Physics, Science Education, Distance Learning
 
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