GLAM/Newsletter/September 2015/Contents/Open Access report

This Month in GLAM – Volume V, Issue IX, September 2015

Open Access report

Homo naledi; Wikigate; Open Access Week

Homo naledi

In contrast to most discoveries of fossil remains of early humans, the description of Homo naledi was published in an open-access journal (eLife), and it triggered a flurry of activity across Wikimedia sites that has led to articles in 38 Wikipedia languages so far, richly illustrated with media from the original publication (that included 3D models, for which there is not yet a home on Wikimedia platforms) and its geological companion article.

Wikigate

In response to a press release, in which representatives of the Wikipedia Library were quoted as being enthusiastic about partnering with Elsevier in providing some Wikipedians with access to otherwise paywalled content, a discussion arose on Twitter, blogs and several media outlets as to the net value of this partnership for our community.

Wikipedia Science Conference

Access to scientific publications and their underlying data, code and methodology was a major theme at the Wikipedia Science Conference held at the Wellcome Trust in London on September 2-3, which received attention from both scientists and major media. It was accompanied by two hackathons, one of which was dedicated to integrating data between Wikidata and scholarly databases like PubMed Central Europe.

Open Access Week ante portas

The last full week of October each year is Open Access Week, a period of open-access-related activities all around the globe. This includes a range of edit-a-thons on the topic, e.g. one at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm and a global virtual one.

Recent uploads: brain default mode networks, inner ear mechanics, octopus behaviour

The following represents a selection of the files that have been uploaded this month from open-access sources. Most of these came from PubMed Central through the Open Access Media Importer, whose uploads now total about 20,500. If you can think of wiki pages where these files (or other files from the same source articles) could be useful, please put them in there or let us know.