<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">For immediate release<br>March 24, 2011<br><br>For more information, contact:<br><br>-- Christoph Bruch, The Max Planck Society, +49 (30) 84 13 37 27, bruch [at] mpdl [dot] mpg [dot] de<br>-- Andrea Early, Marine Biological Laboratory, (508) 289-7652, aearly [at] mbl [dot] edu<br>-- Jennifer McLennan, SPARC, (202) 296-2296 ext. 121, jennifer [at] arl [dot] org<br><br><b>International Open Access meeting comes to the United States<br></b>Save the dates: Berlin 9 to be held in Washington, DC, November 9 & 10, 2011<br><br>(Washington, DC, Woods Hole, MA, & Munich, Germany) The ninth installment in the Berlin Open Access Conference Series, which convenes leaders in the science, humanities, research, funding, and policy communities around The Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities, will take place at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute on November 9 & 10, 2011. The conference, called “Berlin 9 Open Access Conference: The impact of Open Access in research and scholarship,” will focus on the role that open online access can play in accelerating the conduct and communication of scholarship, and the opportunities this presents to the funders, creators, and end users of this information.<br><br>The Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities, issued in 2003 by international research, scientific, and cultural institutions, promotes the Internet as a medium for disseminating global knowledge. It has been signed by the leaders of nearly 300 research institutions, libraries, archives, museums, funding agencies, and governments from around the world. Signatories include the Max Planck Society (co-initiator and custodian of the declaration), CERN, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academia Europea, Harvard University, and the International Federation of Library Associations.<br><br>The Berlin Open Access Conference Series supports the continued adoption and realization of the principles of the declaration and has been hosted in Germany, Switzerland, England, Italy, France, and – most recently – China. Berlin 9 will mark the first such meeting to take place in North America. The program will feature concrete steps taken by a variety of stakeholders to support Open Access and invite participants to consider added actions that might be taken – including encouraging signatures to the Berlin Declaration.<br><br>Berlin 9 is being organized by representatives from the science, humanities, research, funding and policy communities, including the Marine Biological Laboratory, and will be held on the campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, in Chevy Chase, MD. Conference planning is being coordinated by the Max Planck Society and SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition).<br><br>Further details will be available through the Web at <a href="http://www.berlin9.org/">www.berlin9.org</a>. Registration will open later this spring.<br><br>##<br><br>About the Max Planck Society<br><br>The Max Planck Society is Germany's most successful research organization. Since its establishment in 1948, no fewer than 17 Nobel laureates have emerged from the ranks of its scientists, putting it on a par with the best and most prestigious research institutions worldwide. The currently 80 Max Planck Institutes conduct basic research in the service of the general public in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. For further information, visit <a href="http://www.mpg.de/en">http://www.mpg.de/en</a> and <a href="http://oa.mpg.de/lang/en-uk/berlin-prozess">http://oa.mpg.de/lang/en-uk/berlin-prozess</a>.<br><br>About the Marine Biological Laboratory<br><br>The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is dedicated to scientific discovery and improving the human condition through research and education in biology, biomedicine, and environmental science. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1888, the MBL is an independent, nonprofit corporation.<br><br>About the Howard Hughes Medical Institute<br><br>The Howard Hughes Medical Institute plays a powerful role in advancing scientific research and education in the United States. Its scientists, located across the country and around the world, have made important discoveries that advance both human health and our fundamental understanding of biology. The Institute also aims to transform science education into a creative, interdisciplinary endeavor that reflects the excitement of real research. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.hhmi.org/">www.hhmi.org</a>.<br><br>About SPARC<br><br>SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), with SPARC Europe and SPARC Japan, is an international alliance of more than 800 academic and research libraries working to create a more open system of scholarly communication. SPARC’s advocacy, educational, and publisher partnership programs encourage expanded dissemination of research. SPARC is on the Web at <a href="http://www.arl.org/sparc">http://www.arl.org/sparc</a>.<br><br> <br><div>-------------------------------------<br>Jennifer McLennan<br>Director of Programs & Operations<br>SPARC<br><a href="mailto:jennifer@arl.org">jennifer@arl.org</a><br>(202) 296-2296 x121<br>Fax: (202) 872-0884<br><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermclennan">http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermclennan</a><br>http://www.arl.org/sparc<br>--------------------------------------<br>Open Access Week 2011<br>October 24 - 30<br>http://www.openaccessweek.org<br></div><div><br></div></body></html>