<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;"><div><div>SPARC is pleased to announce that the theme for this year's International Open Access Week will be Generation Open. The theme will highlight the value in working with the next generation as Open Access advocates and their importance in the long-term success of the Open Access movement. The theme will also explore how changes in scholarly publishing affect scholars and researchers at different stages of their careers. The announcement is copied below and posted on the SPARC website here: <a href="http://www.sparc.arl.org/initiatives/openaccessweek/2014/announcement">http://www.sparc.arl.org/initiatives/openaccessweek/2014/announcement</a>.</div><div><br></div><div>We are also announcing a webcast on Monday, May 19th, at 2:30pm EDT to help kickoff local planning for this year’s Open Access Week. We hope you’ll consider joining us, and please forward the invitation to any and all in your community who would be interested in attending. More information on the webcast here: <a href="http://www.sparc.arl.org/initiatives/openaccessweek/2014/kickoffwebcast">http://www.sparc.arl.org/initiatives/openaccessweek/2014/kickoffwebcast</a>.</div><div><br></div><div>Best,</div><div><br></div><div>Nick</div><div><br></div><div>_______________________________________</div><div><br></div><div>For Immediate Release<br>May 8, 2014<br><br><br><b>2014 International Open Access Week to Be Held In October<br>“Generation Open” Theme Highlights Involvement of Students and Early Career Researchers<br></b><br>Washington, DC – The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) announced today that the theme for this year’s International Open Access Week is Generation Open. The theme will highlight the importance of students and early career researchers as advocates for change in the short-term, through institutional and governmental policy, and as the future of the Academy upon whom the ultimate success of the Open Access movement depends. The theme will also explore how changes in scholarly publishing affect scholars and researchers at different stages of their careers.<br><br>To be held from October 20 – 26, 2014, International Open Access Week is an opportunity for the academic and research community to continue to learn about the potential benefits of Open Access, to share what they’ve learned with colleagues, and to help inspire wider participation in helping to make Open Access a new norm in scholarship and research.<br><br>“Open Access Week has blossomed into an event celebrated at hundreds of institutions on every continent across the world,” said Heather Joseph, Executive Director of SPARC. “This year’s theme reflects the importance of putting our future scholars and researchers at the core of the shift to an open system of scholarly communication.”<br><br>The theme “Generation Open” will return International Open Access Week to its foundation. Begun in 2007 as the National Day of Action for Open Access, the event was originally a partnership between SPARC and students who organized local events on a handful of campuses across the United States. Since then, both student involvement in Open Access and Open Access Week itself have grown exponentially. <br><br>SPARC’s student program, The Right to Research Coalition, has grown to more than 75 member student organizations, which collectively represent nearly seven million students in more than 100 countries around the world. The energy, creativity, and passion of the next generation that sparked the National Day of Action for Open Access in 2007 can now be seen in projects like the Open Access Button, a student-developed tool that helps users find freely available copies of pay walled articles.<br><br>SPARC encourages advocates around the world to use the week as a catalyst for raising awareness of Open Access and to build a dialogue with the next generation about shaping the system of scholarly communication that they will inherit.<br><br>On Monday, May 19th at 2:30pm EDT (7:30pm BST), SPARC will host a kickoff webcast to help advocates begin planning Open Access Week events, featuring advice from experts who have organized successful events during previous weeks. More information and a link to register can be found at <a href="http://www.sparc.arl.org/initiatives/openaccessweek/2014/kickoffwebcast">www.sparc.arl.org/initiatives/openaccessweek/2014/kickoffwebcast</a>.</div></div><br><br><div><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;"><div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><u><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></u></span></div></div><div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nick Shockey<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Director of Programs and Engagement, SPARC</span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">Director, Right to Research Coalition</span></div></div><div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:nick@arl.org" style="color: blue;">nick@arl.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">+1 202 296 2296<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">Skype: nick.shockey<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.righttoresearch.org/" style="color: blue;">http://www.righttoresearch.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><u><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(20, 79, 174);"><a href="http://www.arl.org/sparc" style="color: blue;">http://www.arl.org/sparc</a></span></u></span></div></div><div><span class="apple-style-span"><u><br></u></span></div></div></div></div></body></html>