Q. What services does the Scholarly Communications Program at Western Libraries offer?

The Scholarly Communications Program at Western Washington University Libraries comprises a robust array of activities designed to educate, promote, and support the use of academic, scholarly, and creative materials and activities within the University community. Specifically, this program aims to educate students, staff, and faculty around the issues of copyright and open access; support authors and scholars throughout the scholarly publication process; educate and assist in maintaining an author / scholar brand; and provide unique and impactful services to the community through Western CEDAR.

 This work is informed by the values and mission of Western Washington University, Western Libraries, and that of the open access movement -- to provide access to research and scholarship in an open, inclusive, and equitable manner. The services provided by the Scholarly Communications Program include:

• Western CEDAR, WWU’s Institutional Repository, highlights and shares freely and openly the research, scholarship, and creative works of Western’ faculty, students, and staff. More information about Western CEDAR, the materials included, and how to add you or your students’ works can be found at the Western CEDAR About and FAQ pages.
•  Copyright education: including consultations, training opportunities, and workshop offerings for courses are available. This includes building greater understanding about your rights as an author, using copyrighted works in the classroom, and using and building upon copyrighted works in the creation of your own.
•  Consultations about Open Access, understanding what open access is and isn’t, what the different types of open access are, and what options are available for making your work open access.
• Consultations about Open Educational Resources: where to find OER, how to vet OER, how to create your own and how to share them once you do.
• Publishing support for your research, scholarship, or creative work. Including assistance in locating and vetting publication options, understanding publication agreements,
• Support for data management and sharing.

For more information about the Scholarly Communication Program, or to partake any of these services, contact Jenny Oleen, the Scholarly Communication Librarian.