On February 1, 2010, the faculty of the Z. Smith Reynolds Library, Wake Forest University, unanimously adopted an open access policy to guide deposit of the author’s final version of scholarly works in the University’s institutional repository. The policy states:
Recognizing that academic scholarship hinges upon the ability to access and utilize research output, the Library Faculty of the Z. Smith Reynolds Library, Wake Forest University (WFU), hereby adopt an open access policy to achieve the widest possible access to and long-term preservation of their scholarly works.
Each faculty member grants Wake Forest University the right to archive and make publicly available the full text of the author’s final version of scholarly works via the University’s open access institutional repository. This provides the University the nonexclusive, worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free license to preserve and redistribute the work. When publisher agreements do not automatically grant permission to archive the author’s final version, the faculty commit to negotiating for such rights. Faculty members will submit an electronic version of the author’s final version in an appropriate format as soon as possible, respecting some publishers’ requests for embargo.
Furthermore, the faculty endeavor to publish their scholarship in open access venues when possible, or alternately to seek the right to archive the final published version in lieu of the author’s final version.
This policy will apply to all scholarship created while a member of the WFU faculty, excluding works previously accepted for publication and works for which authors entered into incompatible licensing or assignment agreements prior to the adoption of this policy, and excepting books and book chapters as necessary. The Dean of the Library will waive the application of the policy for future scholarship upon written notification from the author, who informs the Dean of the reason.
Since 2007, the Wake Forest University Libraries have encouraged broader engagement with and understanding of scholarly communication issues across the Wake Forest community through the creation of a Scholarly Communication Committee, the pilot launch of an institutional repository, the creation of an Open Access Fund, the hiring of a Scholarly Communication Librarian, and multiple education initiatives for librarians, faculty, students, and staff. The adoption of this policy by the Z. Smith Reynolds (ZSR) Library faculty is an important milestone that will serve as precedent in our future engagement across the University.
For their influence and inspiration, the ZSR Library faculty acknowledge the pioneering policies and resolutions previously adopted by the library faculties at Oregon State University, the University of Oregon, Gustavus Adolphus College, the University of Calgary, York University, and the University of Northern Colorado. We also gratefully acknowledge the advice of colleagues from Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The full text of the policy and associated FAQ may be found at the Librarians’ Assembly page of the ZSR Library website. For further information, please contact Molly Keener, Scholarly Communication Librarian, at keenerm@wfu.edu or 336-758-5829.
) and the alphabetic sorting of facets make repeated use of the system a bit easier.
