IFLA ARL Satellite conference 2023: Inclusiveness through Openness Presentation on Regional Impact Studies: “Open access in Oceania - perspectives from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands" by Jayshree Mamtora (AU), James Cook University. Session chair – Theodore Westervelt, Library of Congress. Satellite conference held at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 18 - 19 August 2023.

1. Classification: Internal
Open Access in Oceania:
Perspectives from Australia, New
Zealand and the Pacific Islands
Jayshree Mamtora
Manager, Scholarly Communications
James Cook University, Australia

2. Classification: Internal
Open access • SDGs • Social justice
SDGs and Open Access
o Access to information is key to delivering SDGs
o Access to research and data – for policy development, project formulation, for cultural & social
awareness, to foster discussion
o Facilitate learning
o Access latest technical information
Social justice and Open Access
o Making research open access, i.e. available to anyone, not just the select few, is transformational, and
empowers people
o Equitable access to scholarly literature contributes to growth and development
o Equitable dissemination of marginalised research

3. Classification: Internal

4. Classification: Internal
Australia

6. Classification: Internal
Key Organisations
Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL)
o Statement on Open Scholarship (2010 regularly updated)
o FAIR, Affordable and Open Access to Knowledge Program (2017-2019)
o Advancing Open Scholarship Project (2020-2022)
o Open Access Program (2023-2025)
o Open Research toolkit 2021
Open Access Australasia (OAA)
o Website with range of resources, newsletter, blog
o Online courses and webinars
o Community of Practice
o Submissions to government, industry and other bodies
o Partnerships with international organisations
o New Report: Open access initiatives by research active institutions in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand: a
snapshot of the landscape in 2022 (Catterall and Barbour, 2023)

7. Classification: Internal
Drivers for Change
Open Institutional Repositories
o All Australian universities have a repository
Institutional Open Access policies
o Just over half have Open Access policies
Funding body mandates
o ARC and NHMRC have Open Access policies
What has the impact of these developments been?
o 42% of outputs were open access 2000-2022 (source: COKI)

8. Classification: Internal
Current Initiatives in Australia
Open Access Policies – new developments
o University of New South Wales (UNSW)
o Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
Funding Body Mandate
o National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has joined cOAlition S
Read & Publish Agreements
o Transformative agreements with 21 publishers
Curtin Open Knowledge Initiative (COKI)
o Hub for evaluation of open knowledge in HE and measure open access performance worldwide

9. Classification: Internal
Australia’s Chief Scientist
Role of Australia’s Chief Scientist
o Authoritative & independent advice to the
whole of Government
o Ensure best evidence informs Government
decision making
National strategy
o Open Access is one of “four critical
foundational issues”
o Working on a national strategy for open access
to research literature
Priorities and Strategic Workplan
https://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/about/what-is-the-chief-scientist%27s-role

10. Classification: Internal
James Cook University -
Open Access strategies from a regional Australian university
Open Scholarship Policy
o for research outputs, research data and OERs
Read and Publish Agreements
o (transformative agreements for 8156 journals by 15
publishers in 2023)
Open Access Week events
o ECR Open Access Champion Award, HDR Open Access
Advocate Award, OER Award
Open Access Outreach
o Open Access Ambassadors & Champions
o Green Open Access campaigns
Open Educational Resources

11. Classification: Internal
Aotearoa New Zealand

13. Classification: Internal
Key organisations
Council of New Zealand University Librarians (CONZUL)
o Universities New Zealand Pan-universities Statement on Open Access 2022
o 5 years of analysing Open Access in Aotearoa 2017-2021
o Open Access Reports (2017-2022)
Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL)
o Peak leadership organisation for university libraries in Australia
Open Access Australasia (OAA)
o Advocates for and supports practical open access initiatives in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand

14. Classification: Internal
Drivers for Change
Open Institutional Repositories
o All 8 universities have a repository
Institutional Open Access policies
o 7 of 8 universities have an open access policy
Funding body mandates
o Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (Open Research Policy - Nov 2022)
What has the impact of these developments been?
o 38% of outputs were open access 2000-2022 (source: COKI)

15. Classification: Internal
Current Initiatives in NZ
Funding Body Policies
o Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi - coming soon: Open Access Policy
Open Access Toolkit
o Universities New Zealand project in progress (2024) (led by University of Auckland)
Read & Publish Agreements
o Transformative agreements with 21 publishers

16. Classification: Internal
Office of the New Zealand Prime
Minister’s Chief Science Advisor
The Future is Open: Establishing Wider Open Access for Research Publications in Aotearoa New
Zealand
o Report written by Thomas E. Saunders, Intern, Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor,
May 2022
o Provides recommendations to help to encourage open research in Aotearoa and start a conversation
about the paywalls that sit between New Zealanders and the research they fund.

17. Classification: Internal
Pacific
Islands

18. Classification: Internal
Fiji
Fiji National University
o 12 Read & Publish Agreements through EIFL Consortium
o No APC funds; but incentive scheme for publishing
o Open Access policy forthcoming
o Repository under development
University of the South Pacific
o No awareness of the 12 EIFL Read & Publish Agreements
o Open Access awareness sessions
o LibGuide with links to OA databases and OERs
o USP Electronic Research Repository
o No Open Access policy, but has repository policy
o Thesis Repository

19. Classification: Internal
Samoa
National University of Samoa (NUS)
o Some Open Access awareness training
provided
o Intellectual Property Rights - Open Access
(Policy), March 2021
o DSpace repository established
o Two NUS Open Access journals
Samoa Knowledge Society Initiative
o Samoa Digital Library (SADIL), 2022, managed
by NUS
Samoa Agriculture Information System
o Ministry of Agriculture
o Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa
o USP Samoa, Agriculture & Food Technology

20. Classification: Internal
Papua New Guinea
PNG University of Technology
o No Open Access policy
o Limited Open Access awareness
o Some funding for Open Access provided
o Three Unitech Open Access journals
o Lack of funding, poor bandwidth
o Keen to collaborate on better management of
information & knowledge resources

21. Classification: Internal
The Pacific – OA Overview
Limited awareness of Open Access
o Limited funds to meet APCs
o Limited Read and Publish Agreements
o Few or no Open Access policies or mandates
o Few institutions have a repository
o Inadequate and unstable bandwidth
OA Publishing rates
o Fiji, of 4,900 publications, 48% are OA
o Papua New Guinea, of 3,000 publications, 56% are OA
o Samoa, of 485 publications, 56% are OA

22. Classification: Internal
The Pacific – Opportunities
Specific initiatives as a catalyst
o Pacific Agricultural Information System,
o Pacific Data Hub,
o Pacific Soils Portal
o Pacific Environment Data Portal
o Paris Agreement
Sharing content
o Keen on sharing
o Transition to region-designed, region-led, region-managed content

23. Classification: Internal
Where to from here?
Australia & New Zealand
o Making good progress
o But more collaboration and a coordinated approach needed
The Pacific Islands
o More awareness and support needed
o Opportunities abound
What can the ‘haves’ do to help the ‘have-nots’?
o Need to tackle OA in the Pacific region:
◦ A formal survey to understand the current OA situation
◦ Increase OA awareness at Pacific institutions
◦ Advocate for OA policy development (twinning & mentoring)
◦ Need to develop ‘library consortia’ in other island countries to take advantage of EIFL

24. Classification: Internal
Acknowledgements
Australia
o Professor Virginia Barbour, Janet Catterall
(Open Access Australasia)
o Dr Cathy Foley (Office of Chief Scientist)
o Tove Lemberget; Dr Wayne Bradshaw (James
Cook University)
o Peter Walton (Pacific Agricultural Information
System)
New Zealand
o Berit Anderson (University of Auckland)
o Jessica Howie (University of Waikato)
Fiji
o Dr Udya Shukla; Etivino Lovo; Raijieli Niubalavu
(Fiji National University)
o Elizabeth Fong; Dr Nicholas Halter (University
of the South Pacific)
Samoa
o (Togi Tunupopo) National University of Samoa
Papua New Guinea
o Jennifer Kumul; Professor Gariba Danbaro
(Papua New Guinea University of Technology)

25. Classification: Internal
Thank you | Wadda Mooli
Tēnā koutou | Vinaka vakalevu
Fa‘afetai lava⏐ Tenkyu tru!