AGENTS OF CHANGE - Student Activists for open access

A new generation of activists is making its presence known in the scholarly communication community. These students -- undergraduates, graduates, and some who have recently left academe -- are influencing university policy, organizing conferences on free culture, creating new avenues for students and faculty to publish under liberal licenses, and vocalizing their commitment to things open on campus, in the media, and all over the Web. As they enter the workforce, these students’ drive to revitalize scholarly communication will continue to impact academic institutions as well as industry. While these Agents of Change grow in number each semester, here five of them are recognized as SPARC Innovators.

• "The Technologist," Benjamin Mako Hill
• "The Professional," Gavin Baker
• "The Politician," Nick Shockey
• "The Diplomat," Elizabeth Stark
• "The Evangelist," Nelson Pavlosky

SPARC Innovator - June 2007:
Ted & Carl Bergstrom

SPARC Innovator - December 2006:
Melissa Hagemann
Program Manager of the Open Access Initiative, Information Program, Open Society Institute 

SPARC Innovator - July 2006:
University of California

SPARC Innovator - April 2006:
Herbert Van de Sompel

SPARC Innovators are named by the SPARC staff in consultation with the SPARC Steering Committee. Individuals can nominate their colleagues as potential SPARC Innovators at http://www.arl.org/sparc/innovator/nominate.shtml. Criteria include but are not limited to a commitment to: 

• Reducing barriers to access, sharing, and use of scholarship, particularly in the scientific research field;
• Advancing the understanding and implementation of open access to research results;
• Working to create a balanced scholarly communication system;
• Use of technology to develop alternative publishing and communication solutions;
• Refusing to be constrained by the status quo and implementing new and creative ideas that are backed by research;
• Vision of the library as a focus for and/or supporter of change;
• The belief that individual actions can have a profound and positive impact in the scholarly communication field.

A SPARC Innovator can be an individual, a group of people, an institution, or another group that has been active in the areas listed above. Their actions may be broadly defined and may include online activity (i.e., postings on listservs and Web sites); on-campus programs and conferences; writing and editing (i.e., articles and books); promoting awareness and activism among others; and creating technologies and/or programs. There is no monetary award for SPARC Innovators.

For further information, please see the SPARC Web site at http://www.arl.org/sparc/.