DDel-C Open Access Center

Susquehanna University Open Access Policy Statement

Susquehanna University is committed to advancing knowledge and promoting the dissemination of scholarly research. In pursuit of this commitment, we have established an Open Access Policy to enable our faculty to publish free and open scholarly articles. This policy aims to increase the accessibility and impact of our research by making it freely available to the global community.

Scope:

This policy applies to all faculty members of Susquehanna University who wish to publish scholarly articles. Faculty are defined as any individual with the title of professor, adjunct professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or lecturer.

Submitting Works:

Faculty members who choose to publish under the Open Access Policy shall forward a copy of their scholarly articles to the DDel-C (Dittbrenner, Dort, el-Chidiac) Open Access Center. DDel-C staff can then take the article to the open access publisher on your behalf, if you choose to do so.

Copyright and Licensing:

Faculty members will retain copyright ownership of their scholarly articles while granting Susquehanna University a non-exclusive license to distribute, archive, and make the work openly accessible. Authors are encouraged to select open and permissive licenses whenever possible.

Compliance:

The DDel-C will provide guidance and support to faculty members to ensure compliance with this policy, including assistance with copyright issues, embargo periods, and the deposition process.

Promoting Open Access:

Susquehanna University encourages faculty members to consider open access journals and publishers that align with our commitment to accessibility and knowledge sharing.

Reporting and Monitoring:

The Open Access Center will maintain records of deposited materials and monitor compliance with this policy. Regular reports on the impact and usage of open access materials will be made available to the Susquehanna University community.

The DDel-C believes that the open exchange of knowledge is essential to the advancement of education and research. This Open Access Policy reflects our dedication to fostering a culture of openness and collaboration among our faculty members. By working together, we can make a significant contribution to the global scholarly community and society at large.

The DDel-C Open Access Center was created in the fall of 2023 by Haley Dittbrenner '25. Librarians Brianne Dort and Amir el-Chidiac oversaw and guided the creation of the project.

The DDel-C was created as a centralized hub for Susquehanna University students, faculty, and staff to learn about and utilize open access materials. Through this program, Susquehanna University faculty are encouraged to publish open access works through our partner program, Lever Press Books. Faculty are also encouraged to incorporate open access texts in their courses. We also hope to inform the student body about the many benefits of open access texts. 

A 2023 study conducted by Dittbrenner and the Director of the Blough-Weis Library, Rob Sieczkiewicz, revealed that Susquehanna University students find textbooks inconvenient, inaccessible, and costly. Some students have turned to illegal measures, such as textbook piracy, to mitigate these issues. The DDel-C aims to reduce textbook piracy on our campus by providing free or low-cost books that any student can access. 

In November of 2022, pirating site Z-Library was shut down by the United States government on the grounds of copyright infringement. Immediately, students nationally felt the effects of this decision, with some unable to access textbooks at all. Piracy sites are often a last resort for students who cannot otherwise afford or access textbooks.

With library staff becoming increasingly aware of piracy among the student body, Director of the Blough-Weis Library and intern Haley Dittbrenner began to study piracy at Susquehanna University. They recorded not only the rate at which students pirated materials, but they also recorded faculty and student attitudes about the morals of textbook piracy. This research was published through the March Fellowship in Ethical Leadership program and was shared with the Associated College Libraries of Central Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Library Association.

A focus group of students and professors suggested open access as an alternative to piracy, an an informal student poll of 191 students stated that 79% of those who responded are in favor of open access textbooks. (16% did not know what open access was, and a meager 5% were against it). Textbook piracy cannot be eliminated unless textbooks are made convenient, accessible, and low cost, and the DDel-C is committed to opening textbooks for the Susquehanna community.

The final research paper can be found here.

The DDel-C will provide Susquehanna University faculty and staff with the ability to publish open resources and incorporate open resources into their classrooms. The DDel-C will also provide the Susquehanna University student body with free, convenient OER while informing them of the benefits of an OA program.