The COGR Virtual Meeting held from February 27 to March 1, 2024, featured a panel discussion on "Hot Topics in Public Access: Institutional Perspective," moderated by Krystal Toups alongside experts from Virginia Tech, the University of Arizona, and Brown University. The session examined the institutional responsibilities and challenges in facilitating public access to scholarly publications and research data, especially in light of evolving federal mandates such as the 2022 Nelson Memo. This memorandum requires that all peer-reviewed scholarly publications and their underlying scientific data be made freely accessible in designated repositories without embargo, necessitating significant adjustments in policy, technical infrastructure, cultural attitudes, and resource allocation at research institutions.
Participants addressed questions regarding which campus units typically lead public access initiatives and identified a range of implementation challenges, from technical limitations and policy compliance complexities to cultural resistance among faculty and funding constraints. The meeting provided a timeline for agency compliance with the Nelson Memo, highlighting important dates for the submission and implementation of agency plans on open access and research integrity. The discussion underscored the importance of federal coordination, effective use of persistent identifiers (PIDs), the management and sharing of metadata, and the allocation of costs within research budgets to support these transitions. Overall, the panel emphasized the need for collaboration across library, IT, compliance, and research administration offices to successfully meet new public access standards and support open science objectives.
