The African Digital Scholar

Open Access Week 2021 | It matters how we open knowledge: Building structural equity

Digital scholarship is the intersection of three technology developments: digital content and tools, networked distribution, and open practices.

Here at the University of the Free State, we presented on how we enhanced our structures to open knowledge during Open Access Week 2021. The biggest moves we’ve made to building structural equity are the following:

• Setting up our figshare data repository. This platform provides our researchers with a secure and trustworthy space where they can store and share research data and collaborate easily with the rest of their research team.
• We also finalised our research data management policy and the policy was approved and adopted in March this year. 
• We’re not only using figshare for our research data. There is also a collection for our open educational resources, or OER. 
• In support of broader open access and open research efforts at the University, a Digital Scholarship Centre was established at the Library. 
• Another important development in Open Access at the University is the establishment of an Open Access Publications Fund (OAPF). 

Be sure to visit our YouTube page to view the various presentations, including quick guides, such as this one on applying to the OAPF: