The Georgia Knowledge Repository
If you have ever tried to find localized academic and intellectual works specifically produced in Georgia’s colleges and universities, then you know it can be quite a challenge to locate material on that level of detail and at no cost. As an initiative of GALILEO, the Georgia Knowledge Repository (GKR) (http://gaknowledge.org/) is a digital archive that allows free access to scholarship produced across the State of Georgia.What is GKR?
GKR takes institutional repositories from eighteen of Georgia’s colleges and universities (http://www.gaknowledge.org/about/membership) and combines them into one searchable place. Institutional repositories strive to widen access to the products of scholarship in their respective campus communities. Although some materials remain accessible only to specific campus communities, the GKR allows for one “universal” search of the member repositories, widening opportunities for access even further.The GKR is accessible by anyone, and in particular can be useful to scholars and researchers, faculty, students, and the general public. Types of materials included are: journal articles, presentations and speeches, university handbooks, newspapers, newsletters, yearbooks, theses and dissertations, and other types of scholarly works (http://www.gaknowledge.org/about/policies).
What does the GKR have to do with Open Access?
According to SPARC (a global coalition committed to making Open the default for research and education - https://sparcopen.org/), “Open Access is the movement towards free, immediate, online availability of research articles combined with the rights to use these articles fully in the digital environment” (https://sparcopen.org/open-access/).The cost of library materials can be astronomical. Unfortunately, it is not atypical for some institutions to depend fully on library materials to represent total access to scholarship for their students, faculty, and other researchers. This leads to better/more resources for institutions with more money. Furthermore, authors of scholarship often hand over their work to publishers for no compensation so that they might support the pursuit of education and the spread of knowledge. Open Access strives to spread the wealth of scholarship to everyone, even those with fewer financial resources.
Freedom from cost does not equal freedom from copyright!
Open Access does not equal absence of copyright, and all items in the GKR are protected by copyright to be used for educational purposes with proper attribution, but that is the ONLY cost.Copyright and attribution are crucial for authors as Open Access provides wider audience for their research, including more potential collaborators, further spread of their work, and likely more recognition. In fact, the GKR is celebrating its two-millionth download this month, meaning two million researchers have been helped by locating material they need on the GKR!
Ready to Get Started?
Search the GKR here: http://www.gaknowledge.org/.Ask your librarian for help on how to locate the particular information you require.
Continue the conversation about Open Access here: http://www.openaccessweek.org/
