Open Access Week 2025
All students, faculty, and staff are invited to join us for events celebrating the open access of information and research during the week of October 20–24.
Monday, October 20
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“Understanding the New NIH Public Access Policy” with Olivia Chin
1–2 PM EST on Zoom (register here)
The updated public access policy for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) came into effect on July 1, 2025. What does this mean for those of us who have research funding from the NIH? How can we comply with the new policy? And how does public access differ from open access? Join Olivia Chin for a discussion about the ins and outs of the NIH public access policy.
Presenter:
Olivia Chin is the Scholarly Communication Librarian at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Libraries and has worked in academic libraries for 10 years. She supports UTK researchers with copyright, open access funding, evaluating journals, and other scholarly publishing needs. Her research interests include scholarly publishing and open access, generative artificial intelligence in higher education, and library outreach and marketing.
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Tuesday, October 21
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“Building Health Equity Through Open Access Resources” with Jordan Kaufman and Charles Barthel
10–11 AM EST in Hodges Library Room 128 (no registration required to attend in-person) & on Zoom (register here)
Open access helps to remove barriers to knowledge, making information available to everyone regardless of academic affiliation or financial means. Access to reliable, evidence-based health information is a pivotal step in the continued fight for health equity. This session will work to highlight open access health resources that can empower both researchers and community members. We will introduce key resources, including community education tools, journals, databases, and datasets that support equitable research and informed public health engagement. We will also provide a brief demonstration of how to download and access health datasets.
Presenters:
Jordan Kaufman, MSIS, is an Assistant Professor and Research Data Librarian. Jordan supports the research data management and sharing needs of the UT community. This includes effectively finding, describing, preserving, and sharing data. Jordan also assists in developing data management plans, supporting grant proposals, and collaborating with campus offices to advance the university's research mission. Her research interests include: researchers’ behaviors and perceptions, user-experience, and therapy dogs in academic libraries.
Charles Barthel, MSIS, AHIP, is a Research Assistant Professor and Health Sciences Librarian. He provides instruction and research support to the College of Nursing and the Departments of Audiology & Speech Pathology, Kinesiology, Recreation & Sport Studies, Nutrition, and Public Health. Charles is passionate about library support for research methodologies, including evidence synthesis and evidence-based practice, as well as community-based interventions in digital and health literacy.
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“Open Publishing in Action: Creating Interactive Books with Jupyter Book and MyST Markdown” with Qiusheng Wu
2–3 PM EST on Zoom (link here)
Open publishing is transforming how researchers, educators, and developers share knowledge. This presentation introduces practical workflows for creating modern, reproducible, and openly accessible publications. Participants will learn how Jupyter Book, powered by the MyST (Markedly Structured Text) Markdown language, enables seamless integration of text, executable code, data, and interactive visualizations into cohesive digital books. Beyond web-based outputs, we will also showcase how Typst, a next-generation open-source typesetting engine, can be used to produce high-quality PDF versions from the same source. By the end of the session, attendees will understand how to combine Jupyter Book, MyST Markdown, and Typst to democratize publishing, enhance accessibility, and foster open science and education. A real-world example of an interactive open book built with these tools is available at https://gispro.gishub.org.
Presenter:
Qiusheng Wu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography & Sustainability at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His research focuses on cloud computing, geospatial data science, and open-source software development. He is the creator and maintainer of several widely used open-source packages for geospatial analysis and visualization, available at https://github.com/opengeos.
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Wednesday, October 22nd
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“ORCID 101” with Sidney Gavel
2–3 PM EST on Zoom (register here)
Open Researcher and Contributor IDs (ORCiDs) are free, unique, and persistent identifiers that connect researchers to their research as their careers grow and change. Join Sidney Gavel to learn the basics of creating and maintaining a robust researcher ID and profile and how an ID can add value to your work.
Presenter:
Sidney Gavel is the Data Science Librarian with the University of Tennessee Libraries. She specializes in introductory coding, data literacy, and artificial intelligence, and her research interests include STEM librarianship and the use of AI in libraries.
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Thursday, October 23rd
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“Beyond Open: Power, Voice, and Health Narratives” with Paris Whalon and Niki Cobb
10–11 AM EST in Hodges Room 258 (Mary Greer Room) and on Zoom (register here)
Open access plays a vital role in making health knowledge free to share, reuse, and build upon, expanding opportunities for learning and discovery worldwide. Yet openness does not automatically equal equity. This Open Access Week session explores who creates and controls open health information, how bias and authorship shape what we see, and how accessibility influences whose voices are included. Participants will also learn how media and digital literacy can serve as tools for equity, helping us critically analyze health messages and create or share content responsibly. Library resources and practical strategies will be highlighted to support students, researchers, and community members in navigating and contributing to open health information with awareness.
Presenters:
Paris Whalon is the Student Success Librarian for Media Literacy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She teaches responsible media creation, guiding students through the full production cycle from research and digital creation to tangible products using makerspace equipment and library tools. Paris provides consultations and workshops on media projects, leads outreach with Virtual Reality and other emerging technologies, and supports the College of Architecture and Design by maintaining collections that meet their needs. Her research focuses on media literacy programming and the integration of technology in higher education.
Niki [Kirkpatrick] Cobb, MSIS, AHIP, is an Associate Professor and Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Libraries. She co-coordinates evidence synthesis and systematic review support services. She serves as the liaison to the College of Nursing and the departments of Nutrition, Public Health, Audiology and Speech Pathology, and Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport Studies. Her work includes research support for health-related topics, evidence-based practice, and multidisciplinary projects. Her research examines the intersection of technology, education, and librarianship in support of student success and library staff retention.
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Come See Us at Pendergrass Library!
1–4 PM EST at Pendergrass Library