Open access

Open Scholarship Month: November 2026

What is Open Scholarship? It’s the practice of making research outputs and teaching materials freely accessible without legal, technical or financial barriers, ensuring they will have the most impact and benefit to the world.

This November, join us for one of the Library’s bite-size, informal online sessions about Open Scholarship. Learn why it matters, how it works, and how to make your research and teaching outputs more open. All Curtin staff and students are welcome!

Events

Open access and Open research: past and present

  • Online (Teams): Wednesday 4th November, 11am-11.30am
  • Register here: https://bookings.library.curtin.edu.au/event/5973820
    Making research openly accessible is a condition of research funding, but this wasn’t always the case. Learn about how open access got started, the roadblocks to its realisation, and future of this growing movement.

Open data 101: What is it and why would you do it?

  • Online (Teams): Thursday 5th November, 10:30-11am
  • Register here: https://bookings.library.curtin.edu.au/event/5974483
    Open data can benefit you and your research, but it isn’t one-size-fits-all. Learn what ‘open data’ is, how it could work for you, and when it won’t.

Open Educational Resources: the next high impact practice

  • Online (Teams): Friday 6th November, 10:30-11am
  • Register here: https://bookings.library.curtin.edu.au/event/5974359
    A recent report from AAC&U identifies Open Educational Resources (OERs) as a possible new High Impact Practice in tertiary education. Learn about what OERs are and why there is growing interest in OERs as alternatives to traditional textbooks.

Adopt, adapt, overcome: incorporating Open Books into teaching materials

  • Online (Teams): Tuesday 10 November 2026, 1pm-1.30pm
  • Register here: https://bookings.library.curtin.edu.au/event/5974360
    Open Educational Resources (OERs) present an exciting alternative to traditional textbooks. Often featuring interactive elements, or breaking out of the classical textbook structure, these titles can be incorporated into your unit materials as-is, or adapted for your specific context. Join this information session on how to find, incorporate, and even remix OERs for your unit readings.

Creative Commons license explainer

  • Online (Teams): Wednesday,11th November, 10am-10.30am
  • Register here: https://bookings.library.curtin.edu.au/event/5973821
    What are Creative Commons licenses? How can they be used to create or re-use teaching materials? Learn about license terms, how to interpret them, and how to choose the right license for your situation.

You don’t have to reinvent the dataset: finding and reusing open data

  • Online (Teams): Thursday, 12th November, 2026, 10:30-11am.
  • Register here: https://bookings.library.curtin.edu.au/event/5974484
    Why start from scratch when someone may have already collected the data you need? This session walks you through where to find open datasets and how to evaluate whether they’re fit for reuse.

Securing educational access in turbulent times

  • Online (Teams): Friday 13 November, 10am-10:30am
  • Register here: https://bookings.library.curtin.edu.au/event/5974361
    In a world of academic publishing juggernauts, Open Scholarship makes universities more resilient and less reliant on unsustainable contracts. Learn about how Open Access material has enabled Curtin Library to stand firm in vendor negotiations without impacting educators and students.

Using CURATE to make scholarly work accessible

Copyright and open access: how they work together

  • Online (Teams): Wednesday, November 18, 11am-11.30am
  • Register here: https://bookings.library.curtin.edu.au/event/5973816
    If you’re unfamiliar with copyright or open access, here is the place to start! Learn the basics of these important concepts and how they relate to teaching and research.

Curtin’s Open Scholarship Policy: a local strategy for global impact.

  • Online (Teams): Tuesday, November 24, 10am-10.30am
  • Register here: https://bookings.library.curtin.edu.au/event/5973819
    Did you know that Curtin University is part of a global movement to safeguard authors’ rights, preserve scholarly work, and make research publicly available? Learn about how the Open Scholarship Policy helps to make this happen.

Open Scholarship Month: The Themes

Click on the icons below to learn more about each week’s theme.