LIBER Applauds Ratification of UNESCO Open Science Recommendations
LIBER Supports Ratification of UNESCO Open Science Recommendation
25 November 2021, THE HAGUE — LIBER, together with members of the International Alliance of Research Library Associations (IARLA), supports the ratification of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science which took place at the 41st session of its General Conference in Paris earlier this week.
This development follows our prior endorsement of the Draft Recommendation on Open Science (1 June 2021) and our initial Open Letter to UNESCO on the topic (23 December 2020).
The UNESCO Recommendation defines shared values and principles for Open Science and puts forward concrete measures on Open Access and Open Data. It serves to complement the existing Recommendation on Science and Scientific Research from 2017 and, according to the UNESCO website, also “[…] build[s] upon the UNESCO Strategy on Open Access to Scientific Information and Research and the new UNESCO Recommendation on Open Educational Resources”.
We believe that research libraries are ideally positioned to advance various areas of action as outlined in the Recommendation, for example, when it comes to:
- Promoting a common understanding of open science, associated benefits and challenges, as well as diverse paths to open science;
- Investing in open science infrastructures and services;
- Investing in human resources, training, education, digital literacy, and capacity building for open science;
- Fostering a culture of open science and aligning incentives for open science;
- Promoting innovative approaches for open science at different stages of the scientific process;
- Promoting international and multi-stakeholder cooperation in the context of open science and with a view to reducing digital, technological, and knowledge gaps.
According to Astrid Verheusen, Executive Director of LIBER, “We are pleased about the ratification of the UNESCO Open Science Recommendation. The Recommendation is very much in accordance with LIBER’s current Strategy (2017-2022) and has significant importance for LIBER’s upcoming strategy and the way forward for research libraries within post-pandemic Europe. We believe that research libraries have a crucial role to play in the furthering of Open Science practices — now even more so — and we are wholeheartedly committed to helping UNESCO achieve this.”
Read the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science and learn more about the benefits of Open Science in this video created by UNESCO below:
ABOUT LIBER
LIBER (Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche – Association of European Research Libraries) is the main network for research libraries in Europe. Founded in 1971, the association (a Foundation or Stichting under Dutch law from 2009) has grown steadily to include more than 400 national, university and other libraries from over 40 countries. Together we work to represent the interests of European research libraries, their universities and their researchers in several key areas. We lobby policymakers on issues such as Copyright and Open Access. We collaborate with our member libraries on European-funded projects and through events such as our Annual Conference, we create opportunities for library professionals to meet and learn from each other.