How does free help me? Useful things like GPS Software

How does free help me? Useful things like GPS Software Posted: October 25th, 2019 Once upon a time the only way to find an address was to look at a paper map. Remember your first day at UCF? How hard it was to find the right building? Did you get lost? That used to be true going pretty much any place new. Now with GPS, you can have someone tell you how to get somewhere step by step. You can even select a British or Australian narrator. Like many conveniences in our lives, this is a result of the US Government making it continuously and freely available to all users worldwide. We hope over the course of the week you have learned a little bit about how making things freely available can spark innovation and new ideas. To see more milestones in open access, check out the timeline from the Open Access Directory. For More Information: To learn more about Open Access, visit https://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/scholarly-communication/open-access

How does free help me? Mind-blowing things like the mapping our DNA

How does free help me? Mind-blowing things like the mapping our DNA Posted: October 24th, 2019 Ever hear of a little company called 23andMe? For around $100, you can get a breakdown of your global heritage. You can even get it for your dog or cat. The availability to learn more about our own ancestry or genetic health markers is a result of the Human Genome Project. The original mapping of human DNA took thirteen years to complete, and involved 20 institutions around the globe. It is considered the world’s largest collaborative biological project, with a price tag of$2.7 billion. Who owns it? From the National Human Genome Research Institute: Every part of the genome sequenced by the Human Genome Project was made public immediately, and new information about the genome is posted almost every day in freely accessible databases or published in scientific journals (which may or may not be freely available to the public). The Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that naturally occurring human genes are not an invention and therefore cannot be patented. However, private companies can apply for patents on edited or synthetic genes, which have been altered significantly from their natural versions to count as a new, patentable, product. National Human Genome Research Institute UCF Researchers have contributed to the conversation as well. Here are just a few examples highlighted in STARS, UCF’s Open Access institutional repository: Multicolor CRISPR labeling of chromosomal loci in human cells RNA/DNA co-analysis from human skin and contact traces – results of a sixth collaborative EDNAP exercise Resolution of Crohn’s disease and complex regional pain syndrome following treatment of paratuberculosis Tomorrow we will find out how open software like GPS has changed the way we live our lives. For More Information: To learn more about Open Access, visit https://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/scholarly-communication/open-access

Open Access Week

Könyvtári szolgáltatások a DEENK-ben

How does free help me? Funny things like throwing shade on Florida

How does free help me? Funny things like throwing shade on Florida Posted: October 23rd, 2019 Florida is called the sunshine state for more than just the weather. It has one of the broadest public record laws in the nation, with origins dating back to 1909. On the bright side, this wide interpretation of public records provides transparency in state public agencies. It could also be considered a factor in the creation of the internet meme “Florida Man.” This meme is based on strange news stories or crimes that take place in our home state and is based on news headlines like these: Florida man run over by van after dog pushes accelerator. Florida man arrested for allegedly fixing cars with Play Doh. Florida man builds mini car for his pet parrot. It has been proposed that by making arrest records freely available, unusual crimes are easier to uncover. Want to see another side of Florida? Visit STARS (Showcase of Text, Archives, Research & Scholarship), UCF’s Open Access institutional repository, which allows UCF faculty and students to make their work available to anyone. Here are some projects highlighting Florida in STARS: UCF Community Veterans History Project A History of Central Florida Podcast Tomorrow we will focus on the impact of making the very fabric of our DNA available. For More Information: To learn more about Open Access, visit https://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/scholarly-communication/open-access

Open Access Week Faculty Postcard

This short handout was distributed to the faculty members of Gettysburg College during Open Access Week 2017. It was designed to bring awareness to the Open Access movement and its benefits, as well as to advertise the #GburgOAscore Quiz designed for faculty members to evaluate their engagement with Open Access

How does free help me? Informative things like Wikipedia

How does free help me? Informative things like Wikipedia Posted: October 21st, 2019 We use it for everything – historical information, explaining movie endings, and biographies of our favorite celebrities. Wikipedia began in 2001, which is roughly the same time as a movement called Open Access, which we are celebrating this week. Before Wikipedia, hard cover books with a collection of facts were printed. These encyclopedias were expensive and it was hard to keep the information current. Just as Wikipedia makes facts more easily available to everyone using the Internet, Open Access hopes to do the same thing. However, it usually focuses on academic research that was previously only available through paid journal subscriptions. And just like Wikipedia, the results aren’t always perfect. When you research your next assignment, think about how hard that would be without access to all the information at your fingertips through the UCF Libraries’ Databases. As an added bonus, your friendly neighborhood librarian is here to help you navigate. Visit the Libraries’ website for more information

How does free help me? Cool things from NASA

How does free help me? Cool things from NASA Posted: October 22nd, 2019 Yesterday we talked a little bit about the Open Access movement to share research. Today we are going to focus on the benefits of having research freely available. Let’s look at a government agency right in our own backyard — NASA. You may not realize this, but NASA research and technology has contributed to the development of everything from LED lighting to temper foam mattresses. Unlike Area 51, NASA likes to share what it knows, and collaborates with industry partners in all kinds of ways. Here are some examples: Better tires with Goodyear Portable Cordless Vacuums with Black & Decker Computer technology with Google Those annoying grooves cut into concrete on stairs, parking lots, and highways? NASA had a hand in that as well. Speaking of hands, artificial limb innovations trace back to NASA. That temper foam technology does more than give some people a good night’s sleep! It provides a natural look and feel for fake flesh. Think about how research like this contributes to even greater improvement, such as UCF’s very own Limbitless Solutions. Tomorrow we will focus on freedom of information through Florida’s Sunshine laws. For more Information: For a complete list of NASA technology benefits, visit https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2008/tech_benefits.html To learn more about Open Access, visit https://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/scholarly-communication/open-access

Door Hanger - Open Access Week at Gettysburg College

This print marketing piece was designed to complement online promotion of Open Access Week 2014 at Gettysburg College. Door hangers provide a brief description of OA Week events aimed at faculty. These were printed at our campus print shop at minimal cost. Circles were cut with a circle tool borrowed from the library\u27s Badge-A-Minit button-making system. Door hangers were hung on every professor\u27s office door