Open access benefits scholars everywhere by connecting them to research they may not otherwise be able to access, but I'd like to take a moment to look at open access in reverse. By making my research open access, I benefit myself as well as the community at large. My work gets much wider exposure through my deposits in IUPUI ScholarWorks than it would ever receive confined to a single journal or conference. My 2012 article, “Opening Interlibrary Loan to Open Access,” has 415 file views from countries as diverse as the US, China, Italy, Ukraine, and Australia. The 2011 conference presentation on which it was based has 177 file views from an equally diverse set of countries. An earlier article, “Going Global: An International Survey of Lending and Borrowing across Borders,” has 156 file views.
The impact is even more apparent when you look at conference presentations.
|
Conference Presentation |
Session Attendance |
ScholarWorks File Views |
|
Open Access to the World: Locating International Publications to Fill ILL Requests (2014) |
40 |
58 |
|
Borders without Barriers: Improving the State of International Resource Sharing (2013) |
39 |
222 |
|
Open Access in Interlibrary Loan: Sources and Strategies for Locating Free Materials Online (2012) |
25 |
1,259 |
|
Opening Up to Open Access: Using Open Access Materials to Fill Borrowing Requests for Free (2011) |
50 |
71 |
|
Free for All! Interlibrary Loan and Open Access (2010) |
67 |
127 |
My most recent conference presentation, which only had 18 attendees, already has 12 file views after only 10 days in ScholarWorks!
These altmetrics demonstrate the increased impact of my work outside of the original presentation vehicle whether it be a conference or journal. By participating in the IUPUI Open Access Policy, I enjoy the benefits of broader readership and community impact while promoting knowledge sharing and information equity. For me, depositing in IUPUI ScholarWorks is a win-win proposition.