By 
Malmo, Sweden
Visto International launched today a worldwide campaign under the hashtag #open_your_resources_please urging all libraries, publishing houses, journals, think tanks and research centers and authors around the world to allow free public access to e-resources and references.
The campaign is motivated by the recent near-total lockdown across the world caused by the spread of Covid-19. This lockdown has severely hampered access, especially by researchers, to public and private libraries, prompted by fears of further spreading the highly contagious virus.
“The world today is experiencing a real crisis which, if it lasts long, may affect researchers in various fields, especially students and researchers at the Masters and doctoral levels. It is already interfering with students’ ability to access references and books, especially as many governments around the world are following strict measures to limit the spread of Covid-19,” said Shayma Abu Farha, Chair of Visto International.
This campaign comes in the context of encouraging publishing houses, research centers and authors around the world to allow free access to their e-resources via the Internet to ensure the continuity of scholarly research
She added that, “such measures include curfews and closures of research and other facilities such as public libraries and university campuses. Hence, this campaign comes in the context of encouraging publishing houses, research centers and authors around the world to allow free access to their e-resources via the Internet to ensure the continuity of scholarly research.”
Regarding the implications of the lockdown, Dr Abu Farha said that researchers, estimated at millions around the world, should not have to navigate through this crisis without making the most of their time. During this time, she stressed, researchers can make invaluable contributions if they were allowed unhindered access to references and resources their research hinges on.
Being aware that some research centers and publishing houses need to cover the costs for the work they publish, it would be understandable to set subscription fees, said Dr Abu Farha. However, she stressed, the priority today should be to allow access to information. This does not contradict with the need to cover the costs, because access can be allowed for browsing only without the need to download resources.
It is expected that this campaign will witness a wide response from publishers, research centers and libraries. Many such centers and libraries have already taken steps in this direction, which makes the success of this global campaign more likely.
It is worth noting that Visto International, which is also concerned with publishing research and specialized studies in English and Arabic, published a few days ago a list of research centers and international publishing houses that have allowed public access to their sources. This list will be updated as more research centers, libraries and publishing houses positively respond to the campaign.
You can access this list via the following link (click here).
* For libraries and research centers that accept our call and would offer free access to some/all of their resources, please inform us by email (info@vistointernational.org) to be added to the list.
