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The University Libraries debuted a limited-run during Open Access Week in October to showcase the benefits of open information access on the climate justice movement.

The “Talking Open Access for Climate Justice” series featured various guests presenting different perspectives on open access and climate justice, including experts in sociology, political science, equity, and libraries.

“The podcast series was a chance for us to hear more from researchers in the field about their experience with and thoughts on open access publishing and why it matters,” says Michele Behr, scholarly communications and open educational resources librarian and co-creator of the podcast.

Publishing research ‘open access’ makes it freely and immediately available online, so anyone can access it. Open access is not a new idea, but advancing it has become a priority for many organizations, including ɫɫ�� Michigan University Libraries.

“The guests represented a variety of experiences and backgrounds, but all articulated the value of open access in their particular field,” says Behr.

“We wanted this podcast series to raise awareness and showcase the impact open access can have on the pressing issues facing our world,” says Sara Volmering, marketing manager and host and co-creator of the podcast.

Climate justice was selected as the focus of International Open Access Week “to encourage connection and collaboration among the climate movement and the international open community,” according to , a non-profit focused on research and education.

“Interestingly, our guests all noted that sharing ideas and information is critical to finding solutions that can address the effects of climate change,” says Volmering. “It was interesting to hear different perspectives on how free access to information can advance both issues.”

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Listen to the series on YouTube