We are committed to helping University scholars navigate shifting publishing, intellectual property, and information policy landscapes in ways that promote research dissemination, accessibility, and impact. 

We are also committed to identifying the privilege and power inequities in the systems in which we operate and working to build a more equitable, sustainable scholarly ecosystem that values, collects, and amplifies diverse knowledge, stories, and experiences.    

Some ways we can help 

• Manage copyright and fair use concerns related to research, teaching, and learning  

• Navigate publishing agreements and leverage your author rights 

• Meet funder open access and open data requirements 

• Demonstrate your research impact 

• Identify and incorporate Open Educational Resources in your teaching 

• Host a journal or build a space to share conference output 

The University Libraries provides education and guidance on applying copyright law to research, teaching, and learning. The Libraries’ Copyright Library Guide offers resources about copyright basics, fair use, and the use of media in online presentations. We can provide customized presentations for the classroom, advice on TEACH compliance, guidance on the reproduction and distribution of scholarly work, and more. 

Please note, the information presented by the Library about copyright is intended for information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. While we cannot provide legal advice, we can help explain these issues in greater detail and share tools that can help you navigate your decision making. 

Most publishers require authors to sign a copyright transfer agreement or license to publish before proceeding with formal publication. This is a legal contract that determines who is the copyright owner of the work (you may transfer your rights to the publisher) and what rights you will retain.  

We have some questions you may want to consider as you review the terms of this agreement.

When the standard copyright agreement limits your rights as an author, you can negotiate with the publisher for the retention of your right to reproduce, reuse, and publicly present your work for non-commercial purposes.  

While we cannot provide legal advice, we can help you decode publishing agreement language and recommend tools and tips for negotiating with your publisher.  

On March 24, 2021, the University at Albany Senate passed a resolution in support of the University’s Open Access Policy, which was subsequently formalized on September 7, 2021 by President Havidán Rodríguez.

With this policy, UAlbany authors give the University a nonexclusive, irrevocable right to distribute their scholarly articles for any noncommercial purpose. 

The Libraries’ Scholarly Communication Team is here to support you as you publish and make decisions about your scholarly work. We can help you understand the policy, answer questions, and navigate the steps to making your work openly available.

The Libraries’ Open Access Agreements and Investments support your effort to publish open access and create a sustainable route to open access. These efforts aim to reduce researcher spending on open distribution while building a more open, equitable publishing ecosystem.

In collaboration with Information Technology Services (ITS), the Data Management and Analytics Center (DMAC), and the Division for Research, we provide comprehensive support to help you find, manage, analyze and visualize, and share and preserve your research data.  

From reviewing data management plans to preserving your datasets or digital scholarship projects, our team is here to help. 

Scholarly metrics attempt to indicate the influence and impact of scholarly output (such as articles or journals), authors, institutions, and other entities. These metrics are based on scholarly activity such as citation counts, usage such as download counts, page views, and wider recognition though sources such as social media mentions. 

Scholarly metrics have their limitations and are not always comparable across disciplinary fields. We can help you determine best avenues to build your scholarly presence to demonstrate the value of your scholarship to your department, the University, and scholarly community.  

Open Educational Resources (OERs) are openly licensed, freely available educational resources that can be modified, customized, and reused.

We can help you research and identify resources for evaluating and incorporating OER into your courses, and help you understand Creative Commons licensing and other permissions issues when using OER. In conjunction with Educational Technology Services, the Library offers training for OER adoption and use in your courses.  

Scholars Archive, the University at Albany’s institutional repository, collects, preserves, and provides online access to scholarly research and resources created by University at Albany faculty, staff and students.  

Through Scholars Archive and with support from our Repository Manager, you can host your journal, share conference and event publications, and openly distribute your research data and scholarship, helping you meet funder and journal requirements.  

Work shared in Scholars Archive is comprehensively indexed and openly available, increasing the audience and impact of your work. Participating authors enjoy on-demand metrics, which can help tell the story of your scholarship. 

Contact us with any questions or requests for consultations or workshops. We’re here to help! 

Bridget Collins is an administrative assistant at the Dewey Library. In addition to her responsibilities there, she supports Scholars Archive and the Scholarly Communication Team, and manages our social media and marketing efforts.

Kathleen Flynn is the Subject Librarian for the Physical Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics, Computer Science, and Engineering. She is interested in helping the campus community with data literacy and research data management.

Angela Hackstadt is the Subject Librarian for Political Science, Public Policy, Public Administration, and Law. Her research interests include scholarly communication, critical librarianship, and government and legal information. 

Ann Kearney is the Collections Conservator at the University at Albany. She fields questions about disciplinary style guidelines, including citation and citation tools, and helps address copyright and image use questions. 

Emily Kilcer is the Scholarly Communication Librarian at the University at Albany where she works to educate, support, and connect open efforts on campus. 

Elaine Lasda is Coordinator of Scholarly Communication and Subject Librarian for Social Welfare, Gerontology, Dewey Reference, and Research Impact. She is the primary library point person on OERs, scholarly impact metrics and an active open access advocate.  

Lindsay Van Berkom is the Scholars Archive Administrator & Coordinator of Dewey Access Services. Her responsibilities include managing content within the repository, creating workflows, conducting trainings, developing marketing strategies and initiatives, and performing outreach for Scholars Archive.  

Acknowledgments. 

We would like to thank Harvard Library's Office for Scholarly Communication, University of California, Berkeley Library Scholarly Communication Services, and Simon Frasier University Library Scholarly Publishing for the open licensing of their content, which we reused to build this resource for the UAlbany community.