Scholarly Communication

The following policy was endorsed by Governance on September 24, 2019 at Farmingdale State College.

I. Policy Text

The Farmingdale State College community is committed to disseminating its research and scholarship as widely as possible. For each scholarly and/or creative work voluntarily deposited in the institutional repository, the author grants to Farmingdale State College, State University of New York, nonexclusive permission to make available that article for the purpose of open access.

The policy will apply to scholarly and/or creative works published while the person is affiliated with Farmingdale State College except for scholarly and/or creative works completed before the adoption of this policy and scholarly and/or creative works for which the author has entered into an incompatible licensing agreement.

After a scholarly and/or creative work is published by the primary publisher, each author voluntarily agreeing to deposit their work in the institutional repository will make available an electronic copy of their scholarly and/or creative work at no charge to the Thomas D. Greenley Library.

The Thomas D. Greenley Library will make the scholarly and/or creative work available to the public in an open-access institutional repository, respecting all embargoes and restrictions by the primary publisher. Access to the institutional repository will be available from the Library’s website. The Library will be responsible for resolving disputes concerning the interpretation and application of the policy and recommending changes to Governance. The policy will be reviewed after two years by the Open Access Policy and Institutional Repository subcommittee of the Open Education and Open Scholarship Advisory Committee. Any changes will be reported following processes as outlined by Governance.

The Thomas D. Greenley Library will continually assess the needs of authors throughout the policy roll-out as well as maintain a copy of the policy on its Scholarly Communications homepage. Greenley Library will provide authors with access to training and support that makes the policy as convenient for authors as possible. Such support includes but is not limited to assistance with searching, accessing, and submitting to the repository; conducting due diligence regarding embargoes; providing metadata for articles submitted to the repository; assistance with negotiating open access terms with publishers, etc.

The policy for Farmingdale State College has been adapted from The College at Brockport’s Open Access Policy: http://library.brockport.edu/c.php?g=658831&p=4625019

II. Definitions

Authors: Faculty, staff, and students of Farmingdale State College who author scholarly and/or creative works, while employed by or are students of Farmingdale State College respectively. Authors are covered by this policy whether or not they own the copyright of a scholarly and/or creative work.

Copyright: Exclusive rights as defined by US Copyright Law (Title 17 of the United States Code).

Embargo/Delay of Access: The amount of time before a scholarly and/or creative work will be made available after it has been published. Authors must comply with the publisher's embargo policy if one exists, although authors may also negotiate with publishers about the length of the embargo.

Final Version: An author’s final revised version –also known as the accepted manuscript– of a scholarly and/or creative work, generally post-peer reviewed, but not necessarily the typeset or PDF publisher’s copy, unless allowed by the publisher.

Institutional Repository: Any digital archive or platform designed to make scholarly and/or creative works freely available via the internet with clearly defined legal restrictions on their use or circulation. The Farmingdale Digital Repository platform is the default repository for this policy.

License or Copyright License: A grant of rights made in accordance with Copyright Law (USC Title 17), allowing specified uses of a copyrighted work.

Open Access: The free availability of scholarly or creative works on the public internet, permitting users to read, search, or link to the full texts of articles for any lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet.

Definitions have been adapted from Stony Brook University’s Open Access Policy: https://library.stonybrook.edu/openaccess/policy

The number of print and electronic journals available today is overwhelming. Using sophisticated subscription tools, such as Cabell’s Scholarly Analytics, and freely available tools such as SCImago Journal and Country Rank, CiteScore, and the Directory of Open Access Journals, the Scholarly Communication Librarian can help you target the most appropriate venues for disseminating your scholarship.

You’ve found a home for your article, but the publisher requires you to transfer your claim to copyright to the publisher. Before signing away your rights, see the Scholarly Communication Librarian. There are steps you can take to try to retain some or all of your rights.

Need to incorporate a figure, photograph, table, etc. into your manuscript from an outside source? Planning to post an article to Brightspace for your students? The Scholarly Communication Librarian can work with you to ensure that your use of scholarly and educational materials does not violate copyright. Get in touch with the Scholarly Communication Librarian to schedule a copyright consultation.

Did you know that over 1 billion works have been licensed under Creative Commons? If you’re not familiar with these tools, schedule an appointment to learn more about the ways in which you can use works licensed under Creative Commons or license your own works with Creative Commons.

When used effectively, social media can be a powerful tool for promoting your work and connecting with other experts in your field. Not comfortable with social media? The Scholarly Communication Librarian can help you develop a strategy to increase your Web presence in a way that works for you.

We’re proud of your contributions to your discipline, and we want to make sure that your work is viewed (and cited!) as widely as possible. That’s why we built and launched the FSC Digital Repository as a virtual home to showcase and preserve scholarly works produced by faculty, students, and staff. If you hold the copyright to your work(s) or have permission to self-archive your work(s) openly on the Web, consider depositing your scholarship in the FSC Digital Repository. For more information, contact Danielle Apfelbaum, Scholarly Communication Librarian by email at Danielle Apfelbaum or by phone at 934-420-5586. If you don’t hold the copyright to the work you wish to deposit, email FSCRepository@farmingdale.edu and the Scholarly Communication Librarian will assist you with requesting permission to deposit your work in our digital repository.

Wish there was an easy way to showcase your students’ work in your annual review? Wish you could share exemplary work from past semesters with your current students? Consider encouraging your students to deposit their works in the FSC Digital Repository. For more information, contact Danielle Apfelbaum, Scholarly Communication Librarian by email at Danielle Apfelbaum or by phone at 934-420-5586.

Faculty and staff are welcome and encouraged to join the Open Education and Open Scholarship Advisory Committee (OEOSAC). The Advisory Committee functions in an advisory capacity to the Office of the Provost. The Advisory Committee makes recommendations regarding the adoption and promotion of open access knowledge, open access technologies, open educational resources, and open pedagogies in support faculty research and teaching. It has no legislative, administrative, or programmatic authority and is advisory only. For more information, contact Danielle Apfelbaum, Scholarly Communication Librarian, at Danielle Apfelbaum or 934-420-5586. 

TBA