On Friday 1 March 2013, the Institute of Historical Research and the Royal Historical Society organised a free colloquium on the subject of ‘The Finch Report, open access and the historical community’. The event was attended by more than 120 people, who heard from representatives of learned societies, journal editors, publishers, librarians and early career researchers. There was lively and informative debate both within the room and on Twitter, and the latter has been summarised using Storify http://storify.com/ihr_history/open-access-for-historians-1.
Two things that emerged very clearly from the discussions are that there is a need for clearer communication and the better sharing of information if researchers are fully to understand the implications and possibilities of open access; and that there is a requirement to gather evidence to inform the process. It is the aim of this website to help to do both.