5 Tips for Open Access and Open Source Software Strategies

Open Access and Open Source Software are powerful tools to make information accessible, useful, and beneficial to billions of people.

​Introduction to Open Access and Open Source Strategies at Stimler Advantage

As part of its services, Stimler Advantage supports organizations in developing open access (OA) and open source software (OSS) strategies. Open Access and Open Source work is informed by the Stimler Advantage 5 S’s Framework. 
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The digital age has fundamentally changed how we produce, share, and consume information. Open access (OA) refers to the practice of providing free and unrestricted access to materials. Open source software (OSS) is computer software with publicly available source code for use, modification, and distribution. Both OA and OSS are powerful tools that enhance accessibility, utility, and benefit for billions of people. These approaches promote collaboration and discovery, drive innovation, and serve both identified and potential stakeholders. Adopted by academic, corporate, and mission-driven organizations, OA and OSS strategies are essential for scaling operations and effectively measuring reach and impact.

5 Tips for Open Access (OA) and Open Source Software (OSS) Strategies ​

1. Goal Identification: Before jumping into OA or OSS strategies, it is crucial to clarify your objectives. Both OA and OSS approaches offer a range of potential benefits for organizations across various industries. They can help increase the number of users, support platform development, scale the use of applications, data, and content with measurable metrics, foster global audiences and localization, enhance brand reputation, and promote innovation. You can create effective OA or OSS strategies by defining your goals, establishing metrics, and identifying the tools needed to measure impact. Being prepared to track outcomes from the outset and throughout your initiative is essential for success. 
2. Determine What Is In or Out of Scope: Your organization may have various assets, content, intellectual property, or software that can be made either OA or OSS. It is important to understand that OA and OSS are not all-or-nothing solutions; they can be selectively applied to different offerings based on the organization’s goals and how it intends to best serve its customers and users. Adopting hybrid approaches can be effective in achieving diverse objectives. Still, it is essential to clearly define what is included in OA and OSS in your legal agreements, policies, procedures, terms of service, and other necessary documentation. Beyond copyright or licensing considerations, other policy factors can also influence the decision to make resources available as OA or OSS. These include accessibility, sociocultural factors, specific stakeholder needs, values, and more. Take the time to carefully explore, identify, document, and evaluate your decisions regarding what qualifies as OA or OSS and what does not with licensed legal counsel and experts. 
3. Using the Appropriate Legal Tools: There are various OA and OSS legal tools, each with degrees of permissions and restrictions. The choice of which tool to use depends on several factors, including your goals and the legal requirements in your jurisdiction. OA and OSS involve releasing works under permissive licenses, free from most copyright and licensing restrictions, and are often available to users at no cost. For an asset, content, data, or application to be classified as OA or OSS, the rights holder grants users the ability to copy, use, and modify the work without most restrictions, and it may be dedicated to the worldwide public domain. Before applying OA or OSS legal tools to any asset, content, data, or application, consulting with a licensed legal counsel in your jurisdiction and other industry specialists is essential. Utilize legal counsel and specialist expertise when developing your policies, procedures, terms of use, or other necessary legal documentation to protect your organization and ensure clear communication with users. There may be additional legal considerations beyond copyright or licensing that legal counsel and experts should guide you through when undertaking this work.
4. Platforms, Products, and Partnerships: Budget effectively and build your platforms sustainably for your OA assets, content, data, and OSS applications. Once you commit to making OA and OSS offerings available, these initiatives must sustain themselves through diverse revenue streams such as operational revenue, contributions, earned income, and marketing efforts. Refrain from relying solely on grants or government funding to start or support your OA and OSS initiatives, as these funding sources can be unpredictable and carry a risk of being withdrawn. Treat your OA and OSS creations as products; develop, manage, and care for them accordingly. Do not adopt a "set and forget" mindset—these initiatives require consistent attention, resources, and care. In addition to developing your platforms, seek partnerships with allied community members, commercial entities, and content providers to distribute your materials on open repositories. This will help ensure user communities can easily find and utilize your offerings. Ensure that your partners align with your organization’s brand, mission, and vision so your joint efforts have a meaningful and sustainable impact. 
5. Promote and Measure: Once your organization has developed OA and OSS materials, it is crucial to promote them effectively. Creating OA or OSS offerings does not ensure users discover, utilize, or share them. Invest in a regular and ongoing series of events and initiatives that celebrate, demonstrate, and highlight your OA and OSS initiatives' benefits, use cases, and impacts to facilitate this. The advantages of OA and OSS may not be immediately apparent to users, so making them explicit and quantifiable is crucial. From the outset, plan how your organization will measure, track, and report on the usage and impact of your OA and OSS initiatives, both internally and externally. Live external website dashboards with data visualizations can effectively communicate this impact. Additionally, provide summarized statistics and reports on your websites. In your partnerships, ensure accountability for these metrics. You should expect to receive quarterly and annual analytics, and more frequently, if your partners' infrastructure and reporting can accommodate this. If you are not open and transparent about the measurable impact of your OA and OSS efforts, you risk creating doubt about their benefits, relevance, and viability. Consider the potential consequences of sharing these metrics. Accurate and detailed metrics are essential for gaining funding and support from stakeholders; take notice of this vital aspect in sustaining your OA and OSS initiatives.

Here are some further considerations for Open Access (OA) and Open Source Software (OSS) initiatives:

• Data, Legal, and Policy Standards: OA and OSS are at a mature stage in their development and implementation. Avoid creating a unique set of policies and terms that do not meet users' expectations, needs, and preferences; doing so may lead to failure or poor performance of your initiative. Instead, utilize clear and established industry-leading standards and guidelines to ensure consistency and accessibility. Align your OA and OSS initiatives with the most impactful, measurable, and successful examples. Data and content standards are also essential for ensuring interoperability and long-term preservation. 
• Version Control, Roadmaps, and Enhancement: Effective version control is crucial for managing changes and tracking the evolution of OA and OSS projects. Implementing robust version control systems can enhance collaboration, prevent confusion, and allow adjustments. Provide users and partners with a clear development roadmap so they understand how the OA or OSS project will progress. A clear roadmap demonstrates the project’s sustainability and highlights the organization's commitment to supporting its future development. Continuous improvement is vital to the success of OA and OSS initiatives. Prioritize bug fixes, security updates, and new feature development based on user needs and strategic goals.
• OA and OSS Can Be Monetized: You can monetize OA and OSS data, content, and platforms even when legal tools for OA and OSS are in place. This is possible depending on the tools selected. Products and services can be developed using OA and OSS to achieve shared goals of driving innovation, generating profit, and supporting user communities. It is essential to proactively establish partnerships and engage in product development based on OA and OSS to create new economic opportunities. Initiatives in OA and OSS that are well-supported with appropriate staffing levels, healthy revenue streams, and sustainable products and services are more likely to thrive and succeed.

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