The Open Science and Scholarship Advisory Committee (OSSAC) was established in 2024, and builds on the work of various working parties, themes, and activities within IFLA over the previous decade. As the WLIC in Astana, Kazakhstan draws near, the Advisory Committee is pleased to share this summary of work completed during its first term, and issues for libraries to take action on.

Vision, themes, and activities

The committee used its first term until August 2025 to define IFLA’s contributions to these issues, raise awareness among the Federation, and collaborate with other IFLA units and partners to shape opinion and debate around open access and library values, including intellectual freedom and human rights. The committee was guided in its work by the IFLA strategy, the IFLA Statement on Open Access, and key articles in the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights, including Articles 19 and 27. The committee established relationships with external partners through consultation responses and communication.

Following the path set by FAIFE, CLM, and other advisory committees, a key priority for OSSAC’s first term was to create a distinctive and shared vision for its work and priorities, informed by the IFLA strategy, that could be built on and shaped by committee members in the following years. The themes for OSSAC will continue to be shaped and built on by future committees:

  • Openness, challenges to openness
  • Equity and ethical issues
  • Implementation of open access, open science, open research (reflecting preferences for different issues and terminology around the world)

In 2024, the Open Access vocabulary was launched, with a second version with updated terms and additional translations due in 2025. The committee progress initiatives on rights retention and secondary publishing rights that will continue in the coming term. Information about the publishing model for IFLA Journal was provided to IFLA HQ. The committee contributed to IFLA statements and documents, most recently the document Defending Inclusive Knowledge Societies. Within IFLA, the committee collaborated with CLM, regional divisions, SCORE, ACD and other units on activities and information sharing.

The committee was active at the IFLA Information Futures Summit Brisbane in 2024 including a  panel session on open access, lightning talk on rights retention and secondary publishing right, and one day-event on open science hosted in partnership CLM at the State Library of Queensland. All up, around 400 people combined attended these activities.

A webinar on open science policy and initiatives in China and Indonesia held in March 2025 with speakers from Chinese Academy of Science Library and BRIN Indonesia attracted over 280 attendees (including recording views). OSSAC member Wendy Wong was invited to present about the committee’s work at a CDPWL webinar, and Chair Fiona Bradley spoke at the Asia Oceania MLAS BSLA regional division webinar in July 2025 with reference to Myanmar and Asia-Pacific region.

Challenges and opportunities in open science and open research for libraries

Reflecting on the current state, members observed that the number of policies related to open science, research assessment, open access to publications and data continues to grow, including among major funders and governments. At the same time, science is under pressure in some regions including the US and elsewhere due to political interference, an anti-social justice turn, and budget cuts. These developments threaten infrastructure, data, and international funding streams. They risk undermining global progress in open science and data sharing. In its second term, OSSAC will continue to advocate for awareness of the library role in open science/open scholarship/open research, acknowledging regional differences in terminology.

Libraries are essential for making open science and scholarship/open research a reality. They do this by providing trusted stewardship of knowledge, long-term preservation of diverse scholarly outputs, and ensuring equitable access. As the scholarly record diversifies—encompassing data, software and beyond —libraries become facilitators of access and curators of knowledge.

Libraries are increasingly focused on enabling access, negotiating better value for public investment, and supporting open publishing models such as diamond OA. This shift requires a transformation in library skills and organizational structures to support new roles that require a deep understanding of the publishing process, data stewardship, and advocacy. Libraries must advocate for the preservation and accessibility of data, linking their efforts to the broader open data movement.

The rise of digital sovereignty provides both opportunities for investment in local infrastructures and systems, but interoperability and collaboration must be maintained. Information integrity and the movement towards digital public goods offer insights into the relevance of reliable research communication for communities and citizens. Libraries that have long provided public access to quality information, skills, and connectivity are ideally suited to support these objectives.

An overarching issue for most librarians is difficulty following and participating in relevant initiatives where different aspects of open science are advanced. Relatively few professionals specialize in this area, and efforts are often siloed. There is a pressing need for libraries to partner with other stakeholders.

With thanks to all committee members that contributed to this report.

Report prepared by Fiona Bradley
Chair, Open Science and Scholarship Advisory Committee