CARL AND SPARC ANNOUNCE CREATE CHANGE CANADA

[Jennifer McLennan <jennifer@arl.org>]

For immediate release
February 28, 2008

For more information, contact:

Diego Argaez, CARL
(613) 562-5385
carl@uottawa.ca

Jennifer McLennan, SPARC
(202) 296-2296 ext. 121
jennifer@arl.org

CARL AND SPARC ANNOUNCE CREATE CHANGE CANADA

Popular Web site adapted to help Canadian scholars widen exposure 
for their research

Ottawa, ON and Washington, DC - February 28, 2008

CARL (the Canadian Association of Research Libraries) and SPARC 
(the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), 
today announced the launch of Create Change Canada, a Canadian 
version of the popular researcher-focused Web resource on 
scholarly communication. The original Create Change Web site was 
developed by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and 
SPARC with support from the Association of College and Research 
Libraries (ACRL).

The Create Change Web site focuses on the fact that the ways 
faculty share and use academic research results are changing 
rapidly and irreversibly. The site outlines how faster and wider 
sharing of journal articles, research data, simulations, 
syntheses, analyses, and other findings fuels the advance of 
knowledge. It offers practical ways faculty can look out for 
their own interests as researchers. Create Change Canada 
introduces the Canadian voice on policy issues and highlights 
Canadian researcher experiences in English and in French.

"Create Change Canada is a timely resource for Canadian 
researchers," stated Carolynne Presser, Chair of the CARL 
Scholarly Communication Committee. "It will keep authors informed 
of emerging international trends and help them enjoy the greatest 
impact and visibility for their publications. CARL appreciates 
the invaluable help of SPARC in designing and building the site."

"The introduction of national public access policies to publicly 
funded research is another reason why researchers are thinking 
carefully about their rights and opportunities for greater 
exposure," said SPARC Executive Director Heather Joseph. "Create 
Change Canada will provide much-needed resources and support for 
the research community."

Karla Hahn, Director of the ARL Office of Scholarly 
Communication, commended the new site: "By tailoring the Create 
Change model to the Canadian environment and perspective and by 
building on the original site' success, CARL has taken an 
important step in expanding the message to new audiences."

The Create Change Canada Web site includes sections on digital 
scholarship and new modes of communication; examples of change in 
diverse fields; and ways to stay informed of new developments. It 
offers tailored guidance for researchers who play many roles in 
their professional lives - as researcher, author, reviewer, 
editor, editorial board member, society member, faculty member, 
or teacher. The site features selected news items; an ongoing 
series of interviews with scholars from different disciplines; 
and scores of links to other Web sites and resources.

For more information, visit http://www.createchangecanada.ca.

###

CARL

CARL is the leadership organization for the Canadian research 
library community. CARL's members represent Canada's 27 major 
academic research libraries, Library and Archives Canada, the 
Library of Parliament and the Canada Institute for Scientific and 
Technical Information (CISTI). For more information see 
www.carl-abrc.ca <http://www.carl-abrc.ca> .

SPARC

SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), 
with SPARC Europe and SPARC Japan, is an international alliance 
of more than 800 academic and research libraries working to 
create a more open system of scholarly communication. SPARC's 
advocacy, educational and publisher partnership programs 
encourage expanded dissemination of research. SPARC is on the Web 
at http://www.arl.org/sparc/.

ARL

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit 
organization of 123 research libraries in North America. Its 
mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly 
communication and the public policies that affect research 
libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues 
this mission by advancing the goals of its member research 
libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy 
to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the 
exchange of ideas and expertise, and shaping a future environment 
that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. 
ARL is located on the Web at http://www.arl.org/.

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