In alignment with the global theme "Who Owns Our Knowledge?", the Rhodes University Library is hosting a week of focused sessions dedicated to empowering our academic community to control and benefit from the knowledge they produce. This program moves beyond the simple question of access to address the critical, contemporary tensions between community-driven scholarship and increasing commercialisation.

Our sessions will provide practical tools, facilitate critical discussions, and explore institutional strategies to secure equitable knowledge dissemination, particularly within the Global South.

Key Sessions Include:
1. Responsible Publishing: Springer Nature’s strategic relationships and interactions with research funding bodies and research institutions across the globe.
2. How to Publish Open Access – Workflow and Tips for SANLiC Authors: A step-by-step guide designed to help researchers efficiently navigate the publishing process and maximise the benefits of institutional agreements (e.g., the SANLiC/Wiley Agreement), supporting institutional goals for global knowledge equity.
3. Open Access: Where Does Rhodes University Really Stand? An essential institutional discussion exploring the dilemma our journal editors and leadership face: how to uphold a commitment to social justice and equitable knowledge dissemination while navigating financial sustainability and combating questionable science. We propose values-aligned strategies, including leveraging existing platforms and reclaiming journal archives.
4. Reclaiming Knowledge: Academic Research in the Age of Commodification: A deep-dive analysis and critique of global commercial trends. This session exposes the flaws of misapplied journal-based metrics and paywalls, offering concrete strategies to champion Open Access models and reconnect academic rigor with societal relevance.
5. Getting Started with Creative Commons, OER and Practices: A practical session demystifying Creative Commons (CC) licenses. It inspires participants with examples of Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Educational Practices (OEP), addressing strategic considerations for open licensing in the context of South African education and emerging AI use.

Join us to move from passive consumers of scholarly publishing to active owners and leaders in equitable knowledge creation. Learn the risks, discover the solutions, and help us build a future where our community truly owns its intellectual output.