In 2022, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a memorandum titled "Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research."

Now commonly referred to as the Nelson Memo, it outlines that federal agencies that fund research must:

1. "Update their public access policies as soon as possible, and no later than December 31st, 2025, to make publications and their supporting data resulting from federally funded research publicly accessible without an embargo on their free and public release;
2. Establish transparent procedures that ensure scientific and research integrity is maintained in public access policies; and,
3. Coordinate with OSTP to ensure equitable delivery of federally funded research results and data."

The Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation, of which Dartmouth Libraries is a member, sent a letter to OSTP in March 2023 to express support.

Read The Open Letter