The SPARC Discovery Awards Competition is looking for videos under two minutes in length that examine the value of information sharing. The contest is sponsored by the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), who promotes the universal benefits of sharing ideas of all kinds. Read the full list of requirements to enter.
The call for entries states:
The Internet gives new meaning to the notion that, by sharing ideas, we build a better understanding of the world around us. If you use YouTube or Wikipedia, exchange gaming tips on the Internet, or have a blog, you probably well understand the value of sharing information, ideas, and knowledge.
Sharing can also be a vital tool in helping to address complex problems that challenge society – like disease, hunger, global warming, and economic disparity. The sharing of ideas gives us ways to discover, collaborate, and create in unprecedented ways.
The SPARC Discovery Awards challenges you to illustrate in a short video presentation what you see as the value of sharing information. Use your imagination to suggest what good comes from bringing down barriers to the free exchange of information.
I’d add to their first point that if you’re a consumer of any of the hundreds of databases the library subscribes to, you have a vested interest in thinking critically about how information is shared, published, packaged, and distributed. They’re not free, and neither is the process that goes into scholarly publications. The Johns Hopkins Scholarly Communications Group is dedicated to fostering open access to quality information in support of learning, scholarship, research and patient care. Think about how these issues affect your own publishing.
Got you thinking? Read up on related issues, such as open access, alternative licensing, or see what’s new with SPARC. Looking for where to get started with creating videos? If you’re a Homewood student in KSAS or Whiting, try the Digital Media Center.