George Eliot Scholars: (Middle)Marching Towards Open Access

George Eliot is one of the most frequently studied authors in English literature but many of her works remain behind paywalls. This is despite the fact that there are open access pathways to much of this research.

This talk describes George Eliot Scholars, a subject repository collating open access research on the subject of Eliot as part of the George Eliot Archive ecosystem. It describes five areas that need[ed] to be considered in the course of this project. These are:

[1] amassing a collection of relevant scholarship

[2] assessing the copyright and access agreements associated with the work once identified

[3] working across continents with a frequently changing team of student volunteers

[4] ensuring work is accessible for all potential stakeholders

[5] publicising this resource to the communities that can benefit from it