Free conference on open access and knowledge sharing held at the British Library for Open Access Week 2026.
The Open and Engaged Conference is at The British Library on Tuesday 20 October, starting at 10.30. It's a day dedicated to open access and knowledge sharing, and it sits within the British Library's programme for Open Access Week 2026.
This year's theme is The Cost of Knowledge, so the discussions will centre on the practical and political side of how research and information are shared. It's not just about the theory of open access — the cost part of the title points to the real-world trade-offs, who pays for what, and who gets to access it. If you've spent any time thinking about why some research is locked behind a paywall while other work is free for anyone to read, that's exactly the kind of thing this will be picking apart.
Because it's part of Open Access Week, the conference is one of several events the library is running around the same time, rather than a standalone day. It's a good spot to get a sense of where the conversation is heading on open knowledge, especially if you're already working in research, libraries, or publishing.
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It's free to attend, and it kicks off at 10.30 at The British Library in London.
