Open Science is making big strides, particularly in the realm of funding requirements. Switzerland is no exception to this. The Swiss National Science Foundation recently required all funded research to adhere to an open access mandate; there is a battle raging for copyright, and the requirements for publishing research data in open access repositories is hitting institutions, researchers, and infrastructure providers (read: librarians) with equal force.

We are a team of specialists at the University of Bern and our task is to assist our institution’s researchers in transitioning from the 20th-century, print-based academic publishing tradition to an open science model of scholarly communication. This process is ongoing and the parameters of the Open Science landscape are not yet set, which means that we have to adjust constantly to new policy developments, discipline-specific requirements, and technological possibilities.

This blog is intended to log our foray into this brave new world while also featuring and engaging in dialogue with the experiences of our colleagues elsewhere.