oa.talk on Oct. 20, 2026

Open access promises free access to scholarly publications. However, “freely accessible” does not automatically mean “accessible to everyone”. For people who use screen readers or other assistive technologies, the actual usability of an article or other types of publication is often compromised by issues with the details: missing alternative text, unstructured PDFs, complex tables or mathematical formulas. Moreover, legal requirements are increasingly bringing accessibility into focus for scholarly publishing services.

Drawing on practical experience gained from operating the publishing platform TIB Open Publishing, this oa.talk offers insights into how accessibility principles can be put into practice, from the platform itself to the publications that appear on it. It also looks at obstacles that cannot easily be overcome, and considers how responsibility can be reasonably distributed among platform operators, editors, and authors. The talk will also briefly touch on the role AI tools can play.

Following the presentation, there will be time for questions and discussion. This oa.talk is aimed at scholars and researchers who are interested in making their own publications more accessible. It will also be of interest to those involved in scholarly publishing, publication infrastructures, or publishing support. 

Registration is not required. If you have any questions about the event, please contact us at publikationsberatung@tib.eu. We look forward to seeing you!