August 26, 2026
The signature gives new momentum to the Declaration’s growing presence in the United States.
Stanford University Libraries (SUL) have signed the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information, joining the international effort to make research information open, transparent, and reusable. Its signature gives new momentum to the Declaration’s growing presence in the United States.
Stanford University Libraries bring valuable experience in open metadata to this effort. Under its Open Metadata Policy, SUL releases library metadata with a CC0 public domain dedication and supports investment in open infrastructure. The Libraries are also home to the Stanford Center for Open Metadata, which works to make open metadata the global norm across research, education, and cultural heritage.
By joining the Declaration, SUL connects this institutional work with an international community sharing knowledge, coordinating action, and developing collective approaches to the transition toward open research information.
For Michael Keller, Ida M. Green University Librarian, the signature represents a clear institutional commitment:
“Signing the Barcelona Declaration strongly signals Stanford University Libraries’ commitment to a robust research ecosystem. It is critical that the fundamental building blocks of research communication remain in the hands of the academic community rather than behind proprietary walls.”
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Stanford University Libraries joins the California Digital Library among the Declaration’s growing community of United States-based signatories, strengthening the participation of university libraries in the transition to open research information.
Miranda Bennett, Director of Shared Collections at the California Digital Library and a member of the Barcelona Declaration Steering Group, reflected on the opportunities Stanford’s signature creates in the United States:
““Stanford University Libraries’ commitment to open research information strengthens US participation in the Barcelona Declaration and creates new opportunities to adapt open research information advocacy to the US context. We are excited to work with our Stanford colleagues and hope their example will encourage more US institutions to join this important collective effort.”
Bianca Kramer, Executive Director of the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information, emphasized the opportunities for greater coordination and collective action:
“The Barcelona Declaration is excited to welcome Stanford University Libraries as a signatory to the Barcelona Declaration. Their active work on advocating for open research information including through the Stanford Center for Open Metadata, has important impact both within the university and in the wider community of research, education and cultural heritage organizations. With California Digital Libraries as signatory of the Barcelona Declaration, there are exciting opportunities for coordination and collective action among US universities and their libraries around the production and use of open research information.”
We warmly welcome Stanford University Libraries to the Barcelona Declaration community. Its signature shows how institutional policy and practical expertise can come together to advance a more open research information ecosystem, and we look forward to working together on the transition from closed to open metadata.
Read Stanford University Libraries’ announcement: https://library.stanford.edu/news/stanford-university-libraries-sign-barcelona-declaration