OAWeek2025: Who Owns Our Knowledge? Why OER are more than just open materials

“Who Owns Our Knowledge?” – the motto of this year’s Open Access Week poses a question that affects research, teaching, and science communication alike: Who owns the knowledge we develop together? Who is allowed to use, modify, or pass it on?

Open Educational Resources (OER) are a concrete answer to these questions. They are freely available and may be reused, edited, and shared under open licenses. This makes knowledge not only accessible, but also modifiable and usable by the community.

Sharing knowledge instead of owning it

OER can change the perspective on knowledge: instead of ready-made teaching and learning materials, a shared knowledge space is created in which teachers, students, researchers, and learners in all educational contexts can participate. Openness here means not only transparency, but also trust: trust that others will treat the openly shared materials with respect, develop them further, and ultimately create something new from them.

When knowledge is shared, it is less about ownership and more about participation, visibility, and further development. OER thus also contribute to global education goals as formulated in the UN Agenda 2030 (SDG 4).

Openness in practice: Insights from tub.torials

The tub.torials blog blog of the TU Hamburg University Library regularly produces OER materials that put this idea into practice. From interactive elements to blog posts and instructional videos, the blog is a place for open experimentation, sharing, and discussion. The article “How do we make OER? Insights from tub.torials” shows more about our practical work with OER and how ideas are turned into open learning materials. Working on OER makes it clear that openness is more than just sharing files. It is an attitude that promotes collaboration and mutual learning. Here are some examples from our OER practice:

Open education means sharing responsibility for knowledge: for its quality, traceability, and visibility of those who contribute.

Who owns knowledge, and who should own it?

The question “Who Owns Our Knowledge?” also reminds us that not all people have the same opportunities to “produce” knowledge — a term that makes knowledge seem like a finished product, even though it often arises through dialogue, exchange, and over time — or to share it. OER can help to bridge these gaps: they break down barriers such as high costs, lack of translations, or limited availability, and enable more diverse perspectives. But they also challenge us to take a closer look: Who can actually participate in shaping knowledge? What structures do we need to ensure that knowledge remains truly open? And how do we deal with new challenges, such as when AI-supported tools become part of knowledge creation?

Conclusion

OER demonstrate that knowledge does not belong to anyone alone, but that we all bear responsibility for how it is shared and developed. Openness does not mean losing control, but rather working together to ensure that education remains accessible, comprehensible, and diverse.

Sharing knowledge means sharing responsibility.

Links

• tub.torials-Blog
• International Open Access Week
• UN Sustainable Development Goals
• KI-Tools in Studium und Lehre : Handreichung der TU Hamburg
• Was ist OpenAlex – und wie kann man es für die Recherche nutzen? (German blog post)
• Texte besser verstehen mit KI-„Copilot“? Workflow und Gedanken zur Kombination von Zotero und SciSpace? (German blog post)
• Von Buchschnitt bis Wissenschaft – Quizze rund um Bibliothek, Archiv & Co. (German blog post)
• Fliegendes Blatt, Schmutztitel, Stege – interaktiv den Aufbau eines Buches erkunden (German blog post)