• The controversial Open Access policy implemented by the Research Council UK continues to cause major frustration for those trying to meet the requirements. Richard Poynder's blog expands upon the situation, detailing concerns about publishers who are exploiting the RCUK's policy to increase their profits, which are already excessive, for more details: http://poynder.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/the-uks-open-access-policy-controversy.html

• Presentations given at an outstanding, one day event on implementing Open Access Funders' Policies held 23 May 2013, at Goodenough College, UK are available from http://rsp.ac.uk/events/implementing-open-access-fundersu2019-policies/ (relevant to repository managers, librarians and grant office staff)

• UNESCO have announced their open access policy for all of their new publications, which will be made available via a UNESCO repository. A press release about the policy is here: http://www.unicmanila.org/index.php?mod=press_releases&id=140
The policy itself is here: www.unesco.org/new/en/openaccesspolicy

• "Notes on the National Scholarly Communications Forum" are available: http://aoasg.org.au/2013/05/16/notes-from-the-national-scholarly-communication-forum-may-3-2013/
The NSCF was held on Friday 3 May at the Australian National University on the topic: "Open Access Research Issues in the Humanities and Social Sciences". The forum is an annual event supported by the Australian Academy of the Humanities and the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.

• Elementa http://elementascience.org/ is an open-access, nonprofit journal, founded by BioOne and five collaborating academic institutions: Dartmouth, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Michigan, and the University of Washington. Elementa will publish original research reporting on new knowledge of the Earth's physical, chemical, and biological systems; interactions between human and natural systems; and steps that can be taken to mitigate and adapt to global change. Embracing the concept that basic knowledge can foster sustainable solutions for society, Elementa is organized initially into six knowledge domains, each led by a prominent Editor-in-Chief. (Copied from the Elementa press release)