Open science for body and mind

In 2011, Astrid van Wesenbeeck became an open science adviser at the KB in The Hague, a role she still holds today. Astrid speaks enthusiastically about the KB’s ambition to make scientific publications more accessible to anyone wishing to conduct research, particularly those not working in academia.

Everyone is a researcher 

“More and more publications are being released without paywalls; everyone can access them. At the KB, we’re exploring what we can do to make these publications even more accessible. For example, together with VU University Amsterdam, I’m working on ‘Science in Plain Language’, which is facilitated by the SURF Research Cloud. It’s a project in which we’re investigating whether we can use AI to produce reliable summaries of papers. And within the KB, we’re working on a new service, WijsNL, through which we aim to make scientific articles available in a new way, specifically for people who don’t work in academia.” 

“Open access and open science have always had an idealistic connotation for me,” Astrid continues. “Making publicly funded research as widely available as possible, making it more accessible to anyone who needs it, and taking a critical stance on how funding flows. I have always been deeply committed to these principles. At the start of the 21st century, it was still very much pioneering work; now we’re seeing more collaboration in the transition to open science, which is working well.”

Into the open science movement

“After completing my studies, I started working at the circulation desk of Utrecht University Library. It was a wonderfully enjoyable working environment. Bas Savenije was the director there, a true visionary in the field of open access, which was still pioneering work at the time. He set up an open access unit within the library, Igitur, Utrecht Publishing and Archiving Services.

I then spent years working as an open access publishing consultant, a role in which I was also involved with the university’s Institutional Repository. That’s also where my introduction to SURF began, incidentally. Under the leadership of Leo Waaijers, all the university libraries and SURF collaborated on the DARE programme. That’s how I got involved in the open access – and later the open science – movement.”

No quick fix for open science

“There’s no fast track to a major cultural shift like open science. The issues – such as a shared open infrastructure and a new publishing culture – demand attention, time and patience. And they require parties who dare to do things differently. Sometimes really going against the mainstream. This is actually quite similar to bodywork, my other passion. If you want to change an ingrained pattern within yourself because it’s holding you back, that also requires attention and patience.”

“Collaboration is the most important thing in open science. Bringing the various players together to make a collective move towards openness. That, too, is similar to bodywork. You need everything to steer yourself in a different direction: attention, movement, curiosity, intention, your mind. There is no ‘quick fix’.

The transition to open science therefore takes time. A lot of time. I’ve sometimes thought: ‘I’m giving up now.’ Because it was too slow-moving, and strategic choices were being made that I didn’t understand. Fortunately, we’re still sitting around the table together. I still feel determined and still believe that, through open science, we’re working towards a better world. It’s wonderful to be working from the KB to improve accessibility for people outside the academic world. I’m truly passionate about that.”

Multiple paths

Where does that fighting spirit actually come from?  

“After completing my degree in Modern Literature, I initially wanted to study psychology as well. At the time, I was very susceptible to what others thought and didn’t go through with it; in a way, I conformed. In 2009, I fell into a deep depression. And that depression ultimately led me back to the desire to work with people, alongside my work in the field of open science.

I’d been familiar with yoga for a long time, and in 2016 I decided to do a yoga teacher training course. That’s where I perhaps really felt that sense of determination: if I choose something that makes me happy, that I believe in and that gives me energy, then everything will be alright. Eventually, I also trained as a coach. I’d recommend pursuing multiple paths in your working life to everyone. It’s refreshing.”

Bringing them together

Does Astrid see any common ground between the two worlds?

“Definitely. At the KB, I led morning meditations for colleagues for years and set up peer support groups with a number of colleagues. That’s also about slowing down, engaging in introspection, suspending judgement, and becoming aware of the undercurrent. It’s fantastic to do these peer support sessions with a group of colleagues. People really do leave the room feeling different after a session. Just like in a yoga class. There’s a sense of connection, there’s calm, people have been listened to, and they’ve been seen.”

She continues: “The KB’s ambition to make exploration possible for as many people as possible is also the invitation I extend in my lessons and coaching. Is there a willingness to explore? And just as in science: slowing down helps. Mindfulness helps. Curiosity helps. Making exploration possible for everyone. I am happy to contribute to this in every way I can.”

Text: Edwin Ammerlaan