SocArXiv, directed by UMD Sociology Professor Philip N. Cohen, is developing a free, open access, open source archive for social science research. Working in partnership with the non-profit Center for Open Science, the initiative responds to growing recognition of the need for faster, open sharing of research on a truly open access platform for the social sciences. Papers on SocArXiv will be permanently available and free to the public. This initiative lays the groundwork for a broader project that can provide access to data and code along with papers, and provide public peer review of completed work. In short, the open archive will improve our science, better connect us as scholars, help place control of the research process back in the hands of researchers instead of for-profit publishers and gatekeepers, and deepen our engagement with the public.