Supporting OA Books in the Netherlands and Beyond

Presenting a new PubPub community facilitating knowledge exchange on supporting OA Books for librarians

Abstract

Open Access (OA) publishing has gained significant momentum, becoming a priority for numerous funding agencies, governments and institutions worldwide. In the Dutch research landscape, the Dutch Research Council (NWO) is among the funders mandating OA for books. While OA has seen rapid growth in journal articles, thanks to its deep-rooted history in fields where journal articles are the norm, OA for monographs presents unique challenges. These challenges include issues related to publication formats, publishing models, funding, copyright, and licensing, among others. Despite these, OA monograph publishing is on the rise, with new financial models emerging that bring both challenges and opportunities in a diverse and rather unbalanced scholarly communication landscape.

Libraries play a crucial role in promoting OA and facilitating access to scholarly literature. As advocates for OA, libraries emphasize equity and sustainability in scholarly communication, aiming to foster and support open access equally in all different research cultures. Libraries support OA monograph publishing by addressing researchers' questions, highlighting available publishing options and strategies, and developing inclusive collection and publishing policies to allocate funds to foster a more equitable and sustainable scholarly publishing ecosystem. The Working Group Open Access from the University Libraries and the Royal Library of the Netherlands (UKB) has identified OA Books in the national landscape as a key focus in their 2024 annual plan. One of the primary outputs of this initiative is to develop a PubPub community that addresses Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from researchers and librarians about OA monograph publishing targeted at libraries. This community aims to serve the library community within the Dutch research landscape by mapping available resources on the topic and addressing questions concerning exploring various financing models and funding options for OA books, redirecting collection development budgets towards open initiatives, and providing advice on establishing an OA fund. 

The goal is to create a comprehensive platform through the PubPub community, facilitating knowledge exchange by listing existing resources and tools while also covering less-discussed topics relevant to Dutch libraries and the broader research library community. We envision the PubPub community as a dynamic hub where libraries can share experiences, best practices, innovative ideas, and solutions. This community will also feature interviews and case studies that showcase good practices and address challenges in the field. Although it is first envisioned to provide a structured and supportive environment for Dutch libraries to navigate the complexities of OA monograph publishing, it is also expected for the community to be open to everyone interested in these topics, ultimately contributing to the discussion towards a more open and accessible scholarly landscape.