UCSB Library is pleased to announce the publication of the UC Pathways to Open Access report, and accompanying documentation. The Library will be using this toolkit to help guide our decision-making when using existing Library funds and gifts to support open access (OA).
“Pathways” is an analysis of various approaches and strategies to open access, their prevalence, impact and challenges. The report has been endorsed by the UC Council of University Librarians (CoUL), and will play an important role in libraries’ individual and collective decisions regarding what OA strategies, possible next steps, or experiments to invest in when contributing to the large-scale transition to open access.
Over the years the Library’s Scholarly Communication Program and subject librarians have been raising awareness of the rapidly changing nature of scholarly communication and its impact on the Library’s ability to ensure students and faculty have access to the scholarship they need for teaching, research, and learning. During that time, OA has become a new norm. Now, libraries around the world are preparing for the large-scale transition to OA.
As the Library works with the Academic Senate, Executive Vice Chancellor, other UC Libraries, and the California Digital Library to develop a pathways to open access suitable for UCSB, we look forward to hearing from you. We invite you to familiarize yourself with “Pathways,” and debate the approaches and strategies with your colleagues, librarians, and administrators. Opportunities to express your input will include an upcoming Open Access Week call for presentations, workshops, artworks, and performances. And, as in past with “big deal” journal package renewals and negotiations, your input may be needed for 2019 publisher negotiations.
Other vehicles for expressing ideas and concerns include:
- Emailing openaccess@library.ucsb.edu
- Becoming a member of the UCSB Scholarly Publishing discussion list
The “Pathways” toolkit combined with your feedback are critical to advancing OA as part of a more diverse and sustainable scholarly communication landscape.
“Pathways to Open Access” Toolkit:
