What Should We Make of Secret Open Access Deals? | The Scholarly Kitchen

" ... And so we are seeing an increasing number of multi-year subscription/OA big deals being made with particular universities, groups of institutions, or countries (more examples here, here, here, and here). Whereas every deal brings with it a triumphant set of press releases, public details on the financial mechanics of these deals are non-existent. Most seem to be happening under the same sorts of non-disclosure terms that commercial publishers require of their big deal subscription customers. This, on its surface, seems to fly in the face of the increased transparency and openness that lie at the heart of the OA movement. Without further information, it is impossible to know whether these deals represent a victory for OA advocacy or an advantageous lock-in for status quo publishers. Are the governments and libraries receiving significant cost-savings through these deals or are they just spending more to get more and saving face by claiming victory without having to provide any numbers to back it up? It’s impossible to say. It is perhaps not surprising to see these deals being made by the largest of publishers, so often the main beneficiaries of OA policies ..."