Open Access Library Survey: An investigation of the role of libraries in open access funding and support within institutions
peter.suber's bookmarks 2019-11-28
Summary:
"Key Findings
Open Access Resource Management
The majority (72%) of libraries included in this survey catalog open access resources, though many estimated these to represent just 1-5% of total catalog listings. Librarians determine which open access titles to include in their catalog by considering a variety of factors, including relevancy and faculty recommendations. The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is a popular reference to identify legitimate open access publications. Likewise, librarians avoid titles appearing on Beall’s List of Predatory Open Access Publishers, which aims to identify publishers which are potentially or probably exploiting the open access system.
Funding Open Access Publishing
At present, the responsibility for funding article processing charges (APCs) is more likely to fall on the author or granting organization than the library or institution. 70% of those libraries that are providing funding source this from the existing materials budget. However, it was estimated that this equates to less than 1% of the budget for traditional subscriptions. Only 19% of those institutions involved in APC funding have an established ceiling for APCs, typically ranging from $2000 to $3000. The potential for institutions to prepay APCs for specific titles or publishers in order to benefit from economies of scale is still an open question.
Future of Librarian Involvement
The future involvement of librarians with open access publishing is still being established. The majority of respondents felt that the library should actively advocate for open access. However, involvement in funding proved to be a divisive issue. While some believe the fiscal responsibility should lie solely with the author, others felt that the library should play a central role in open access in part by controlling APC funds. It is clear from this study that there is still no clear path forward, but there are many opportunities for innovation on the part of both librarians and publishers...."