Library Open Access Funds in Canada: review and recommendations

[From the Executive Summary] This report was prepared by a sub-committee of the CARL Open Access Working Group struck to examine library open access funds in Canada and develop guidelines for successful management of these funds. The sub-committee surveyed 14 CARL institutions in Canada with OA funds in March and April 2015, asking for information about histories of each fund, criteria used to award OA grants, how workflows are managed and how funds are assessed. All institutions responded to the survey and their responses were compiled into this report. Overall, this report reveals that diversity is the most uniform characteristic of OA funds in Canada and that most libraries are still experimenting with these ventures. While institutions demonstrate consistency in some areas, particularly eligibility criteria, a wide variety of approaches are exhibited in many other aspects, including funding amounts, workflows, and assessment measures. The survey data also highlight that individual institutional characteristics make a “one size fits all” approach to fund management inappropriate. Accordingly, the subcommittee did not develop a set of guidelines; instead, the report offers some recommendations and suggestions for further exploration and research.