Session 6: How can we shape equitable Open Access for longform scholarship?

"Thu 21 May 10:00 - 11:00 BST & CET 11:00 - 12:00 SAST & CEST Longform publications remain central to how knowledge is developed, especially in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Yet Open Access for these outputs continues to lag behind journals. Why is this and what would it take to change it? Drawing on recent global research into the adoption of Open Access for longform publishing, this session explores the structural, cultural, and economic factors shaping progress across different regions and contexts. Together, we will ask:

- Why does longform Open Access remain widely valued in principle, but marginal in practice?

- How do funding models, infrastructures, and policy environments enable or constrain, more equitable access to books?

- What role do prestige, reward, and disciplinary norms play in shaping publishing choices?  

- How can collaborative, non-commercial, and Diamond OA approaches support more sustainable and inclusive pathways forward?"