Copim and acquisitions librarians present… Beyond buying books: Rethinking content acquisition in unstable times – National Acquisitions Group

This is a time of upheaval for many libraries: budgets are shrinking amid a financial crisis in HE while large commercial vendors are unilaterally changing the terms on which content can be purchased, putting libraries in the position of continually paying for resources they will never own. In an unstable time, what are the opportunities for libraries to respond? Does open access offer an alternative to closed content, and can we sustain and develop equitable models to achieve it?

This webinar is a much-needed opportunity to explore open access for books by asking whether—and how—it might be possible to start transitioning library spend from ‘acquiring’ content (a closed-access system) to ‘enabling’ access for all by supporting Diamond open access (OA) models for books. These are models whereby a publisher makes books OA without charging the reader and without charging the author, instead supporting their operations with other funding streams e.g. small payments from a large number of libraries to open the books for everyone.

In conversation with the developers of Diamond OA programmes for books such as Opening the Future and the Open Book Collective, librarians from a range of institutions will explore issues including:

• What do Diamond models for books (as opposed to journals) actually look like, and do they work?
• Can OA interlink with other priorities for the library, e.g. providing access to textbooks?
• What are the connections between problems caused by closed-access content and potential OA solutions? Can we articulate them meaningfully?
• Given all the other pressures on library budgets, what arguments might be used to justify spend on OA that will persuade senior management?
• What are the practical steps we can take now?

We will explore these questions from the perspectives of different institutions, acknowledging that there is no single solution that will fit all libraries. Attendees will come away with a better understanding of how Diamond OA for books can work, how OA can be more than either a ‘nice-to-have’ or an additional financial burden, and how they might begin making changes at their institution to move from expensive and opaque fees for closed-access content, to greater levels of sustainable support for equitable Diamond OA.

Speakers:

Andrew Knight, Imperial Matt Cox, Anglia Ruskin University Sharon Stevens, University of Worcester with Kevin Sanders (OBC/Copim)

This webinar is free of charge for everyone to join and a recording will be available afterwards open access on the NAG website.  You do not need to sign up to the webinar to gain access to the recording.