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DePauw Libraries Resource Policy

Open Access at DePauw Libraries

DePauw University is one of many colleges and universities grappling with the effects of an unsustainable scholarly communication model. Access to publicly-funded research is increasingly facilitated by for-profit corporations, which charge ever-increasing prices to the institutions creating the work.

Dubbed "The Serials Crisis" by the academic library community, this model has negatively impacted research and scholarly communication at DePauw and around the world. Scholars, librarians, universities and advocacy organizations around the world are responding to the need for open access to publicly-funded research and data. Open Access is the free, immediate online access to research and scholarly information. (K-State)

We acknowledge that if libraries are to implement sustainable, high-impact open initiatives, we will need to reconsider the current level of investment in existing services and programs. Our commitment to open is a commitment to our own transformation, and to our participation in the necessary evolution of the scholarly and educational ecosystem in which we operate. In this work, as we move toward an increasingly open future, we look forward to leveraging the collective strength of the Libraries, and to continuing to push the boundaries of what is possible in libraries through strategic collaboration. (Orbis Cascade Alliance)

Learn more about the importance of open access from SPARC or check out our Open Access Scholarly Publishing Libguide.

The DePauw Libraries strives to provide funding for open access publishing and projects. Our current support goes to:

  • Bloomsbury Open Collections

    • Bloomsbury Open Collections is a collective-action subscribe-to-open type approach to funding the publication of
      scholarly open access (OA) books. Through this model, Bloomsbury is aiming to make open access publication
      available to a wider range of authors by spreading the cost across multiple organizations, while providing additional
      benefits to participating libraries. DePauw committed funding towards the Environment & Climate Change collection.

  • Open Library of the Humanities
    • DePauw committed funds to the OLH in 2024 due to their goals of building a model of open access publishing that functions for the humanities – for free, for everyone, for ever. "We publish 30 open-access journals and are funded by more than 340 libraries worldwide, who have joined us in our mission to make scholarly publishing fairer, more accessible, and rigorously preserved for the digital future."
  • Open Education Network
    • DePauw joined OEN as an individual member in 2023, member institutions enjoy direct access to the community, along with tools and resources to build and sustain open education programs on your campus.
  • Lever Press
    • DePauw takes great pride in its liberal arts identity and mission, and appreciates the opportunity to provide support for publishing open access monographs embodying and reflecting the values of the liberal arts, via a press governed by its supporting members.
  • Coalition of Open Access Policy Institutions (COAPI)
    • DePauw was the first institution in Indiana to pass an Open Access Policy. COAPI offers a collection of best and evolving practices to act as a roadmap for inspiring, promoting and implementing open access policies at institutions without existing or effective open access policies and advocates for open access nationally and internationally.
  • Open Access Network
    • The Open Access Network is made up of committed individuals, organizations, societies, publishers, libraries, and institutions working together to Make Knowledge Public.
  • SCOAP3: Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics
    • SCOAP3 is a one-of-its-kind partnership of over three thousand libraries, key funding agencies and research centers in 44 countries, regions or territories and three intergovernmental organisations. Working with leading publishers, SCOAP3 has converted key journals in the field of High-Energy Physics to Open Access and continues to support OA publishing in these journals at no cost for authors.

Previous

  • Knowledge Unlatched

    • DePauw, with its strong creative writing program and emphasis on the humanities, has long valued the monograph, and our contribution to this early open access book initiative expressed our support for new models for book publication and distribution.

  • Demography Journal
    • Demography is the most cited journal in its field and reaches the membership of one of the largest professional demographic associations in the world. More about the conversion to OA here.

Adapted from Hollins University