Open Book Collective Development Fund: Scoping Survey | OBC Information Hub

The Open Book Collective invites participants to complete our Collective Development Fund Scoping Survey.

This survey is designed to help inform the way the Open Book Collective designs forthcoming grant funding calls for its ‘Collective Development Fund’. This fund will be issuing around £100,000 in grant funding between early 2024 and early 2026 to Open Access book publishers and infrastructure providers. One of its key aims is to support publishers, infrastructure providers and other organisations to build capacity to increase the quantity, quality and diversity of Open Access books.

The Collective Development Fund is funded from two sources: directly, from funders as part of the Open Book Futures project, as well as from our publisher and service provider members. The Open Book Collective allocates around half of the fees it charges publishers and infrastructure providers to the Collective Development Fund.

[…]

 

Call For Applications: Workshop ‘Towards Sustainable Open Access Book Publishing in the African Context’, Feb 07-09, 2024 | OBC Information Hub

Dates: February 7th, 8th, 9th 2024

Location: University of Cape Town 

Partners: Association of African Universities, African Platform for Open Scholarship (formerly Continental Platform), Lancaster University, Open Book Collective, Thoth, OAPEN/DOAB

Language: English

Application deadline: 15th December 2023

This 3-day workshop explores challenges that inhibit a sustainable open access book publishing ecosystem with the remit of developing interventions that contribute and/or accelerate the growth of African scholarship. The event is designed to respond to barriers and needs related to Open Access book publishers and initiatives across the African continent. It provides a space for skills development, sharing experiences, expertise, and for learning about new developments in the support and funding of Open Access book publishing.

The event is open to authors/editors, publishers and infrastructure providers. This means initiatives involved in all aspects of Open Access book production and distribution, ranging from content development, producing and distributing open access books, to working on hosting and distributing them. This event is hosted by the University of Cape Town, developers of the African Platform for Open Scholarship (formerly Continental Platform) and the Open Book Futures project. Open Book Futures is an international consortium of stakeholders committed to developing a sustainable, equitable and diverse future for Open Access books led not by large commercial operations, but by communities of scholars, small-to-medium-sized publishers, not-for-profit infrastructure providers, and scholarly libraries. The project is committed to engaging with publishers, universities, and infrastructure providers in a diverse set of national and linguistic contexts beyond the Global North.

The event will have two focus areas: training and development. With regard to training:  

upskilling authors and/or editors on crafting academically strong manuscripts

upskilling infrastructure providers on managing the workflows for the production of open books

With regard to development:

skills sessions, in which publishers can learn from each other and participating initiatives

scoping sessions, to share experiences, learn about new developments, and challenges that need to be overcome

panel discussions, featuring discussions and debates on Open Access book publishing futures on the African continent

The event is free to attend, with places for around 30 delegates in total. Catering costs will be covered for all delegates. In addition, we expect that there will be funding available to pay for travel and accommodation costs for around 15 delegates from the following countries on the African continent: Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe. 

To apply to join the event, delegates are invited to contribute the following information by December 15 2023: 

Name: 

Affiliation: 

Email address: 

A description of your Open Access initiative, including aims and remit (up to 150 words): 

A brief summary of barriers and difficulties encountered in your work (up to 150 words):

Ideas for how these barriers could be overcome (up to 150 words): 

Details of either a manuscript for an Open Access book, or another project designed to build Open Access publishing capacity, that you could bring to introduce and discuss with colleagues (up to 250 words)

[…]

 

Open Book Collective Welcomes The Ohio State University Libraries · OBC Information Hub

“The Open Book Collective is delighted to welcome The Ohio State University Libraries as a supporting library member!

The Ohio State University is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. You can read more about The Ohio State University’s commitment to Open Access at their dedicated webpages here. Thanks to support from our library members like The Ohio State University Libraries, the OBC is able to support a fairer and more bibliodiverse landscape for Open Access publishers.

By becoming a member of the Open Book Collective, libraries have the opportunity to evaluate, compare, and support a bespoke range of small-to-medium Open Access book publishers, as well as groups that are building important technical infrastructure for the creation and curation of OA books. They are able to combine initiatives in any way they see fit or support the OBC as a whole. This enables our library members to demonstrate that their investments in OA books have a broad impact on multiple sectors of the landscape of scholarly communications. The OBC, and the librarians who support it, are committed to a more equitable landscape for OA books. Our members are committed to collaborative, horizontal modes of working together on opening access to scholarly books for readers globally, without monetary, technical, or other barriers. Through library support, we enable our publisher members to move away from Book Processing Charges.”

Report on OBC’s First Annual General Assembly of Custodians | Open Book Collective Information Hub

The Open Book Collective held its first Annual General Assembly of Custodians online between August 28 and September 8, 2023. The annual meeting follows protocols set by Articles 13-20 in the OBC’s Articles of Association. Here follows a full report on the Assembly, in line with OBC’s commitments to transparency.

[…]

 

Webinar: Opening the Future and the Open Book Collective. Diamond Open Access for Books? Nov 29, 2023. 10am-noon (CET) | open-access.network: Information Event on November 29th, 2023

The event takes place on 29.11.2023, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (CET):
https://bbb.uni-konstanz.de/b/mar-hrv-ndt-4gq

Guest are:

Dr. Joe Deville (Senior Lecturer Lancaster University & Managing Director Open Book Collective)
Tom Grady (Scholarly Publishing Outreach Officer, Birbeck, University of London, Opening the Future)
Dr. Andrea Hacker (Open Access Officer, Unversity Library Basel (Switzerland) & board member of the Open Book Collective)

 

 

Abstract

Due to high prices charged by commercial academic publishers and limited funding opportunities, it is still more difficult for scholars to publish Open Access books than journal articles. But how could open access books be produced at fair prices or even BPC-free? The Copim community has been investigating this question since 2020. Two models have developed in this context:

Opening the Future enables the financing of Open Access books through a membership model: in return for an annual membership fee, academic publishers make a selection of their backlist (non-OA books) available to academic libraries. The income from these membership fees enables the realisation of new OA books. 

The Open Book Collective is a non-profit organisation that emerged from the COPIM project and connects libraries, publishers, scholars and OA professionals with the aim of facilitating access to diverse and fair OA publications. The OBC is based on a governance structure including all stakeholders (publishers, libraries, scholars), preventing a commecrial sell-out. For publication service providers and publishers, the OBC allows them to finance their operations through a membership model. Libraries and researchers can use the OBC online platform to research and find OA publications, order or download them, and manage orders and subscriptions.

In this event, we want to present these initiatives and discuss their potential from the perspective of academic libraries.

The event is held in English.

All Things Must Pass | Research Information

“Andrew Barker and Elaine Sykes reflect on Lancaster University’s shift to an open research culture

We begin this opinion piece with a statement of confidence, ambition and intent: this is the best and most exciting time to be a librarian; universities are progressing towards a new research culture, a culture that puts openness and equity at its centre – and librarians are using our knowledge, skills, relationships and our ambitions to be at the centre of that progressive shift. That shift includes, but is not limited to, the future of scholarly outputs, data, digital scholarship and citizen science engagement opportunities. This piece will outline thoughts from Lancaster University on what we are going to do to support the move to an open research culture, but it also make it clear that the status quo has to change, and we are explicit that now is the time to accept that change and for the sector to work together on a range of activities that cut across the different parts of our sector….”

Open Position: Open Access Engagement Lead (full time) at Open Book Collective, end of play: July 9, 2023 | OBC Information Hub

The Open Book Collective is looking to appoint an Open Access Engagement Lead to support our outreach with diverse stakeholders, including academic libraries. This work is supported by the Open Book Futures project, funded by Arcadia and the Research England Development Fund.

The successful candidate can start from 1st September, or as soon practicable thereafter, with the position funded until the end of April 2026.

We are looking for someone to support engagement work both in person and remotely in UK/EU locations/timezones.

Closing date: 9th July 2023

About the role

We are looking for someone who understands what is at stake in the futures of Open Access publishing, ideally with a high level of experience in scholarly publishing and/or scholarly communication, who is passionate about supporting the work that the Open Book Collective is involved in.

You will take a leading role in our engagement work with diverse stakeholders. This includes leading outreach meetings and presenting at relevant events. You will engage our communities in your wider advocacy work, including in written outputs. You will also contribute to the ongoing development of OBC’s outreach strategy.

Duties include:

Publicly advocating for a fairer, more sustainable future for Open Access book publishing

Representing the OBC at outreach meetings, conferences, webinars

Building and sustaining relationships with library supporters and other stakeholders

Working with OBC colleagues to develop OBC outreach strategy

Generating income for the OBC by confirming support from stakeholders for OBC’s subscription offers

Contributing to reports to be sent to funders, project partners and other stakeholders, in collaboration with colleagues.

Assisting with project administrative duties, including collaborations with the Open Book Futures project Principal Investigator and other Work Package leads.

Working on other ad hoc tasks relating to OBC’s work, as necessary.

Essential experience/skills

Demonstrable understanding of the changing environment for scholarly communications and open access publishing models

Evidence of an ability to work both independently and collaboratively to maintain relationships with stakeholders in a complex and rapidly changing scholarly environment

Excellent presentation skills, including a track record of delivering engaging presentations to diverse stakeholders

Excellent interpersonal and team working skills, including an ability to work successfully in a collaborative environment with colleagues from culturally diverse backgrounds

Evidence of an ability to write well and confidently for different audiences

Fluency in English, both spoken and written

Willingness to travel

Willingness to support outreach work both in person and remotely in UK/EU locations/timezones

 Desirable experience/skills

A track record of engaging in public settings (e.g. in writing, on social media, at events) in debates about open access publishing

Extensive experience (two years or more) working in scholarly libraries/scholarly communications

Experience in developing customer relationship management and/or social media strategies

The Open Book Collective is committed to building diverse teams, with people from a range of backgrounds. Equity, inclusion and diversity are core values for us and the communities we support. We strive to ensure that our team reflects these values.

The Open Book Collective is UK-based organisation, however many colleagues work remotely.

Salary, term & benefits

£35,000 – £42,000 per year, depending on experience and country of residence

Start date: 1st September 2023, or as soon as practicable thereafter

End date: 30th April 2026

Full time

Some flexibility as to country of residence

25 days annual leave per year, plus national holidays

Flexible and remote working opportunities

About the application process

Applicants are invited to send a cover letter (no more than 3 pages) and CV to Joe Deville (joe[at]openbookcollective[dot]org).

Closing Date: 11pm GMT on Sunday 9th July 2023

 

 

Job: Open Access Engagement Lead (full time) at Open Book Collective | OBC Information Hub

The Open Book Collective is looking to appoint an Open Access Engagement Lead to support our outreach with diverse stakeholders, including academic libraries. This work is supported by the Open Book Futures project, funded by Arcadia and the Research England Development Fund.

The successful candidate can start from 1st September, or as soon practicable thereafter, with the position funded until the end of April 2026.

We are looking for someone to support engagement work both in person and remotely in UK/EU locations/timezones.

Closing date: 9th July 2023

About Open Book Collective

Open Book Collective launched in 2023 and started its outreach work in earnest in March this year. It is a charity, founded in the UK, that works to bring together open access book publishers, open publishing service providers, and knowledge institutions, including libraries, working in collaboration to secure a more sustainable and equitable future for open access books. A key way it does this, is by raising funds from universities to support open access book publishing and infrastructure development.

About the role

We are looking for someone who understands what is at stake in the futures of Open Access publishing, ideally with a high level of experience in scholarly publishing and/or scholarly communication, who is passionate about supporting the work that the Open Book Collective is involved in.

You will take a leading role in our engagement work with diverse stakeholders. This includes leading outreach meetings and presenting at relevant events. You will engage our communities in your wider advocacy work, including in written outputs. You will also contribute to the ongoing development of OBC’s outreach strategy.

Duties include:

Publicly advocating for a fairer, more sustainable future for Open Access book publishing

Representing the OBC at outreach meetings, conferences, webinars

Building and sustaining relationships with library supporters and other stakeholders

Working with OBC colleagues to develop OBC outreach strategy

Generating income for the OBC by confirming support from stakeholders for OBC’s subscription offers

Contributing to reports to be sent to funders, project partners and other stakeholders, in collaboration with colleagues.

Assisting with project administrative duties, including collaborations with the Open Book Futures project Principal Investigator and other Work Package leads.

Working on other ad hoc tasks relating to OBC’s work, as necessary.

Essential experience/skills

Demonstrable understanding of the changing environment for scholarly communications and open access publishing models

Evidence of an ability to work both independently and collaboratively to maintain relationships with stakeholders in a complex and rapidly changing scholarly environment

Excellent presentation skills, including a track record of delivering engaging presentations to diverse stakeholders

Excellent interpersonal and team working skills, including an ability to work successfully in a collaborative environment with colleagues from culturally diverse backgrounds

Evidence of an ability to write well and confidently for different audiences

Fluency in English, both spoken and written

Willingness to travel

Willingness to support outreach work both in person and remotely in UK/EU locations/timezones

 Desirable experience/skills

A track record of engaging in public settings (e.g. in writing, on social media, at events) in debates about open access publishing

Extensive experience (two years or more) working in scholarly libraries/scholarly communications

Experience in developing customer relationship management and/or social media strategies

The Open Book Collective is committed to building diverse teams, with people from a range of backgrounds. Equity, inclusion and diversity are core values for us and the communities we support. We strive to ensure that our team reflects these values.

The Open Book Collective is UK-based organisation, however many colleagues work remotely.

Salary, term & benefits

£35,000 – £42,000 per year, depending on experience and country of residence

Start date: 1st September 2023, or as soon as practicable thereafter

End date: 30th April 2026

Full tim