This document discusses how libraries can transition to supporting more open content and practices. It identifies several key areas for libraries to address: 1) Cultural change is needed within libraries to fully integrate support for open content across all teams and processes rather than it being an "add-on." 2) Libraries need to develop new collection strategies that prioritize and measure the value of open content to prepare for its increasing role in the future. 3) A sector-wide approach through coordinating bodies may be most effective for libraries to collectively address challenges like developing infrastructure to support the full open access publishing and supply chain.

1. Mainstreaming open: how can libraries
transition their culture, services and practices
to open?
March 2019
Joanna Ball, Graham Stone
This photo, “Diversion ends” is copyright (c) 2008 Dani Lurie and made available under a CC BY 2.0 licence

2. Mainstreaming open
• What is the impact of Open content on research libraries: their systems, workflows and
processes?
• What does this mean in practice: the Open monograph book supply chain
• Make the case for wider cultural change within research libraries to rethink our approach to
open content
Mainstreaming open2

3. Libraries and the drive for Open Scholarship
• Support for Open Access and Open Access publishing
• Delivery of research data management services
• Providing leadership within their institution
Mainstreaming open3
Supporting Open Access and Scholarship within institutions
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4. Libraries and the drive for Open Scholarship
• Work collectively to shape the future of
scholarship
• Engaging with Funder policies
• Supporting Jisc Collections to effect change
within the OA marketplace
• Developing and advocating for the adoption of
UK-SCL as a lever for change and a stepping
stone to Plan S
Mainstreaming open4
"Creating a new environment for the transformation of research"

5. How successful have we been in influencing
cultural change?
Institution
Research community
Library?
Mainstreaming open5

6. Open as an "add-on"
• "Open" activity within libraries tends to be concentrated within one or two teams
• Over past 20 years, we have adapted from print, single copy purchases to
support digital, licensed, just-in-time models of delivery
• Processes, systems workflows still predicated on purchasing/licensing of closed
content
• Open content will become ubiquitous with the adoption of Plan S, and the
inclusion of monographs within the scope of future REF OA policy
• Are we ready?
Mainstreaming open6

7. OA monographs discovery
Accessing the library supply chain

8. Where we are today
• In the UK we have a growing number of new university presses, many based in the
library or library-academic initiatives (see the Changing publishing ecologies report)
• In 2017 we reported 19 NUPs operating in the UK
• This has risen to 21 in 2018 with the launch of LSE Press. At least 12 others may
launch in the next 4-5 years
• In 2018 IFLA launched a special interest group on Library Publishing
• At the 1st meeting in Dublin in 2019, the Library Association of Ireland announced
a library publishing group
Mainstreaming open8
Growing number of OA presses in the UK

9. …but
We still lack full infrastructure to support the ‘diverse ecology’

10. OA monographs in the library supply chain
• A community workshop was held in July 2018 to surface issues with key stakeholders from NUPs, ALPs, book
suppliers and distributors, metadata suppliers, libraries and other experts in OA publishing to discuss the above
statement
• The core aim of the workshop was to allow the experts to share their experiences and knowledge in order to get a
better understanding of the supply chain and to gain insight into the problem statement
• 4 key themes were identified:
• Mapping the library supply chain
• Metadata
• New forms of content
• Cultural change in the acquisitions process
• This view is also supported by the ScholarLed group of 6 Academic-Led Publishers
• https://scholarled.org/
Mainstreaming open10
“OA publishers have difficulty accessing the channels that library
acquisition departments use to buy print and e-book content”

11. OA monographs in the library supply chain
• Important to be able to map the library supply chain for open access monographs so that all
parties reach equal understanding of each other’s processes and workflow
• Possible need to reprioritise aspects of the supply chain
• OA publishers need to understand the audience, e.g. suppliers, acquisition librarians as well as
researchers
• Important to understand how costs will be covered, e.g. suppliers providing services to libraries
• Useful to map the discovery workflow in addition to the library supply chain to understand any
commonalities
Mainstreaming open11
Mapping the library supply chain

12. OA monographs in the library supply chain
• Need for minimum metadata requirement
• To be used for all metadata in the library supply chain, such as ONIX, MARC, KBART etc.
• Allowing all parties to understand what they each mean by the term metadata and what it is
describing
• Possible commercial solution (BDS) or community solution (Jisc)
• Any minimum standard would have to ensure that there was a way to enable library acquisitions
teams to see that there is an open access version of the monograph in addition to any print copy
via the supplier
Mainstreaming open12
Metadata

13. OA monographs in the library supply chain
• Discussions centre on the electronic version of the printed monograph, or ‘print under glass’
version
• Many presses and potential authors are interested in experimental content
• Often does not get noticed as doesn’t ‘fit’ with traditional forms of publishing
• Open access may act as a trigger for these new forms of content
Mainstreaming open13
New content

14. OA monographs in the library supply chain
• As part of the transition to open access for monographs, libraries need to reposition their
thinking on collection management in internal communications and at a national level
• Different teams within the library deal with open access in different ways
• Discovery is more easily addressed via the delivery of metadata to DOAB
• However, a major issue for acquisitions teams is how to recognise zero cost for open access
while the print version is available
Mainstreaming open14
Cultural change in the acquisitions process

15. Libraries (like publishers) must prepare for an
Open Access world

16. What strategic measures do we need to take
to integrate open content within libraries?
Develop new collections strategies and policies, which;
• Address (or even prioritise) the acquisition of open content
• Provide a framework to enable decision-making around investment in open content initiatives
• Redefine how we measure the value of library content
Commit to Library investment in open content and content infrastructure
Lead a cultural change within libraries to engage our staff and integrate open content within role
descriptions
Engage with our academic communities to encourage the use of open content in their teaching
Develop a clear understanding of the costs and benefits of delivering open content and services
Define meaningful alternative measures of success (not based on the size of our budget/collection)
Mainstreaming open16

17. A sectoral approach?
Mainstreaming open17
Many of these strategies could be tackled most
effectively collectively through sector bodies