8.3 A Library-Publisher Partnership for Open Access: Building an Innovative Relationship between Scholarly Publishers and Academic Libraries
Creators: name: Monica Ward, and Joanie Lavoie
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: scholarly publishers, academic libraries, partnership, Open Access, Canada

description: As the importance of open access continues to grow, there remains no clear consensus on the ideal model to sustain scholarly publishing while making content openly accessible. Can a solution be found that meets the needs of both the scholarly publishers and university libraries? The Érudit Consortium and the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) are exploring one solution to this challenge through a strategic partnership that supports the move towards open access for Canadian francophone scholarly journals. CRKN and Érudit have had a relationship through a traditional commercial subscription model since 2008. In 2014 the two organisations recognised the need for a new relationship that would address two major challenges: the fragility of the Canadian scholarly publishing environment and the increasing pressure from libraries and funding agencies for scholarly journals to move towards open access. Érudit and CRKN have worked collaboratively to create an innovative partnership, which provides a framework for a new relationship between publishers and libraries, and helps to provide financial support to Canadian publishers during the transition to a fully open access model. The paper presents the perspectives of the two organisations involved in the partnership, outlining the common goals, objectives, and strategy, as well as the differing needs and perspectives of libraries and publishers. It will summarise the steps taken to achieve this partnership, the success factors, the challenges faced, and the next steps in moving the project ahead. In addition, the paper will provide insight for other organisations which may be seeking to address similar challenges in a collaborative fashion. Through this case study, the authors will demonstrate how university libraries can play an active role in developing models to support open access to research. Session attendees will have the unique opportunity to witness the evolution of this innovative joint project between the Canadian academic library community and the Canadian scholarly publishing community. The Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) is a partnership of 75 Canadian universities dedicated to expanding digital content for the academic research enterprise in Canada. Érudit is the leading publishing platform for peer-reviewed francophone journals in North America, with content from almost 150 academic and cultural publishers available on their platform. <strong>Monica Ward</strong> is Senior Content and Licensing Officer at the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN), and is responsible for administering the content programme including coordinating the renewal and negotiations process, on-going license agreement management, and license maintenance support. She provides staff support for the Content Strategy Committee and other committees and task groups, as well as overseeing the frontline member services function. Monica has an Honours BA in Sociology and received her Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her professional interests include open access, collaboration through consortia, and license negotiations. <strong>Joanie Lavoie</strong> is Director of Operations (Directrice des operations) of the Érudit Consortium, located in Montreal, Quebec. After completing her studies in literature and publishing, as well as a Masters in Arts and Culture management, she decided to apply her keen interest in the digital environment to the service of scholarly publishers. She joined Érudit in 2011 as the Journal Manager, responsible for increasing the visibility of Canadian Frenchlanguage journals in the national and international market. She is now the Director of Operations and has been a driving force in the partnership for open access with the Canadian research libraries since its inception, and is responsible for implementing the economic outcomes of this shift to open access with the publishers Érudit represents.