2014 Charleston Library Conference

With nearly 10,000 Open Access journals currently in publication and climbing, librarians face the daunting task of parsing, cataloging, and supporting patrons in the use of vast quantities of content of varying quality that fall outside the bounds of traditional serials acquisition decisions. Even more crucially, the demand to publish in OA journals along with new institutional OA mandates are shifting the focus of library budgets and disrupting established business models. While the potential impact of the OA movement to academic libraries is great, until now there has been no way to quantify the real effect on resource management and the potential shift from subscription fees to article processing charges.

In this session, a panel consisting of content providers, a publishing consultant and a librarian will discuss new research into library selection of OA resources and involvement in researchers’ article submissions to OA publications. The survey conducted this year by Publishers Communication Group addresses such acquisitions issues as cataloging of OA journals, selection criteria, and library outreach to educate the research community of OA resources. The data delve further into the evolution of library funds to cover article submission fees, alternative sources of funding from the university, spending priorities and emerging business models. Attendees can expect to hear hard numbers outlining current OA trends alongside a lively debate of the function of the library in the OA era. We will answer such questions as: How do library article submission budgets compare to traditional subscription budgets? Is there a maximum fee that a library would pay to support faculty publication in OA journals? How are OA publishers facilitating OA fee packages or advance bundles for libraries? And what role if any should the library play in encouraging and supporting an OA mandate on campus?