Ghent University Library is our first library member in Belgium and we are delighted to have their support for our Multidisciplinary collection. Their investment will be instrumental in helping us achieve our objectives of making journals free to read and publish in, offering a viable alternative to commercial transformative agreements, and empowering journals to flip to diamond open access.
Ghent University Library is an established supporter of open access to research publications, and supports a range of policies, infrastructure and guidance that promote open science. As a pioneer of open access in Belgium they have a track record of funding a range of diamond open access initiatives. Their strategic approach supports the widest possible dissemination of scientific knowledge, with the greatest possible impact. We are delighted they have chosen to partner with OJC as part of realising their approach.
Myriam Mertens at Ghent University Library said “We want to contribute to a healthy scholarly publishing system that is more equitable, diverse, sustainable and accessible. Strengthening alternatives to the pay-to-publish model of open access is therefore a key priority in our library strategy. Through our membership of the Open Journals Collective, we can support a broad range of existing diamond open access journals across disciplines and be part of a growing collaborative effort to help other scholarly journals move towards not-for-profit, community-led publishing models.”
Tom Shaw, the Open Journals Collective’s Library Engagement Lead, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Ghent University Library to the Open Journals Collective, and I look forward to working with them through our Library Board and collective governance structures. OJC is an international movement and to have been joined by our first member in Belgium is a significant moment for us. It is only by collaborating across national boundaries that we will be able to build a brighter future for academic journal publishing”.
Sally Bell, OJC’s Operations Manager, said: “OJC is delighted to welcome our first Belgian Library Member, strengthening the Collective’s membership in Europe and further evidencing the benefit of working together to build a sustainable alternative to commercial publishing.”