We are delighted to share that the University of Essex has joined the Open Journals Collective. The OJC is dedicated to transforming the way that academic research is supported and disseminated. Essex’s support for our Multidisciplinary Collections will be instrumental in helping us achieve our objectives: making journals free to read and publish in, providing a viable alternative to commercial transformative agreements, and empowering journals to flip to diamond open access.
The University of Essex Library team is committed to open research. Their five strategic pillars, encompassing “knowledge and culture for everyone” and “enabling the open education and research environment”, place openness at the heart of their thinking and strategy. These strategic priorities are being turned into reality through their approach to open access.
By supporting a variety of different models of open access publication, including investing in nonprofit, community led initiatives such as the Open Journals Collective, the University of Essex are contributing toward an open publishing landscape that enables an increasing number of opportunities for equitable open access. We look forward to partnering with them as a valued member of our Library Board.
Hannah Crago, Open Research Development Librarian at the University of Essex, said “It’s great to be able to join OJC to contribute toward an open publishing landscape that enables everyone to experience the benefits of OA. We know our researchers are already publishing with OJC journals, so to be able to support both our researchers’ chosen publication venues and the wider community shows the added value achieved through diamond OA.”
Jonathan White, University Librarian and Director of Knowledge Engagement at the University of Essex, said “We are delighted to become members of the Open Journals Collective and support the national infrastructure enabling open publication of research. Being a member of the OJC supports our strategy to create and foster the right environment and culture for open research to thrive, and for our researchers to fully embrace it”.
Tom Shaw, the Open Journals Collective’s Library Engagement Lead, said: “I’m delighted to welcome the University of Essex as members of the OJC! Their bold and ambitious commitment to open research and open knowledge is impressive, and the support of libraries such as Essex is essential if we are to fully realise our vision of a more equitable and sustainable system of scholarly journal publishing”.
Professor Caroline Edwards, the OJC’s Executive Director, said “We’re really excited to partner with the University of Essex. OJC has an ambitious vision to challenge exploitative commercial business models whilst also addressing funding gaps within the diamond open access publishing ecosystem. With the support of library colleagues at institutions such as the University of Essex, we can begin to realise this vision and protect bibliodiversity in research production and dissemination.”