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Through the University of North Texas’ investment in IGI Global e-Collections, the institution was able to support publishing the
Handbook of Research on the Global View of Open Access and Scholarly Communications, edited by Dr. Daniel Gelaw Alemneh, from this institution, under platinum OA. Additionally, this initiative is providing unlimited OA article processing charge and chapter processing charge conversions for their institution.
This collaboration is the first of its kind through IGI Global to result in a full platinum OA reference book being fully supported with this initiative and is truly transformative as it provided the institution the ability to receive flexible OA support, increases the accessibility of research, mitigates double-dipping, and supports inclusive OA practices. Find below additional information on this unparalleled, flexible model and how this library-publisher collaboration is paving the way to push the industry forward in OA.
The Challenge
Throughout the academic community, there is the collective understanding that open access is pivotal for increasing the accessibility and discoverability of academic research. It can bring a multitude of benefits, as it provides immediate, unrestricted access to the latest research, which can accelerate citation impact, create a more equitable research community, and pave the way for discoveries and developments. However, as the OA movement and models have evolved, there has been the continued challenge of funding OA resources and a lack of communication and standards between researchers, libraries, publishers, and OA funders. Additionally, libraries are faced with the looming reality of budget cuts, double-dipping by larger publishers, and navigating negotiations of complicated transformative agreements.
Through these shortcomings and to assist libraries in overcoming these challenges, IGI Global expanded their
Open Access efforts to enable libraries to maximize their investment in their e-Collections and, based on the agreement reached, provide
100% OA article processing charge or chapter processing charge support for published content,
funding to convert journal(s) to platinum OA, and/or
support for funding OA reference book(s). Through this initiative, they focus on providing libraries with common sense pricing, transparency, and opportunity for increased savings to enable a streamlined acquisitions experience. Additionally, this collaboration with the University of North Texas ensures that there is no “double-dipping” and provides a sustainable source of OA funding, including for retroactive OA conversions.
“Our ultimate goal is to ensure that research becomes widely accessible and that we are supporting the next generation of research development,” explains Mr. Nick Newcomer, Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “This model allows us, as a publisher, to support our staff and maintain our high-quality processes while publishing OA resources, while also ensuring that libraries are able to affordably access the research their patrons need and become leaders in the OA movement.”
The Opportunity
Through this model and IGI Global’s customer-focused approach, IGI Global’s Team continually collaborates directly with their library customers to create customized solutions for each institution. This includes The University of North Texas, USA, who was interested in acquiring IGI Global single titles. Based on their interest, a review was completed of their institution, and IGI Global was able to discuss enhancing their acquisitions through IGI Global’s
e-Book Collection for 2000-2021 content (IGI Global’s full e-Book Collection through 2022 content contains nearly 6,600+ e-books).
“I am grateful to IGI Global for its innovative thinking on how to leverage UNT's purchasing of IGI Global content to create additional opportunities for publishing scholarship as open access content. This offer has allowed Dr. Alemneh to ensure his publication came to fruition without delays related to financial barriers that can arise in other publishing models.”
— Coby Condrey, Collection Development Liaison Librarian, University of North Texas Libraries, USA
Through brief phone calls, IGI Global was able to propose customized, flexible pricing on their e-Collections, which led to UNT expanding their acquisitions to include IGI Global’s
e-Journal Collection (110+ e-journals featured in prestigious indices, including Web of Science and Scopus).
The Results
Through UNT acquiring these e-Collections, they were not only able to save a significant amount of money on their single-title acquisitions through the value of purchasing through the collections, but were also able to provide their institution with access to all of the research published by UNT faculty, and staff, as well as the work of researchers around the world while also being able to take advantage of IGI Global’s
OA Initiative.
Benefits of This UNT Collaboration with IGI Global
- Faculty’s published work was considered for immediate conversion to OA
- Institution was able to support having a reference book be published under Platinum OA
- Supports the overall OA movement & increases accessibility of resources
- Increases the library’s investment in acquisitions at a better overall value
- The Institution has access to the latest research through IGI Global e-Collections
- E-Collections are hosted on the InfoSci® platform, which features no DRM, remote access options, no additional charge for multi-user licensing, and more
- Boosts recognition for researchers at the University of North Texas
- Increases accessibility and diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Provides flexible pricing and acquisitions options
- And more
Unlimited OA Conversions & Full OA Reference Book Funding
Based on their acquisitions, IGI Global was able to provide
OA article and chapter processing charge funding up until a full year after their initial purchase. Additionally, based on the analysis conducted by IGI Global, they were able to agree on opening up the title, the
Handbook of Research on the Global View of Open Access and Scholarly Communications edited by Dr. Daniel Gelaw Alemneh, the Digital Curation Coordinator at University of North Texas. The book was released in May 2022.
View the Webinar Recording
Dr. Daniel Gelaw Alemneh, along with Brittany Haynes of IGI Global, and contributing authors on the title came together on May 25, 2022 to discuss how this Open Access (OA) book on the topic of OA was made possible through a transformative OA collaboration with the University of North Texas and IGI Global. They also spoke on the equitable impact of OA knowledge and information sharing capabilities. This event has been recorded and is open to everyone, and is ideal for researchers and librarians looking to continue the dialogue around the OA movement and future collaborations.
With this OA funding, all UNT researchers that submitted an article or chapter to an IGI Global publication and were accepted (after the peer review process) were considered for immediate conversion to freely publish under OA, during the specified timeframe. This enables them to reap the benefits of OA, which include having their research published under a CC BY license, benefit from up to an 89% higher download rate and increased citation impact, increased indexing potential, support for career advancement, and more, including that faculty’s published work will be considered for immediate conversion to Open Access (CC BY License), at no additional cost to the library or its faculty.
“The book presents global solutions, endeavors, projects, and ideas about OA. Therefore, being published in the same modality it is promoting makes logical sense and will help to spread the word about this form of publication,” explains Dr. Daniel Gelaw Alemneh (pictured right). “Being widely available without the financial restrictions will allow the messages within the chapters to reach more people and will allow it to be used by individuals and institutions globally, not just by those that can afford to purchase rights. Considering the wide range of topics discussed in the book and the ease of obtaining a digital copy, it will also increase the use as an OER textbook and ultimately help to further spread accurate and critical information about this important topic.”
It also pushes the envelope of these models to include OA book funding, while pushing the standard of ensuring that these agreements also widely support diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“Through institutions’ support in publishing OA reference books, this not only provides a unique opportunity and expands the acceptance of OA books but can truly support DEI in the overall industry and enable researchers outside of the institution to enjoy the benefits of these initiatives,” explains Ms. Brittany Haynes, Assistant Director of e-Collections. “Our expert Editorial Team ensures that each of our edited reference books has international perspectives to them and with over 40% of IGI Global contributors coming from non-Western countries, it provides the ideal opportunity for those in developing countries and underfunded institutions to also have their research published under OA.”
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| Handbook of Research on the Global View of Open Access and Scholarly Communications | Prof. Daniel Gelaw Alemneh (University of North Texas, USA)
©2022 | 300 pgs. | EISBN: 9781799898078 | - Published under Platinum OA through IGI Global’s Transformative OA Initiative
- Suitable for Educators, Researchers, Library
Professionals, & More - Covers Topics such as Open Education Resources,
Scholarly Communications, & Equity - Excellent Addition to Your Institution’s Library
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Through the opening up of full publications under platinum OA and support of initiatives such as this one, it paves the way for the publishing industry to provide more transformative options and more flexibility for institutions as publishers, researchers, and libraries alike navigate the OA movement and work to provide equitable OA opportunities not just for researchers at institutions with the ability to support these initiatives, but to provide an avenue to increase these inclusive and international collaborations.
IGI Global’s e-Collections: Access to the Latest, Peer-Reviewed Research
In addition to benefiting from this OA funding, the University of North Texas is also able to provide IGI Global’s full collection of research through:
- e-Book Collection: IGI Global’s entire e-Book collection contains 6,600+ e-Books (120,000+ Chapters with More Than One Million References) of Peer-Reviewed Research in 11 Academic Subject Areas
- e-Journal Collection: IGI Global’s entire e-Journal Collection contains 110+ e-Journals (30,000+ Articles with 1,000,000+ Citations) Featured in Prestigious Indices, Including Web of Science and Scopus
This enables the library’s patrons to access the latest, peer-reviewed content that spans 350+ topics in 11 core subject areas, including business, computer science and IT, education, science and engineering, and social sciences. Additionally, as all of IGI Global’s content is hosted on the InfoSci® platform, it provides flexible access and remote options, as many institutions are currently operating in hybrid learning environments.
InfoSci® Platform Features
- No DRM
- No Additional Charge for Multi-User Licensing
- No Embargo of Content (Electronic Format Available Months in Advance of Print)
- No Maintenance, Hosting, or Archiving Fees
- Full-Text PDF and HTML Format
- COUNTER Compliant Reports
- Continuously Enhancing & Innovating Accessibility Compliance Features
- Free MARC Records
- Archival Access through CLOCKSS
and LOCKSS - Formatted Citations with the Ability to Export to RefWorks and EasyBib
- And More
Conclusion
Overall, through the University of North Texas’ collaboration with IGI Global, it is paving the way for an enhanced opportunity to continue to momentum around the OA movement. It also showcases the importance of publisher and library collaboration in ensuring that libraries, researchers, and the overall academic community can benefit from peer-reviewed research, high-quality OA publishing opportunities, and OA funding.
Additionally, it showcases how through collaborations like this, libraries can truly maximize their budgets and benefit from a truly sustainable OA options. It is IGI Global’s hope to continue to support the OA movement and provide innovative Open Access Solutions.
This piece was originally published on Feb. 3, 2022, and was updated with the most current information on June 9, 2022.
Librarians: Interested in taking advantage of this initiative, reviewing your holdings, or learning more information about IGI Global e-Collections?
Contact your international representative below:
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Mr. Nick Newcomer,
Vice President of
Sales & Marketing
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Ms. Brittany Haynes,
Director of e-Collections (Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, & Southwest)
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Ms. Genevieve Robinson,
Director of Content Solutions (Pacific Coast, West, & Canada)
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Mr. Richard Illingworth,
Director of Sales
(EMEA, Australia & New Zealand)
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Ms. Yvonne Li,
Managing Director of IGI Science and Technology, Ltd.
(IGI Global’s Subsidiary Office in Beijing, China)
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| | Contact | Contact |
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About IGI Global
Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA with a subsidiary office (IGI Science and Technology, Ltd.), operating out of Beijing, China, IGI Global is a leading international academic publisher committed to facilitating the discovery of pioneering research that enhances and expands the body of knowledge available to the research community. Working in close collaboration with expert researchers and professionals from leading institutions, IGI Global disseminates quality content across 350+ topics in 11 core subject areas, including business, computer science, education, engineering, healthcare, social sciences, and more. All these publications have been contributed by over 150,000+ industry-leading researchers and experts worldwide, ensuring that each title contains the most emerging and timeliest research. To learn more about IGI Global,
click here.
Newsroom Contact
Emma Baronak
(717) 533-8845 ext. 183
ebaronak@igi-global.com
www.igi-global.com