Publisher-Library Discussions on OA and the Challenges of Author Charges

The Authority File

In July 2023, Taylor & Francis launched the Pledge to Open pilot, a collective model in which institutions can pledge funding for open access titles centered on global challenges. Jamie Hutchins, Director of Open Research, Americas for Taylor & Francis Group, joins TAF as the deadline for the pilot’s funding window approaches to discuss the program’s progress and detail how publishers can help academic libraries with the transition to OA. Jamie outlines the open access landscape in the Americas and Europe and highlights how models including Pledge to Open can enhance accessibility. He also underscores difficulties article processing charges (APCs) and book publishing charges (BPCs) pose to researchers and explains how Taylor & Francis works with library stakeholders to tailor models according to their goals.

In this first episode, Jamie describes how his team supports open access and open research in the Americas. Jamie details Taylor & Francis’s approach to OA partnerships with academic libraries, stressing the importance of starting with a global framework and then customizing agreements based on an institution’s needs and desired impact. As he explains, some partnerships require an education on available opportunities and engaging in library outreach. Jamie also covers the challenges of charges like APCs shifting focus onto authors rather than the library. He further considers ways the Americas differ from Europe when it comes to OA, namely how different states, disciplines, and institutions in the US often have varied funding availability.

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