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Ohio University Press has teamed up with University Libraries to make its open access titles available through OHIO Open Library, the University Libraries’ managed institutional repository.
The initiative currently encompasses 24 scholarly titles in African studies, Indian Ocean studies, Victorian studies, American history, as well as titles focused on public health, human security, peace, and justice. View the collection here: https://ohioopen.library.ohio.edu/oupress/ .
Financial support for the freely available e-books has been provided by Germany-based open access service provider Knowledge Unlatched (KU), which chooses select titles from scholarly presses worldwide. Along with KU, the Ohio University Press is collaborating with JSTOR’s Path to Open, Project TOME, and Michigan Publishing’s Fulcrum platform to release selected new titles as open access. The e-books are also available free from the Ohio University Press website at https://ohioswallow.com .
“We are continually seeking partners to provide a sustainable path to open access,” says Press Director Beth Pratt. “OU Press monographs are furthering important conversations and research, and the ability to make them openly available to Ohio University’s community is a natural step. I appreciate the efforts of our University Libraries colleagues in making this possible.”
Janet Hulm, assistant dean for collections and digitization strategies adds, “the Libraries are thrilled that Ohio University Press is participating in the open access movement through these partnerships. We appreciate the opportunity to have a role in the access and preservation of some of the significant work produced by the Press.”
Having the books available through OHIO Open Library increases their visibility and accessibility and facilitates one-stop research for patrons already using library resources as well as readers worldwide. In fewer than 30 days, these titles have already been used by readers in Canada, Australia, India, Spain, and beyond.