Advancing Long‑form Open Access Practice Project: Focus groups to shape next steps

As part of the Advancing Long-form Open Access Practice Project, RLUK, in partnership with SCONUL, ARMA, and UKRI, has commissioned Information Power to investigate the challenges and opportunities that UK research institutions are facing in responding to the evolving OA long-form publishing landscape.

We invite you to participate in one or more themed focus groups as part of our research. The goal is to plan and prioritise opportunities for UK institutions to accelerate their progress toward long-form open access (OA) publishing. During these discussions, we will explore how libraries are responding to the changing landscape of long-form OA publishing and the priorities and further steps needed for advancement.

Participants in the focus groups will help inform future recommendations to stakeholders regarding open access for long-form publications. Together you will identify opportunities for UK institutions to accelerate the transition to long-form open access, contributing to a strategic roadmap that can be customised for different institutions, partnerships, and regions.

We welcome interest from librarians and information professionals and research support managers. We will select participants to ensure participation from a diverse range of institutions and wide engagement.

The focus groups will be conducted online for 90 minutes each. Below are the dates and themes for each meeting. We encourage you and your colleagues to participate.

If you would like to attend, please complete the sign-up form at https://forms.office.com/e/xTQaAuShNW or email info@informationpower.co.uk including your name, role, and the specific workshop or workshops you would like to join.

We look forward to hearing from you by Thursday 30 April.

The dates and themes of the workshops are:

1. Tuesday, 5 May, 2pm – Validation and refinement of overview document

In this session we will discuss and refine on a pre-circulated document describing the current landscape for longform OA.

2. Monday 11 May, 2pm – Reallocating library spending and resources to advance long-form OA

This session will explore how scholarly publishing can achieve true sustainability for funding and staffing the provision of open access books. Additionally, how can we normalise open access as the default approach in library budgets?

3. Monday 18 May, 2pm – Funding affordable OA publishing and shared infrastructure

This session will examine how collaboration, collective funding models, and innovative publishing initiatives can operate at scale and be sustainable. We will also discuss the specific shared infrastructure librarians and researchers need.

4. Tuesday, 19 May, 11am – Compile evidence that demonstrates where affordable long-form OA is better

This session will consider what evidence libraries and research support offices need to provide to reassure that engaging in OA alternatives will not be detrimental to individual researchers or institutions.

5. Thursday 28 May, 2pm – Test alignment with STEM scholars

This session will address the challenges and tensions that STEM researchers encounter concerning long-form research outputs in open access, and how we can recognise these concerns while collaborating with them.

6. Monday 8 June, 2pm – Test alignment with HSS scholars

This session will focus on how we engage HSS scholars in conversations about long-form research outputs in open access and how we can work together to foster a culture of partnership.

7. Monday 15 June, 2pm – Developing a cost-effective safety net to support Green Open Access.

This session acknowledges that while many academics view Green OA as a “last resort” access route rather than a valued dissemination route, they support the principle that everyone should have access to their book or book chapter. We will discuss how a cost-effective Green OA safety net could be created.

8. Monday 22 June, 2pm – Influence funder long-form OA policies

This session will discuss what libraries would like funders to do, particularly for the REF and long-form OA. It will also explore what collaborations and evidence might be needed to influence funder long-form OA policies to achieve these objectives.

9. Monday 29 June, 2pm – Work with established long-form publishers on your terms

This session will focus on ways to encourage established book publishers to adopt innovative and sustainable long-form open access schemes. It will explore the necessary collaborations needed to create a sector-wide voice for engaging with these publishers, as well as the models or approaches libraries, research offices, and researchers would like them to implement.