Document Type
Newsletter
Publication Date
5-1-2025
Abstract
A recent Inside Higher Ed article asks the question, what happens if libraries can’t buy ebooks? While this may sound dramatic, it is the reality libraries now face as some publishers move to limit libraries’ ability to buy single titles as ebooks or in print. This inability to buy a single title can disrupt teaching and research which is often dependent on a single title. “Faculty who design courses around specific texts may suddenly find essential works unavailable due to licensing changes.” Instead of single title purchasing, vendors are offering subscriptions to large packages of titles. These are of course more expensive and often include content not relevant to research and teaching needs at DePauw.
Subscription-only models create an uncertain future. For libraries to provide equitable and continuous access to scholarly resources vendors must provide multiple purchase options. Libraries will continue to pressure vendors to maintain the ability to purchase single titles, but the option that gives us the most control is open access book publishing. Publishing open access means the book is available to everyone; no barriers, no future limits on access.
DePauw appreciates the opportunity to provide support for publishing open access monographs embodying and reflecting the values of the liberal arts, via a press governed by its supporting members.
Recommended Citation
Peters, Victoria and Cox, Brooke, "May 2025 Table of Contents Newsletter - Open Access Books" (2025). Table of Contents Newsletter. 28, Scholarly and Creative Work from DePauw University.
https://scholarship.depauw.edu/library_news/28
Comments
DePauw Libraries provide support in a variety of ways for faculty who wish to publish open access or find titles that are open access for use in teaching and research.