The Association of American Universities, the Association of Research Libraries, and the Association of University Presses have unveiled the conclusive findings of a five-year pilot project aimed at fostering sustainable digital publication and widespread accessibility of scholarly books.
Initiated in 2018 under the banner of Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem (TOME), the project marked a concerted effort to disseminate humanities and social science scholarship across the internet. The endeavor sought to seamlessly integrate peer-reviewed works into the broader network of scholarly and scientific research. The project engaged a consortium of over 60 university presses and culminated in the creation of more than 150 open-access scholarly works. These publications spanned a diverse array of disciplines including philosophy, history, political science, sociology, gender studies, and ethnic studies.
The five-year duration of the pilot was deliberately chosen, and the participating associations committed to evaluating its effectiveness for its intended beneficiaries. The resulting report examines whether authors, institutions, libraries, and presses that participated in the initiative found it beneficial. Author Nancy Maron from BlueSky to BluePrint spearheaded surveys and interviews with authors and TOME contacts at partnering institutions. These assessments aimed to gauge the advantages each entity gained from the pilot, from expanded global readership to fostering stronger ties among libraries, research deans, and faculty. In addition, Maron's preliminary research in collaboration with Kim Schmelzinger during the summer of 2021 evaluated the cost of publishing TOME monographs among the project's university press participants.
Distinguished as a unique endeavor within the realm of open-access initiatives, the TOME pilot established a network of institutional funders, garnered investments from participating institutions, and provided authors the freedom to publish with a university press of their choosing. The project's sponsors are enthusiastic about extending collaboration to libraries, presses, scholars, and open-access funding agencies to ensure the continuity of a networked open-access monograph publishing ecosystem, extending the legacy of the initial TOME pilot.
To further explore the implications of the pilot and ongoing institutional TOME activities, a virtual community conversation has been scheduled for September 6, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. EDT. All interested parties are invited to participate in this discussion.
Click here to read the original press release.
