KU’s University Senate unanimously approved a resolution adopting principles of open access at the university. The resolution outlines two key components. First, it encourages KU scholars to publish in open access journals and/or archive their articles in KU’s open-access digital repository, KU ScholarWorks.
Second, it encourages the libraries to include open access as a guiding principle in journal negotiations for the university and to “prioritize openness by crafting agreements that advance open access and other methods of open dissemination for research outputs.”
The resolution was put forth in part as a continuation of KU Libraries’ open access initiatives, which include publisher negotiations. Negotiations working toward providing the best possible collections have been challenged by the costs of large journal packages, particularly those by large commercial publishers such as Elsevier, SAGE, and Wiley, as journal packages and other collections costs continue to rise.
KU has an impressive history of support and advocacy of open access. In 2009 and 2010, Faculty Senate passed the KU Faculty Open Access Policy, asserting faculty rights to make their published scholarly articles openly accessible. KU was the first public institution to adopt an open access policy. The newest resolution, approved in April 2022, reaffirms the university’s and KU Libraries’ shared commitment to open access initiatives.
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