Illinois State University’s Milner Library has reported progress in expanding open-access (OA) publishing agreements that support faculty and student research. Since 2020, the library has negotiated 15 OA agreements with scholarly publishers, resulting in the publication of 138 articles by 314 authors. About one-third of the published works included student contributors, and the agreements have saved authors nearly $470,000 in publishing charges.
The initiative reflects the university’s strategic plan, which emphasizes broader access to scholarly and creative activity. Faculty and students benefit from waived processing charges, removing financial barriers to publication and widening opportunities for dissemination.
Milner’s OA program also supports student success through ISU ReD, the university’s digital repository, which became the default platform for theses and dissertations in 2024. ISU ReD now records nearly 2.4 million global downloads and hosts peer-reviewed OA journals, conference proceedings, research outputs, and student-led projects. Current journals in the repository include the International Journal for Business Education, Jeffers Studies, Journal of STEM Teacher Education, Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics, and Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders.
The repository provides indexing, digital object identifiers (DOIs), and long-term preservation for ISU-affiliated scholarship. Library officials noted that OA initiatives enhance the discoverability of research across disciplines, elevate institutional visibility, and expand access for global audiences.
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