The MIT Press has released its 2025 Direct to Open (D2O) Impact Report, offering insights into the program’s growing influence in expanding access to scholarly knowledge. The report underscores the increasing global reach of open access publishing at a time when higher education and the dissemination of reliable information face significant challenges.
Direct to Open (D2O) is a collaborative, library-supported model that shifts scholarly publishing away from a traditional market-based system, where institutions and individuals purchase single eBooks, toward a framework that funds open access monographs collectively. By ensuring immediate and unrestricted access to academic works, the initiative lowers barriers for global readers and enhances the visibility of critical research.
Since its launch, Direct to Open has facilitated the open publication of 320 books. Data from the program indicates that open access Humanities and Social Sciences titles are used 2.26 times more frequently and receive 8% more citations than non-open equivalents. Similarly, open access STEAM publications see 1.6 times greater usage and a 5% increase in citations. The report highlights the significance of these trends in an era where ensuring broad access to reliable, peer-reviewed knowledge is increasingly vital.
According to Amy Harris, senior manager of library relations and sales at the MIT Press, collaborative efforts continue to drive meaningful change in scholarly publishing. She emphasized that Direct to Open demonstrates the power of institutional partnerships in expanding the public knowledge commons, ensuring that influential ideas reach a wider audience and have a lasting impact.
The 2025 Impact Report also details additional program milestones:
• As of February 2025, Direct to Open titles have been accessed 705,000 times.
• Open access books under the D2O model receive twice the usage of non-open access titles.
• A total of 13 library consortia and 407 libraries have participated in supporting the initiative.
The full 2025 Direct to Open Impact Report includes further insights, along with testimonials from authors and library partners. Institutions interested in participating or supporting the program can find more information at mitpress.mit.edu/D2O or contact the MIT Press library relations team at mitp-library-relations@mit.edu.
Click here to read the original press release.
