The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) has formalized a new support agreement with the Partnership Among South Carolina Academic Libraries (PASCAL), creating a streamlined path for 55 academic libraries across South Carolina to contribute to DOAJ’s long-term sustainability. The partnership reflects a growing shift among US libraries toward financially supporting community-led open infrastructure as a public good.
The agreement is expected to particularly benefit smaller member libraries within the consortium, enabling them to maintain access to high-quality, peer-reviewed open access content. DOAJ-vetted journals can be activated as a single collection in PASCAL’s shared Alma system, helping participating institutions ensure consistent access to trusted academic materials.
The collaboration also reinforces the extent to which PASCAL libraries rely on DOAJ’s metadata and discovery tools in their day-to-day operations. With frequent use of DOAJ’s services for both discovery and journal validation, the partnership helps safeguard a key part of the open research ecosystem.
This initiative contributes to DOAJ’s ongoing mission to enhance visibility and quality assurance for open access journals worldwide. By supporting DOAJ, PASCAL affirms the value of curated, accessible, and transparent indexing services that serve both institutions and end users.
DOAJ currently indexes more than 21,000 peer-reviewed open access journals across science, medicine, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Agreements like this one play a vital role in strengthening the infrastructure that underpins global open access publishing.
The partnership highlights how regional academic consortia can play a pivotal role in sustaining community-driven scholarly infrastructure, demonstrating a scalable model for supporting openness in research on both local and international levels.
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