Direct to Open Post-Launch: The Institutional Perspective

Since MIT Press’s Direct to Open (D2O) launched, 180 institutions (and counting!) have signed onto the library collective action model. Though based on a tiered structure—larger institutions pay a higher price and so on—the model has found more support and buy-in from larger libraries and consortia. What holds smaller institutions back from joining the project? Are there other major open access investment opportunities currently in the market? Overall, what is the institutional perspective when considering open models? In this second episode, Emily Farrell, Library Partnerships and Sales Lead at MIT Press, and Curtis Brundy, Associate University Librarian at Iowa State University, reveal the institutional perspective gleaned from the past year of D2O. They discuss the hurdles smaller institutions face when choosing to participate in open publishing, as well as the solutions that consortial relationships offer in return. Last, Emily and Curtis dig into the growing connection between scholarly communication and collections, and the possibilities libraries and publishers create through collaboration and mission alignment. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!