Plan S: LIBER Calls on Libraries to Share Successes & Challenges On the Road to Compliance
Plan S will be a focal point for Europe’s research libraries in the coming months as systems and working routines are adjusted to meet the plan’s requirements.
LIBER appreciates the latest guidance, which matches our strategic goal of making Open Access the main form of scholarly communication by 2020. At the same time, we recognise the complexities and challenges faced by research libraries to implement publishing or update services to follow Plan S.
Recent adjustments to the Plan S guidelines — making it more inclusive, allowing libraries all over Europe to participate and addressing many of LIBER’s earlier concerns — are welcome, as are clarifying notes on how to work with stakeholders in terms of transforming existing green and hybrid platforms to an outlet for immediate Open Access to academic content. For a thorough analysis of the updates in detail, we recommend this article by SPARC Europe.
Libraries still face uncertainties, however, in terms of the exact steps needed to become Plan S compliant. That is why LIBER, through our Open Access Working Group, wants to identify and feature the experiences of libraries which are already working on becoming Plan S compliant and/or moving towards 100% Open Access.
Share Your Plan S Experience
We want to hear your successes, challenges and learning points related to the three ways of dissemination of research outputs that are laid out in the Plan S guidelines:
- Publication of Open Access Journals or operation of Open Access Platforms (Plan S requirements are: DOAJ listed; not have a mirror/sister subscription journal; transparent costing/pricing; APC waivers for authors).
- Depositing of Scholarly Articles in an Open Access Repository (Plan S requirements are: Platform uses PIDs (preferably DOI); high-quality metadata; machine-readable information on the OA-licensing).
- Negotiation of Transformative Arrangements (Plan S strongly encourages institutions and consortia to develop new transformative agreements and will only financially support agreements after 1 of January 2021 where they adhere to the ESAC Guidelines).
At LIBER 2019, Rita Pinhasi from University of Vienna gave the presentation ‘Are We Plan-S Ready?’ with an analysis of how a library can start working on becoming compliant. This is one example of the type of work LIBER would like to feature and share.
How to Take Part
Is your library already working on initiatives for full and immediate open access? Have you figured out how to make your repository or publishing operation Plan S compatible? Have you negotiated a transformative agreement?
Please contact Sofie Wennström, Chair of the Open Access Working Group, who can arrange to document your experience and share it with the LIBER community.
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