It has become easier for Jisc member libraries to make a strategic choice and switch from buying scholarly books from the MIT Press once for a single collection to funding them once, open access, for the world while enjoying exclusive benefits including backlist access and trade collection discounts
July 28, 2021 (Cambridge, MA)— Today, the MIT Press announced that Jisc will handle central licensing and invoicing for Direct to Open (D2O) for their member libraries. An innovative, sustainable framework for open access monographs, D2O moves professional and scholarly books from a solely market-based, purchase model to a collaborative, library-supported open access model.
Developed over two years with the generous support of the Arcadia Fund, D2O gives institutions the opportunity to harness collective action to support access to knowledge. Thanks to the centralized service, Jisc libraries will not have to negotiate agreement terms and will be able to use the invoicing processes they are used to through the consortium.
Jisc libraries that commit to support Direct to Open before September 30, 2021 will earn exclusive benefits. They will gain term access to an archive of gated titles, including classic works by Rosalind Krauss, Daniel Dennett, Noam Chomsky, Paul Krugman, Sherry Turkle, and many more. D2O participating libraries also receive special discounting on the MIT Press’s trade books collection on the MIT Press Direct platform. If D2O does not reach the success threshold for 2022, participating libraries are assured term access to the archive collection without paying the fee.
“We are thrilled to have the support of Jisc in our mission to make scholarly monographs and edited collections available as widely and openly as possible,” says MIT Press director and publisher Amy Brand. “Their partnership will go a long way in helping to ensure the success of the D2O model. D2O will also guarantee that any author, regardless of their ability to source funding, is able to publish their accepted monograph open access with the MIT Press.”
Go here to learn more about Direct to Open or sign-up to become a participating library, or contact Emily Farrell, Library Partnerships & Sales Lead, the MIT Press.
About JISC
Jisc’s vision is for the UK to be the most digitally advanced education and research nation in the world. At its heart is the super-fast national research and education network, Janet, with built-in cyber security protection. Jisc also provides technology solutions for its members (colleges, universities, and research centers) and customers (public sector bodies), helps members save time and money by negotiating sector-wide deals and provides advice and practical assistance on digital technology. Jisc is funded by the UK higher and further education and research funding bodies and member institutions.
About the MIT Press
Established in 1962, the MIT Press is one of the largest and most distinguished university presses in the world and a leading publisher of books and journals at the intersection of science, technology, art, social science, and design. MIT Press publications are known for their intellectual daring, scholarly standards, interdisciplinary focus, and distinctive design. Direct to Open (D2O) harnesses collective action to support open access to excellent scholarship. When successful, the model will open access to all new MIT Press scholarly monographs and edited collections (~90 titles per year) from 2022 via recurring participation fees, provide participating libraries with term access to backlist/archives (~2,300 titles) which will otherwise remain gated, and cover partial direct costs for the publication of high-quality works that are also available for print purchase.