CAUL marks 100,000 open access articles across Australasia
The Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) has announced a major milestone in the development of open access (OA) publishing across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, with the publication of its 100,000th open access article through a consortium agreement.
CAUL first established OA agreements with two small publishers in 2020 and has since expanded significantly. Its portfolio now includes 26 publishers, spanning small society presses through to some of the world’s largest academic publishing platforms.
“It’s a wonderful privilege to be Chair of the CAUL Board at this milestone,” said Kylie Percival, University Librarian at Curtin University and Chair of the CAUL Board of Directors. “Hundreds of library staff, publishers, and the CAUL Office have been involved in making these agreements a success over the years – a real testament to what can be achieved across the sector when we all work together.”
The consortium’s OA agreements have played a significant role in reshaping funding flows for scholarly publishing. By leveraging library financial resources and expertise, CAUL has implemented models that contain costs for researchers while expanding access.
Collectively, these agreements have now exceeded $500 million in article processing fees saved – costs that would otherwise have been paid directly by universities and researchers to publishers.
“Working in partnership with Universities Australia and Universities New Zealand, CAUL has fundamentally shifted the conversation with global publishers and secured sustainable pathways to open publishing that reduce both financial and administrative burden for researchers and institutions,” said Hero Macdonald, University Librarian at Deakin University and Chair of the CAUL Content Procurement Committee. “This impressive milestone reflects CAUL’s commitment to advancing a more equitable and sustainable scholarly communications system, and the impact that we have delivered for the sector.”
Jane Angel, CAUL CEO, said: “100,000 articles demonstrates real benefit not only to our university community, but to all of society by making research freely accessible to everyone and not just those with library access.”
Looking ahead, CAUL’s 2026-28 strategic plan will continue to build on this momentum, with a focus on transforming knowledge ecosystems to support greater equity and access. The organisation also acknowledged the contribution of its members, publishing partners and wider sector stakeholders in reaching the milestone.