Open Journals Collective launches to give libraries ‘exit ramp’ from big deals
The Open Journals Collective (OJC) has announced the launch of its official investment campaign, inviting libraries to back a sustainable, community-led alternative to commercial scholarly publishing models.
Positioned as a scalable response to commercial “big deals” and so-called “transformative agreements”, OJC offers libraries a single mechanism to support a broad range of diamond open-access journals, without the administrative burden of multiple individual agreements.
OJC aims to return control of scholarly publishing to the academic community by enabling libraries to invest collectively in three launch collections, covering 284 DOAJ-indexed diamond open-access journals across arts, humanities and social sciences (AHSS), and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Rather than negotiating numerous small agreements, libraries participate through a single, tiered membership model designed to protect bibliodiversity and sustain journals that are free to read and free to publish.
Participation routes are tailored by region. In the United States, the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) and its NERL licensing programme act as the primary billing agent, with no additional consortial fees. In the United Kingdom, libraries can sign up through Jisc’s Licence Subscriptions Manager, integrating the process into existing workflows. Libraries elsewhere can join by contacting OJC directly, with invoicing available in multiple currencies.
“Working together, libraries can build a sustainable, more equitable future for academic journals publishing that transitions away from unaffordable commercial models,” said Professor Caroline Edwards, one of the Directors of OJC. “Our model enables high-quality journals to ‘flip’ away from subscription structures into a fully diamond environment, reducing financial barriers while strengthening long-term resilience”.
OJC is governed by its member libraries, with funds distributed through a transparent, library-led funding committee. A forthcoming OJC Library Hub will provide usage data and evaluative reports to support evidence-based investment decisions.