Transformative agreements move to the centre of library strategy, report finds

Choice – a publishing unit of the Association of College and Research Libraries – has published a report examining how academic libraries are approaching transformative agreements and open access as part of wider institutional research strategies.

The report, Transformative Agreements, Open Access and Research Impact, is the latest in Choice’s series of research reports designed to provide actionable intelligence on issues affecting the academic library community. Produced through a collaboration with Wiley, the study explores the role that academic libraries play in the evolving transformative agreements landscape, as well as the challenges and opportunities institutions face.

Transformative agreements (TAs) have become an increasingly important mechanism in the shift from traditional subscription models towards open access publishing. As institutions place greater emphasis on research visibility, compliance with public access requirements and international research impact, TAs have moved higher up the strategic agenda for many libraries.

The report presents findings from a survey of U.S.-based academic libraries, examining their attitudes towards institutional research priorities, open access publishing objectives and the adoption of transformative agreements.

Commenting on the publication of the report, Choice Editor and Publisher Bill Mickey said: “Transformative agreements are reshaping the relationship between scholarly publishing, open access, and institutional research priorities. This report offers a timely look at how academic libraries are approaching these changes and the opportunities and challenges that remain ahead.”

The research was funded through a contribution from Wiley.

“Transformative Agreements, Open Access and Research Impact” has been published under a CC BY-NC 4.0 licence and is available from Choice360 Research Papers.