Open at Scale: Exploring the Value and Impact of the BTAA’s Open Publishing Agreement Model
Maurice York
Vice President for Library Programs
Big Ten Academic Alliance
Jeffrey Spies
Contract and Data Specialist
Big Ten Academic Alliance
From 2021 to 2024, the libraries of the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) paved the way for a dramatic increase in open access publishing by Big Ten authors—from 38% to more than 86% open in library-negotiated agreements. This was accomplished by innovating the Open Publishing Agreement (OPA) model, a strategy centered on the author experience: no fees, no caps, and no hassle. This values-based approach has delivered significant benefits for author rights, widespread author adoption, and measurable increases in research impact. This presentation will describe the current effort to explore the network of data from Big Ten publications—citations, authors, disciplines, and institutions—to further analyze the impact of these agreements: lowering barriers, expanding opportunities for authors, expediting knowledge sharing, and advancing research. Utilizing network visualizations, the BTAA is examining indicators of impact, such as shifts in citation patterns and global engagement that are directly evident from this initiative. The presenters will also discuss their strategic negotiation approach, including practical elements they are developing, such as the assessment rubric, license agreement terms, and evidence metrics.
https://btaa.org/library/open-scholarship/strategy
Advancing Open Monograph Opportunities at UC: New Pathways for the Future
Lidia Uziel
Associate University Librarian, Research Resources and Scholarly Communication
University of California, Santa Barbara
Miranda Bennett
Director of Shared Collections, California Digital Library
University of California
In January 2026, the University of California (UC) Libraries released Advancing Open Monograph Opportunities at UC, a report that articulates a values-driven framework for advancing open access monograph publishing. In this session, speakers will present the report and share how its recommendations are being translated into practice through coordinated pilots across the UC system.
While journal-based open access (OA) models have matured, monographs (particularly in the arts, humanities, and social sciences) pose distinct challenges shaped by disciplinary norms, funding structures, and the publishing economics of long-form scholarship. The report responds to this complexity by advancing a model-agnostic, portfolio-based approach that recognizes the diversity of publishing traditions and avoids reliance on any single funding mechanism.
Four strategic directions anchor the framework: targeted investment in book processing charge-based initiatives aligned with institutional research and teaching priorities; expanded support for Diamond OA and free-to-read models that remove both author- and reader-facing fees while advancing bibliodiversity and multilingual scholarship; strengthened partnerships with university presses as trusted stewards of peer-reviewed work; and sustained investment in open, community-owned infrastructure that ensures discoverability, metadata quality, preservation, and long-term sustainability. These strategies are guided by shared scholarly values, including equity, fiscal responsibility, transparency, and community stewardship.
The session will include highlights and lessons learned from UC’s implementation of this framework through systemwide pilots that open UC-authored monographs at no cost to authors, combine frontlist and backlist approaches, and provide predictable, scalable support for university presses. Together, the framework and pilots demonstrate how a large research university system is aligning values with action, offering practical insights for institutions seeking sustainable futures for open monograph publishing.
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9r22k58w
https://osc.universityofcalifornia.edu/2026/01/advancing-open-monograph-opportunities-at-uc-new-pathways-for-the-future/
https://osc.universityofcalifornia.edu/2026/01/open-access-for-uc-authored-monographs/
