University of Leicester joins OLH LPS model

We are extremely pleased to announce that the University of Leicester has joined the Open Library of Humanities’ Library Partnership Subsidy system. Leicester is ranked in the top 25 universities in the Times Higher Education REF Research Power rankings. The Power ranking takes into account both the quality of research and the number of research-active staff who made REF returns. Research power is important because it gives a strong indication of a combination of world-class research, international impact, critical mass and sustainability.

The Open Library of Humanities is an academic-led, gold open-access publisher with no author-facing charges. With funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the platform covers its costs by payments from an international library consortium, rather than any kind of author fee.

Dr. Martin Paul Eve, a founder and academic project director of the OLH, welcomed Leicester: “I am personally delighted that Leicester has joined the OLH LPS model. Open access could bring so much benefit to our disciplines, but careful design is needed to put the different needs of the humanities at the centre of any system. With the help of universities like Leicester, we will expand our model to achieve this.”

Joanne Dunham, Head of Collections & Information Systems, added, “Our University is committed to Open Scholarship and realising the benefits it brings to developing and sustaining partnerships, collaboration and the dissemination of knowledge. We are, therefore, delighted to support the innovative publishing model being developed by the Open Library for the Humanities and look forward to further development of the consortium.”

Journals wishing to join the platform should submit an initial enquiry to martin.eve@openlibhums.org. After the September launch of the OLH, applications will be be subject to the platform's joining procedure. Libraries outside the US and UK interested in joining the OLH Library Partnership Subsidy model should contact Dr. Martin Paul Eve: martin.eve@openlibhums.org. UK-based libraries can join through Jisc Collections at http://www.jisc-collections.ac.uk/Catalogue/Overview/Index/2120. US-based libraries can join through LYRASIS at https://lyrasis.openlibhums.org.