Whitworth Library joins OLH LPS model

We are extremely pleased to announce that Whitworth Library has joined the Open Library of Humanities’ Library Partnership Subsidy system. Founded in 1890, Whitworth is a private, residential, liberal arts institution affiliated with the Presbyterian church. Whitworth’s mission is to provide its diverse student body an education of mind and heart, equipping its graduates to honor God, follow Christ, and serve humanity. Whitworth’s community of teacher-scholars is committed to rigorous and open intellectual inquiry and to the integration of Christian faith and learning.‌

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.

Professor Martin Paul Eve, a founder and academic project director of the OLH, welcomed Whitworth Library: “We are delighted that Whitworth has joined the OLH model. It is clear that OA benefits institutions of all sizes with different remits and missions. With the help of institutions such as Whitworth, we will expand our model so that humanities research can be available for all to read.”

Library director, Amanda Clark, states: “While the physical book endures as a significant anchor in media experience, the future of periodicals is rapidly shifting; it is the charge of academic libraries to safeguard both the quality of scholarly discourse as well as the viability of freely disseminated knowledge.”

Libraries outside the US, UK, EU or Canada interested in joining the OLH Library Partnership Subsidy model should contact Professor 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. European libraries can sign up at http://lps.openlibhums.org.