The Library is keen to support open access publishing where possible.
One of the ways we do this is by contributing to a publisher’s open access book publishing programme, so that book titles can be made freely available to everyone.
MIT Press Direct to Open
We have participated in the MIT Press Direct to Open initiative (along with 300 other organisations), so that the MIT Press 2025 list of 80 titles can now be published open access. The books will begin publishing in February and the titles will be added to our LibrarySearch catalogue in due course. See here for more information on the initiative.
Scottish Universities Press
The University of Stirling Library is also a member of the Scottish Universities Press (SUP), a new open access publishing press, run on a not-for-profit basis by Scottish university libraries. Books published with SUP are freely available online to anyone, with some copies also being printed on demand. Books go through a rigorous peer review process and authors retain their copyright. The press is funded by subscriptions and in-kind contributions from member institutions. The first book was published in October 2024:
Ingold, T. et al. (2024) Conversations with Tim Ingold : anthropology, education and life. Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Universities Press.
If you are a researcher, and you are looking to publish an open access book, see their website for details about submitting a monograph proposal.
OAPEN Foundation partners with UKRI
The OAPEN Foundation recently entered into a partnership with UKRI, with the result that all open access books funded by UKRI will be included in the OAPEN Library from January 2025. You can access these books in LibrarySearch.