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Austrian Science Fund announces support of Open Library of Humanities

FWF to support of new Birkbeck-led model for open-access publishing in the humanities disciplines

The Austrian Science Fund (FWF) has announced its support of a new Birkbeck-led model for open-access publishing in the humanities disciplines.

The FWF, which aids the ongoing development of Austrian science (including the humanities) and basic research at a high international level, has agreed to support the Open Library of Humanities’ (OLH) Library Partnership Subsidy system at a rate equivalent to 15 institutions from 2016-2020.

The OLH platform is directed by Dr. Martin Paul Eve and Dr. Caroline Edwards of Birkbeck's School of Arts, and allows access to peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles without requiring readers to pay. Prior to its launch this summer, the pioneering platform was awarded a three-year grant of $741,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The FWF has become the first public funding agency to support OLH.

Dr. Eve, welcomed the FWF. He said: “It is wonderful to have the support of the FWF and we are most grateful for their contribution. As a forward-thinking public research funder, it is clear that FWF and its funded research will benefit from open access. We will use this funding to extend our journal flipping model in the humanities disciplines.”

Dr. Falk Reckling, Department Head of Policy, Evaluation and Analysis at the FWF said: “We are very happy to support OLH. OLH not only allows authors from the Humanities to publish without costs, it also offers a professional platform for journals to switch to Open Access.

“And even more important, OLH has develop a very fair crowd-funding model which shares the cost for professional publishing services among research institutions and funders worldwide. Finally, together with the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna we hope our initiative will lead to an Austrian consortium which ensure a sustainable funding of OLH.”

About the OLH

  • Unlike many emerging “gold” open-access models, the OLH does not charge authors to publish. Instead, it is funded by an international library consortium whose members recognise that the greatest benefit for the academy and society will only be realised when access to scholarly work is not based on an exclusionary pay-to-read system.
  • Since opening for library partnerships earlier this year, over 140 institutions from around the world have already signed up to support the OLH platform financially, many pledging multi-year support upfront.
  • 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. US-based libraries can join through LYRASIS.


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