Open access policies : aligning strategies and services

Abstract

Early on in the new millenium, institutions began to invent policies which aimed at maximizing access, dissemination and (re)use of research results via open access. Open access makes research findings available free of charge to readers and is a core element of open science strategies, e.g. those of the European Commission. Since then open access policies have been steadily growing in number, with now a total of over 600, some of them already the second or third iteration. However, what is the rationale for an institution to care about open access policies and their implementation? On the one hand there are certainly already enough regulations and institutional agendas, on the other, such a policy can be a good instrument to formulate a common goal and to set a framework for actually achieving this goal. Such a policy will need to involve a wide range of stakeholders to be successful: in particular researchers, research managers and administrators, and librarians. To not unduly increase the administrative burden or create confusion alignment with existing funder mandates is advisable. Most prominently, the European Commission’s Open Access Mandate, and national policies need to be taken into account