Parallel Session 6 – Practising Openness II
Date: Thursday, 2 July 2026, from 09:00 to 10:30
Moderator: TBC
Location: R2
6.1) From Library Collection to College Curriculum
Presenter: Rene Tanner, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, United States of America
In the United States higher education landscape, the escalating cost of course materials remains a significant barrier to student success and retention. When textbooks and required media are not bundled with tuition, a pedagogical “equity gap” emerges: many students are forced to choose between accumulating additional debt or attempting coursework without the necessary materials. There is a growing institutional need for libraries to serve as proactive partners in mitigating the costs of educational resources through Open Educational Resources (OER) and licensed library materials.
This presentation will explore a transformative model where the academic library is integrated directly into the university’s formal course approval process. By positioning librarians as reviewers in the early stages of curriculum development, the library gains a strategic window to evaluate the “affordability profile” of new courses.
This intervention allows for two critical points of engagement:
- Consultative Review: Librarians can identify high-cost textbooks or restricted media and initiate conversations with faculty about equivalent OER or existing library-licensed resources that are free for student use.
- Strategic Support: The library can assess whether it can acquire multi-user licenses for required materials, effectively shifting the cost from the individual student to the institutional level.
The presenter will provide an in-depth look at the review system implemented at a large U.S. university. They will examine how data gathered during the course approval process is fed back into the collection development and renewal process. By tracking which materials are consistently required across the curriculum, the library can make evidence-based decisions on which licensed databases and e-book packages provide the highest return on investment for student learning.
Attendees will leave with a framework for navigating departmental politics to secure a seat at the curriculum table. The presentation will demonstrate that when the library moves from the periphery to the center of course design, it does more than save students money—it ensures that the lib
6.2) Leaving Read & Publish Agreements to Preserve Academic Freedom and Access to Knowledge
Presenter: Aurélie Terrier, Cantonal and University Library of Lausanne, Switzerland
In the context of an uncertain financial environment and rising costs of electronic resources provided by major publishers, academic libraries must rethink their strategies to ensure a sustainable access to scholarly knowledge. At the Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire de Lausanne (BCUL) in Switzerland, Read & Publish agreements now represent 61% of the library’s electronic resource budget, absorbing a growing share of the budget at the expense of specialized databases, thematic ebooks, and smaller publishers. This concentration threatens bibliodiversity, strengthens the oligopolistic dominance of large publishing groups, and limits the library’s ability to support a diverse publishing ecosystem.
To address these challenges, the University of Lausanne and the BCUL prepare for a gradual transition away from the Read & Publish model by developing a fund to support Open Access publishing in hybrid journals while retaining only a targeted set of subscriptions. This approach increases cost transparency, provides strategic flexibility, and enables a more balanced allocation of resources. It also strengthens academic freedom by ensuring researchers’ choices are not constrained by the presence or absence of transformative agreements.
This presentation will outline the analysis that revealed the growing dependence on Read and Publish agreements, the tools and indicators used to continue delivering services, and the anticipated impacts on costs, content access, and the university’s Open Access strategy.
In a period of uncertainty, this shift helps libraries regain autonomy over spending decisions, protect editorial diversity, and reaffirm equitable access to knowledge as a fundamental mission.
6.3) Shaping Sustainable Scholarly Publishing through the European Diamond Capacity Hub and National Capacity Centres
Presenter: Pierre Mounier, European Diamond Capacity Hub (EDCH)
In an increasingly complex and fragmented scholarly communication landscape, research libraries can play a crucial role supporting and promoting community-led, equitable publishing efforts that enable access to knowledge and provide the model and structure for sustainable open solutions. The European Diamond Capacity Hub (EDCH) – an ongoing OPERAS program– takes the lead in this mission by offering services and coordinating a distributed network of National Capacity Centres (NCCs) that support Diamond Open Access (Diamond OA).
Building on the outputs of the DIAMAS and CRAFT-OA projects, the EDCH was created to serve as a central infrastructure fostering alignment, sustainability, and robustness of Diamond OA services and tools across the European landscape. It operates by facilitating coordination among NCCs, providing a platform for visibility and knowledge exchange, and streamlining services in support of publishers, service providers, and technology partners. Together, these national centres strengthen the Diamond OA ecosystem by offering regional support, advocacy, and capacity-building in ways that are responsive to specific regional community needs.
This presentation will show how research libraries and key Diamond OA actors can exercise purposeful leadership to sustain an open scholarly infrastructure and invest in Diamond OA. We will showcase how NCCs, as part of the broader EDCH network, are emerging as centres of excellence that drive the adoption of standards (such as the Diamond Open Access Standard (DOAS)), encourage collaboration, and empower local communities of practice. National Capacity Centres play a pivotal leadership role within the European Diamond Capacity Hub by acting as trusted national posts for Diamond Open Access.
To date, the EDCH has identified 21 National Capacity Centres, of which 11 are fully established and 10 are currently in development. This reflects both the maturity and the growth potential of this distributed publishing model. Embedded in local research and library ecosystems, NCCs bridge European-level coordination with national contexts of legislation, education, and research, ensuring that policies, standards, and capacity-building efforts are adapted to local needs. By providing hands-on support, guidance on best practices, and pathways to professionalisation for Diamond OA publishers and service providers, NCCs enable libraries to move beyond advocacy and into action-oriented leadership. This model of distributed national Diamond OA centres strengthens resilience across the scholarly publishing landscape, empowering national communities to co-develop, co-own, and sustain open, non-commercial publishing infrastructures while remaining aligned with shared European goals.
This presentation will highlight how the EDCH mission strengthens Diamond OA and coordinates with key European and global stakeholders. It will demonstrate the strategic role of research libraries in championing initiatives like the EDCH and promoting inclusive, community-led knowledge production and sharing. It will also explore community-led governance models that enable shared decision-making, effective stakeholder engagement, and accountability.
Specifically, the presentation will explore:
- National Capacity Centre functions: Acting as national representatives, raising awareness, and offering training and practical guidance for implementing Diamond OA locally.
- Impact examples: Showcasing already established NCCs leading regional Diamond OA efforts and driving adoption of standards and best practices.
- Cross-institutional collaboration: Amplifying impact through partnerships that promote inclusive participation and strengthen the Diamond OA ecosystem.
- Challenges and lessons learned: Insights from coordinating NCC activities, managing resources, and aligning regional efforts to broader European goals.
This presentation will offer participants concrete insights into how research libraries and trusted partners are exercising leadership in collaboration with the European Diamond Capacity Hub and the National Capacity Centres. By examining the role of National Capacity Centres in practice, the session will highlight transferable leadership approaches that support sustainable, community-owned scholarly publishing and can be adapted to diverse national and institutional contexts.