‘‘ T
HE negative impact for libraries of commercial academic journal publishing needs little introduction. The
prevailing business models are systemically problematic for libraries as well as for authors, institutions and society at large. Around 75 per cent of new journal articles published are still not immedi- ately open access, which makes research inaccessible to those without a subscrip- tion. Although gold open access has increased the rates of articles available immediately to all, its model of article processing charges (APCs) has created significant financial barriers, especially for authors without access to dedicated funds. And so-called hybrid journals, containing both paywalled subscription articles and open access articles funded by APCs within the same journal, have driven up total costs by introducing more APCs without corresponding reductions in subscription rates.
This is a situation that Transformative Agreements, which first appeared just over a decade ago, and were accelerated by the launch of Plan S in 2018, were supposed to improve. Yet Transformative Agreements have failed to have the gen- uine transformational impact the sector hoped for. In most cases costs have sim- ply been moved from ‘read’ to ‘publish’ and meaningful cost reductions, that are
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Diamond open access offers something genuinely different, with no author fees and no paywalls, making diamond journals free to read and free to publish in.
Power to change the journal model
Open Journals Collective’s Tom Shaw, Library Engagement Lead, and Sally Bell, Operations Manager, explain how the collective is building a sustainable future for academic journals.
urgently needed by the sector, have failed to materialise.
Added to this is the backdrop of the funding crisis facing universities in many countries, but particularly acute in the UK – 45 per cent of UK universities were in an operational deficit last year, with 73 per cent of UK academic libraries reporting in 2025 that they were making cuts due to reduced budgets. This is a sit- uation that continues to be dysfunctional and unsustainable.
Diamond
Yet there are alternatives to the world of multinational commercial publishing. Diamond open access offers something genuinely different, with no author fees and no paywalls, making diamond jour- nals free to read and free to publish in. Diamond open access is typically funded through membership fees, and embod- ies a genuine ethos of equitability and full, immediate openness to research. Diamond publishing is by no means new, and there are many vibrant and community-led diamond publishers, and related open infrastructure providers, around the globe. Indeed, many libraries have supported these types of initiatives for some time. However, the diamond environment is complex and geographi- cally dispersed, and most initiatives are small-scale, often based in one specific country or disciplinary niche. As a result, libraries haven’t been able to support
Tom Shaw.
diamond at scale, in a way that provides a viable alternative to the major commer- cial publishers. Until now that is.
Scaling up
The Open Journals Collective (OJC) officially launched in January 2026 with
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