and that researchers can aspire towards. Since launching in 2023, this scheme has grown to now also include Liverpool John Moores, The University of Reading, and the University of Wolverhampton as collaborators.
Alternative models Exhibition at Lancaster University.
to allow research colleagues the option to discuss their engagement with open research practices when developing pro- motions cases.
These criteria illustrate the kinds of evidence that can be submitted to our University’s Academic Promotion Com- mittee to guide it in making judgements on applications for academic promotions. The inclusion of open research in these criteria is not a box-ticking exercise, instead it illustrates to colleagues that their engagement with open research practices can be included as evidence in making these cases, which will be judged on the quality and strength of the evidence presented. By including open research in this criterion, we are framing open access books as a positive career op- portunity, not a risk. Finally, the Library has also developed a university-wide open research award, which aims to recognise
and celebrate colleagues who are engaging with open research practices.
Using our library budgets Another area where we have identified the library has power and influence is the use of our budget to support schemes and initiatives that can further the sustainable, widespread adoption of open access books. One example of this is the ‘Trailblaz- ers’ programme, an initiative developed by our library in collaboration with the University of Liverpool, University of Salford and Liverpool University Press. The competitive scheme gives early career researchers the opportunity to publish their first open access monograph and take part in a series of publishing masterclasses. The aim behind the scheme is to provide more researchers with the opportunity to publish an open access book, and to present this form of publishing as some- thing that is of strong academic merit
We’ve also been proactive in using our budget to support alternative publishing models, such as Diamond Open Access initiatives, through consortia and mem- bership schemes. These models achieve the same outcome as Gold Open Access, but often at no fee to authors. It is our view that Diamond models can present better value for money, enable compliance with OA mandates at low costs and facilitate more equitable scholarly practices as au- thors do not face cost barriers to publish. Our library has furthered our support for these models by also acting as a partner on the Open Book Futures Project, which aimed to develop the infrastructure, workflows and collaborations necessary to enable sustainable adoption of open access books. The project supported and worked closely with a range of scholar led, grassroots and non-profit presses, many of which operate on Diamond open access models.
Advocating for sustainable scholarly publishing
As library budgets continue to be reduced due to the current financial context of the Higher Education sector, we will need to continue to advocate for these alter- native and more sustainable open access models. As a library, we collaborated with members of the N8, a consortium of eight research intensive university’s in the north of England, to publish the ‘N8 Statement on Sustainable Scholarly Publishing’. The statement was developed collaboratively by senior leaders across the N8 universities and calls on publishers to shift away from operating in a manner that no longer serves the interests of academic communities and offer limited innovation in how research is disseminated. The N8 statement commits our institution to facilitate a stronger role for mission-driven scholarly societies and non-profit publishers who are already leading the way in developing new, more equitable models.
Event and discussion at Lancaster University. June-July 2026
We believe that our experiences at Lancas- ter University demonstrate that libraries can play a role in shaping the research culture of our institutions to facilitate a culture in which open access book publishing is part of normal, everyday practice. However, achieving widespread and sustainable uptake of open access for books will require continued collective action. Institutions, funders, libraries, and publishers must work together to develop and support alternative, more equitable and more sustainable open access models. IP
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