The University Library (UL) is strongly committed to promoting equitable open access through Diamond Open Access (OA) publishing models, which provide free access to content for both authors and readers.
The Diamond Open Access (OA) model seeks to address the inequality issues inherent in other OA models, such as Gold Open Access, which often require authors to pay high publication fees. However, because Diamond OA initiatives do not generate revenue through subscriptions or publication fees, they frequently face challenges in securing sustainable funding. Instead, they often rely on institutional support and similar resources to maintain their operations. The library is proud to support the following initiatives and journals:
Supported Diamond Open Access journals: Subscribe to Open (S2O)
The Subscribe to Open (S2O) model enables institutions to "subscribe" to traditionally closed journals, with subscription fees used to make the publications Open Access at no cost to authors. For the content to become Open Access, journals often need to meet an annual subscriber quota. The following journals are supported: Open Anthro collection, Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis, Pedagogiek, Tijdschrift voor Genderstudies, Economics, Sociology.
Supported Diamond Open Access journals: EUR Library Fund or donations
The following journals have received funding from the library via the Diamond Open Access Fund or donations: Erasmus Institute for Philosophy and Economics, Erasmus Economics & Theology Institute, Sociologie, Journal of Trial and Error.
Supporting Diamond Open Access books: Direct to Open (D2O)
Similar to S20, the Direct to Open (D2O) model flips monographs (instead of journals) to Open Access, making them available for free to other universities across the world. We have participated in MIT Press Direct to Open titles, Bloomsbury’s 'African Studies and International Development’ pledge, and the Knowledge Unlatched SDG 13: Climate Action 2024 eBook collection pledge.
Leading the national project ‘Strengthening Diamond Open Access in the Netherlands’
The library is leading the three-year project (2024-2026) ‘Strengthening Diamond Open Access in the Netherlands’ supported by the Dutch Consortium of University Libraries (UKB). The project aims to reinforce and future-proof the current national Diamond OA publishing through three key strategies:
- Mapping the Diamond OA landscape in the Netherlands;
- Developing cost-efficient collective infrastructure for journals and books, with a focus on openjournals.nl and library-led university presses;
- Establishing an expertise center on Diamond Open Access.
More information about the project is available here.