Curtis Brundy

Open Access Agreements –for single institutions and consortia, and whether labeled "transformative" or otherwise –require publishers and institutions to negotiate and manage elaborate, multi-year contracts that impact budgets and research practices. Data collection and analytics are a critical component for these discussions today. This session will outline key elements of the most common OA agreements, together with "breaking news" insights from a study examining the extent of "transformation" seen to date in the research community. The panel of publishers and librarians will discuss emerging best practices and tips learned along the way. They will share the importance of good data, open communication, and transparency in the process. Viewers will walk away with a better understanding of how to approach the most common deals, how to better prepare for these negotiations, and to operationalize the end result. Viewers will be polled throughout the session and encouraged to share their own stories of success and struggle as the drive toward "open science" and "open research" continues to remake so many previously established practices.

In the wake of OA2020 and Plan S, publishers are increasingly under pressure to enter into transformative agreements that transparently shift their business model from subscription to one based on open access publishing services. Embarking on such a transition can be extremely daunting for publishers, considering their rightful concern over long-term economic sustainability. Other issues have also become apparent. Many publishers and libraries lack the business knowledge to match author affiliations with subscription revenues/costs. Large publishers may be ready for a cost-neutral transformative agreement based on per-article charges, but an APC-based model may not work for other publishers/disciplines/institutions. Past attrition rates and subscription price increases have made both publishers and libraries wary. And the historic transactional relationship between publishers and libraries has given little opportunity to develop trust. Yet in recent months, a growing number of publishers have chosen the path of absolute customer engagement and transparency in order to define the terms of a new economic model or transformative agreement. This panel will offer perspectives from successful publisher-library collaborations that have led to forward-looking agreements and new business models. Panellists, comprising sets of publisher-library dyads, will share their insights into how transparency and trust transformed their relationships from partisan contracting parties into collaborative partnerships.

In the ever-evolving Open Access landscape, staying on top of the latest technologies, funding opportunities, library deals, and innovative offerings of smaller publishers and platforms can be as challenging as it is rewarding. Between tracking manuscript eligibility, archiving accepted manuscripts, navigating the headache of 'who pays APCs?', and all the different deal types and record keeping, there is simply too much for stakeholders to manage in fully embracing open science. The speakers will touch on the success of workflow solutions such OA Switchboard and newer innovation ideas like Plan P, to highlight how these technologies and innovations can bring important efficiencies for librarians, authors, and publishers through transparent and centralized workflows in eligibility, approval, payment, and reporting of APCs. Panelists will discuss how communication and collaboration between publishers, institutions, solutions partners, and funding organizations is key to creating a diverse and equitable open science ecosystem. Our experts will share experiences around what makes a successful partnership and how to best work with all stakeholders in quickly delivering effective technologies. Attendees will engage with the panel through high level presentations, discussion and at designated Q&A intervals. We would love for viewers to discuss challenges they may face in adopting the innovations on show or other novel solutions - our panelists are keen to provide insight in addressing these barriers. We hope to demonstrate that meaningful progress towards open access hegemony is possible for smaller players, and to inspire viewers to connect with the unusual suspects in their networks - the results can be surprising!