Sustainability of Open-Access Author Fund: A Case Study of Faculty Usage Patterns and APC Cost

Authors

Jayati Chaudhuri, California State University - Los AngelesFollow
Adele Dobry, California State University, Los AngelesFollow

Date of this Version

Summer 6-16-2023

Document Type

Article

Comments

We would like to acknowledge Sarah Baker for gathering references for the article.

Abstract

The California State University, Los Angeles Library established a pilot program on Open-Access (OA) Author Fund in 2018. This article presents information about the management of the University Library's Open-Access Author Fund. Particularly, this article focuses on faculty usage of the OA Author Fund by colleges, disciplines, and publishers. Additionally, the authors examined the article processing charges (APCs) and self-archiving policies of the top open-access journals where Cal State LA faculty publish. This analysis will assist the University Library’s Open-Access Group to understand if the University Library needs to provide additional funding and explore new ways to sustain the funding. Our research also revealed that librarians in specific academic areas can be more proactive in educating, explaining, and initiating conversations with disciplinary faculty about the benefits of open-access publications.