The MSU Libraries have signed a three-year “transformative” read-and-publish (R + P) agreement with the De Gruyter publishing house to provide default open access publishing for all articles by MSU authors in De Gruyter journals. This arrangement means that MSU lead authors publishing in these journals will no longer have to pay the usual De Gruyter article processing charge, which can amount to hundreds of dollars. MSU-authored articles will be visible to all readers, even those without an MSU Net ID, increasing the visibility of MSU research on the internet. The agreement also gives readers with an authenticating MSU Net ID access to articles in a full set of 347 De Gruyter subscription journals.
Dean of Libraries Joseph Salem said the agreement represents a new way the MSU Libraries are working to support research, teaching, and learning. “This deal will relieve some significant financial burdens on faculty who are working to publish in their fields of study,” Salem said. “We’re covering some costs that individuals or departments were once responsible for, and we’re advancing open access to MSU research.”
MSU Libraries Head of Collections Steven Sowards described the three-year deal as a valuable way to explore new models in academic publishing and said it should open many doors for campus readers and authors. “We’re really pleased to provide access to the rich content on degruyter.com and to help MSU researchers publish their discoveries through open access,” Sowards said. “De Gruyter publishes journals in a wide range of disciplines, not only STEM but also the social sciences and humanities.”
De Gruyter Sales Director David Celano said the publishing house has been supporting open access publishing on an article, journal, and book level for more than 15 years. “We’re looking forward to working with MSU authors and the MSU Libraries to support and promote open access research from Michigan State University,” Celano said.
This read-and-publish agreement gives MSU Libraries access to a dashboard that allows for easy administration, fast-tracked article approval, and detailed reporting features. It is De Gruyter’s third read-and-publish agreement in the United States (after Iowa State University and Virginia Commonwealth University).
The Michigan State University Libraries are at the center of academic life at MSU and provide expertise, collections, and infrastructure for discovery and creation. The Libraries facilitate connections that support research, teaching, and learning in local and global communities. This investment in making connections includes a commitment to providing equal access to Library collections, services, and facilities for all library users. The Libraries employ an Open Educational Resources (OER) and Student Success Librarian and recently launched a faculty incentive program for course affordability. Earlier this year, the Libraries joined the Open Textbook Network, a diverse community of higher education institutions that promote access, affordability, and student success through the use of open textbooks. The MSU Libraries have nearly eight million unique titles. Last year, MSU Librarians conducted 646 instruction sessions and workshops, reaching a total of 27,167 people. The reference staff handled 14,331 questions in person, by phone, and online. The Library borrowed 16,163 items from other libraries for MSU users and loaned 63,939 items from our collections to other libraries.
Following is a link to De Gruyter's press release about this agreement: https://www.degruyter.com/dg/newsitem/366/de-gruyter-and-michigan-state-...
