Open Access (OA) is growing every year. The agreements that EIFL has negotiated with publishers for waived or discounted Article Processing Charges (APCs) are one of the drivers of this global growth.

It is important that library consortia and libraries in EIFL partner countries can monitor the open access publications by affiliated authors. This information enables them to observe the impact of university strategies for open access, and to report progress to all stakeholders.

However, gathering open access publication data is challenging, involving many hours of effort, and it is complex due to the many systems and processes used by publishers.

The OA Switchboard initiative is addressing this issue by providing automated real-time alerts to research institutions/libraries and funders about open access publications of affiliated authors. This article-level metadata will enable EIFL to ensure that authors in our partner countries who are eligible for waivers and discounts negotiated by EIFL are receiving them. EIFL will also be able to provide standardized, timely and accurate publication-level metadata to partner library consortia and libraries.

Rima Kupryte, director of EIFL says:

“We are delighted to sign an agreement with the OA Switchboard. This important initiative will facilitate improved quality and timeliness of metadata about publications by authors in EIFL partner countries. The OA Switchboard has the potential to streamline the management of open access publishing for all parties and is fast becoming part of the essential infrastructure needed to support information sharing.”

Yvonne Campfens, executive director of OA Switchboard says:

“We are very happy with EIFL joining as we’re committed to supporting all OA business models and policies, and strive to provide support globally. The central information exchange hub grows stronger with every participant, becoming a better tool for all.” 

Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, The Company of Biologists, and The Royal Society are among the publishing partners already participating in the OA Switchboard. Other publishers with whom EIFL has negotiated APC agreements are in the process of joining.

EIFL will work with the OA Switchboard to ensure that library consortia in EIFL partner countries benefit from the shared metadata and infrastructure this service is providing.