The global crisis in monograph publishing is impacting on authors, readers and publishers in every market. Those located in smaller markets face particular challenges. Monograph sales have declined by as much as 90% over the past thirty years and publishers are struggling to cope with digital disruption. This presentation looks briefly at why monographs are in trouble and asks whether Open Access has a role to play in reviving markets for this kind of book and addressing challenges of diversity and equality in scholarly communication landscapes.

Knowledge Unlatched is one example of an attempt to create a globally coordinated route to open access for book length Humanities and Social Science monographs. It is doing this by helping libraries from around the world to work together to secure open access for specialist book-length publications. During the project’s proof of concept pilot, more than 200 libraries from 18 countries are sharing the costs of ‘unlatching’ a collection of 28 new books. Libraries taking part in the pilot are sharing the payment of a single Title Fee to publishers in return for open access. As more libraries join the cost for each library declines.

Date: Friday 28 February 2014

Time: 10:30

Venue: Seminar room 1 of the Research Commons (Merensky 2 Library, Level 4)

RSVP with [email protected] by 26 February 2014.

Enquiries: Leti Kleyn 012 420 3876/[email protected]

About the Speaker: Dr Lucy Montgomery is Deputy Director at Knowledge Unlatched. She is also a Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellow at Queensland University of Technology and a Visiting Fellow at the Big Innovation Centre in London. Her own research explores the role of digital technology and intellectual property in business model innovation in the creative industries. Dr Montgomery trained as a China specialist at the University of Adelaide, before going to complete a PhD in Media and Cultural Studies at QUT. She is particularly interested in understanding the impact of transformative technological change on intellectual property and the growth of the creative economy. Her book, China’s Creative Industries: Copyright, Social Network Markets and the Business of Culture in a Digital Age is published by Edward Elgar.