Join us in Charleston this November for a Preconference on making backlist monographs open access!
Tuesday, November 4, 2025, 1pm-4pm ET
Cost: $0
Presenters:
- Dave Hansen, Executive Director, Authors Alliance
- Miranda Bennett, Director of Shared Collections, California Digital Library
- Peter Potter, Executive Director, DeGruyter eBound
- Charles Watkinson, Associate University Librarian, University of Michigan Library
- Kate McCready, Program Director for Open Publishing, Big Ten Academic Alliance
While most scholarly monographs are made available in eBook format immediately on publication today, a critical mass of older academic books remain available only in print. This is a challenge to researchers in the humanities in particular, because the half-life of humanities scholarship is long and studies remain relevant for decades.
Initiatives to bring back-list monographs into ebook availability have had mixed success. Some have led to lawsuits that have polarized libraries and publishers. This has led some librarians to despair about whether collaborative approaches are possible and to explore other access options. In most cases, librarians have had to simply forgo digital access to books, even if they own them in print.
Join us at this free-to-attend preconference to brainstorm ways to make backlist monographs not only available as ebooks but also open access. The presenters will discuss how publishers, librarians, and rightsholders can explore shared challenges and opportunities to realize a common vision in ways that do not undermine the fragile ecosystem of book publishing. This pre-conference is made free-to-attend through the support of the Authors Alliance, California Digital Library, the De Gruyter eBound Foundation, and University of Michigan Library.
More information about the Charleston Conference, and how to register, here.
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