WE BUILD CAPACITY TO PUBLISH OA JOURNALS AND SET UP OA REPOSITORIES

Grace Mugira, a librarian at the University of Nairobi library works at the computer uploading to the Digital Repository Unit.

Grace Mugira, librarian at the University of Nairobi library. The university has adopted an open access policy that has helped to populate the university digital repository with over 112,360 documents (June 2023).

THE CHALLENGE

Open access (OA) can be implemented in two main ways. A researcher can deposit a copy of an article and data in an OA repository or can publish articles in OA journals. As scholarly communication evolves, new skills and competencies are required to publish OA journals and launch and support OA repositories.

The EIFL Open Access Programme (EIFL-OA) works to ensure that OA journal managers/editors and OA repository managers/administrators are trained and have the skills needed to manage their OA journals and OA repositories effectively.

Bozana Bokan (Center for Digital Systems (CeDiS): Open Access/e-Publishing, Freie Universität Berlin) provides an overview of Open Journal Systems (OJS) software functions for librarians and OA journal publishers during an EIFL webinar.

WHAT WE DO

We build capacity to publish OA journals and OA monographs, and set up OA repositories by organizing webinars, workshops and other knowledge-sharing activities. Watch some of EIFL’s OA training webinars online.
We provide expertise, consultancy and mentoring to OA journal editors/publishers and OA repository managers from EIFL partner countries on issues related to OA policy developments, software updates and functionalities, and copyright management.
We publish useful resources, such as EIFL’s checklist of tips for setting up and managing OA repositories using DSpace software, and EIFL’s checklist of good practices in using Open Journal Systems Software (OJS).
We are a partner in the ‘Developing Institutional Open Access Publishing Models to Advance Scholarly Communication’ (DIAMAS) project that will develop common standards, guidelines, best practices and formulate recommendations for research institutions to coordinate sustainable support for diamond publishing across Europe. Diamond Open Access refers to a scholarly publication model in which journals and platforms do not charge fees to either authors or readers.

GET INVOLVED

Want to know more? Contact EIFL Open Access Programme Manager, Iryna Kuchma: iryna.kuchma@eifl.net.

The webinars have been informative in nature, helpful and they have provided knowledge on a wide scope of software to choose from. The recorded webinars have provided ample time to review and further understand the presentations.

- Judith Nannozi, Head Librarian at Uganda Martyrs University