Launch of Directory of Open Access Books by Eelco Ferwerda

Official Launch of the Directory of Open Access Books

OA Monograph in HSS conference1 July 2013, British Library, London

Eelco Ferwerda

Director of OAPEN Foundation

DOAB

• Discovery service for OA books• Searchable index to peer reviewed

monographs• Links back to Open Access

publication• + links to webshop and vendors

DOAB development

• First conversations at COASP 2009, Lund• Developed with Lars Björnshauge and

SemperTool (founders of DOAJ)• Launched in beta version in April 2011• Purpose of beta: find out about user

needs:– Survey– Online discussion

DOAB user needs

• Requirements and standards concerning quality control are warmly welcomed

• Provide transparency about procedures used (icon system?)

• As long as these standards remain flexible and open to a variety of quality control mechanisms, from editorial control to open peer review and post publication review

• Focus should remain on the outcome, not on the procedure used

DOAB requirements

Established by OAPEN in consultation with OASPA:

• Academic books in DOAB shall be available under an Open Access license (such as a Creative Commons license)

• Academic books in DOAB shall be subjected to independent and external peer review prior to publication

DOAB dissemination

• Connecting with libraries– OAI harvesting, DC, MARCXML, CC0 license

• Connecting with content aggregators– WorldCat, Base, Serial Solutions, Europeana

• Search engine optimization– Schema.org model for books

• Integration with OAPEN Library– Automated import of CC-licensed books

Our goals

• Increase discoverability of OA books• Provide authoritative list of OA book

publishers• Support quality assurance and

standards• Promote OA book publishing

DOAB support

DOAB will follow the example of DOAJ, sustaining its activities through financial support from the stakeholder community (libraries, consortia, commercial aggregators and publishers)

– Contributors: ad hoc contributions– Members: fixed yearly fee– Publishers: voluntary fee based on # books– Sponsors

Since launch in beta

• 22 49 publishers (10+ pending)• 700 1450 OA books

Recognized by librarians:• Best New Product (2012)

– Award sponsored by Charleston Advisor• Best Free Reference Web Site (2013)

– Selected by Reference and User Services Association (ALA)

Thank you!www.doabooks.org

@DOABooks

Eelco Ferwerdae.ferwerda@oapen.org

The Directory of Open Access Books

is now open