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Open Access FAQ

Information and resources addressing frequently asked questions about open access publishing

Library Supported Open Access Initiatives

Vassar College Libraries are committed to championing open access by allocating resources and committing to national initiatives.¹

In addition to Read and Publish Agreements negotiated by the Libraries, the Libraries financially support the free public use of the below collections primarily through participant/ member fees and open access funding models such as Direct to Open and Subscribe to Open.

Direct to Open (D2O): libraries fund open access collections of ebooks through participant fees instead of purchasing individual titles or collections.
Subscribe to Open (S2O): libraries subscribe to a journal collection or S2O initiative. When sufficient funding goals are met, the collections are converted to OA, and made available for public use.

Ebooks & Journals

Berghahn Migration and Development Studies Collection
Each year, twenty front-list titles are added to the collection, covering international migration and movement as well as the social implications of economic and environmental change for communities
Berghahn Open Anthro
Berghahn Open Anthro is a subscribe-to-open model being piloted by Berghahn Books in partnership with Libraria. Vassar Libraries is one of over 300 supporting institutions.
EDP Sciences Open Math
Six mathematics journals are currently published in open access under the S2O model.

Hathi Trust
Collaborative repository of digitized books, magazines, journals, and government publications. Materials date from approximately 1530-to 2020.

JSTOR Path to Open
Path to Open is a collaboration between JSTOR, university presses, and libraries that addresses the challenges of funding open access (OA) books.100 titles in fall 2023, with 300 new titles added each year starting in 2024.

Knowledge Unlatched
A freely accessible collection of books and some journals from the open access program Knowledge Unlatched. Libraries contribute funds every year to open up a set of titles from publishers around the world.

Lever Press
Vassar Libraries, along with nearly forty member libraries of the Oberlin Group, have committed to creating and funding peer-reviewed, open access, digital-first monographs for scholarship in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

MIT Press Direct
Scholarly monographs from MIT Press. Subject areas covered include art and architecture, biomedical sciences, business and finance, computer science, cognitive science, design, education, environment, game studies, humanities, information science, linguistics, neuroscience, new media, philosophy, and social sciences. Includes open access titles as well as purchased content

Taylor & Francis Pledge to Open Pilot
Vassar College Libraries is supporing T&F Pledge to Open pilot, which aims to transform 70 front list research book titles into open access.
University of Michigan Press Ebook Collection
Vassar Libraries continue to fund the University of Michigan Press Ebook Collection (UMP EBC) however, rather than only funding access to a paywalled collection, an increasing percentage of titles become open access.

Primary Sources

American Prison Newspapers, 1800s-present: Voices from the Inside
Collection of periodicals from across the country that represent penal institutions of all kinds, with special attention paid to women's-only institutions. Source material comes primarily from university and state archives and libraries. Includes a basic search, minimal metadata, and no ability to narrow by state.
As of the date of description (2024-03-05), the sorting function does not work.
Student Activism
Archival print material and images produced by or related to student activist organizations, student governments, and the U.S. colleges and universities where they were active. Themes include apartheid, the civil rights movement, student democracy, anti-war protests, and more. National organizations represented include Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and Young Americans for Freedom. Date range: 1912-2009.
The larger source archival collections come from Bowling Green, Brandeis, Colorado State, Eastern Michigan University, Queens College, University of Arkansas, University of Maine, University of Missouri, University of South Florida, University of Texas Arlington, and Yeshiva University.
Documenting White Supremacy and its Opponents in the 1920s
Local, regional, and national newspapers published by the Ku Klux Klan and pro-Klan organizations. Also includes a selection of papers from Black, Catholic, and Jewish communities and organizations that actively opposed white nationalist rhetoric. Contextual information about both the content and development of the collection is available. Date range: 1912-1929
Reveal Digital will make this collection completely available open access once fundraising is complete. Currently only selected anti-Klan publications are now available to everyone; browse by title to see the open publications.
Independent Voices
Open access collection of U.S. alternative press publications produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, the extreme right-wing press and alternative literary magazines during the latter half of the 20th century. Basic search is available as well as the ability to narrow by broad themes. Minimal metadata is included and there is no information about where the original source material is held. Date range:1950-2016.
As of 2024-03-05, the sorting function does not work.