Exploring the Societal Impact of Open Access
As we celebrate Open Access Week 2024, it's more important than ever to recognize the human impact that open access (OA) can have on communities worldwide. This year's theme, "Community Over Commercialization," challenges us to reflect on how OA initiatives prioritize knowledge-sharing for the benefit of society, not profit. We know our UMP Ebook Collection (our annual scholarly ebook collection, which is 75% Open Access) has been accessed 4,397,447 times in 236 countries since 2018 (according to the current readership map), and that's not even the entire picture, since our OA content is available through various other platforms worldwide. Although numbers can tell us a lot about where and how often open access titles are read, we have to dig in further to understand how OA can transform lives.
Over the last year and a half, we've published three studies that explore the real-world effects of open access—from examining how people use OA books in everyday life, to understanding the perceptions of authors and readers on OA publishing, to visualizing the impact of OA initiatives through the lens of mission-driven funding.
Read more about these studies here:
Impact Beyond the Numbers: How Do People Really Use Open Access Books?
By: Caroline Nemechek | Published April 2024
How Do University of Michigan Press Book Authors and Readers Perceive Open Access?
By: Ani Bezirdzhyan | Published January 2024
Visualizing the Impact of the University of Michigan Press Fund to Mission Initiative
By: Zhenkun Lin and Kelsey Mrjoian | Published May 2023
As a university press committed to Open Access publishing, it's important for us to measure both quantitative and qualitative data about usage. These three studies show how our efforts continue to uplift communities and democratize knowledge. Open Access Week is always a great reminder that the true value of scholarly work lies in its ability to reach and educate people.
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