hometown 4.5.18+hometown-1.2.1Open access academic book publishing • Editor at Open Book Publishers • ScholarLed • COPIM Project • Open Access Books Network • Studying 19thC theatre & adaptation • @alittleroad@hcommons.social on Twitter • Opinions are mine but they're CC BY. She/her.
Now I am in the conferencing groove -- I will be at @UKSGofficial@mastodonapp.uk representing @copim@hcommons.social! I'll also be very happy to talk all things @OpenBookPublish@hcommons.social and Open Access Books Network 📚 🔓
Looking forward to attending my first UKSG, reconnecting with a lot of the people I saw so recently at #CopimConference and meeting many more folks in Glasgow!
I'm excited to be chairing a panel discussion on scholar-led #OpenAccess book publishing at the #CopimConference at the end of this month!
I'll be asking 'Where are the new scholar-led OA presses & how can we support their emergence?' alongside Niki Rhyner, Julien McHardy and @zwhnz@hcommons.social
In-person registration (free!) ends at the end of the week ⌛
Online registration (also free!) is available too 💻
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-next-for-community-led-open-access-book-publishing-tickets-1753736566279
Want to know how to make #OpenAccess books accessible?
Join this free webinar on 27 April & hear from Joanne Fitzpatrick at @copim@hcommons.social community, Richard Orme of DAISY Consortium & James Rice of The White Horse Press on why accessibility matters and the tools and strategies that can help:
CALL TO ACTION: How you can support @hello@hcommons.social
Because the Open Access Books Network supports Knowledge Commons' mission, has high regard for their services & benefits from their work, it is encouraging everyone to consider financially supporting Knowledge Commons: https://openaccessbooksnetwork.hcommons.org/2025/09/16/a-call-to-action-how-you-can-help-knowledge-commons/
I've just signed up as a regular monthly contributor -- it's very straightforward to do and a very good place to send any cash you can spare ✅
I've written a blog post for #OAWeek on the implications of using different types of open licence for #OpenAccess books.
When a more restrictive open licence is applied to a book (e.g. CC BY-NC-ND), who gets to make decisions about usage that falls outside the open licence?
This was an interesting post to write. I've heard anecdotally that this is an issue of increasing concern, especially to libraries whose budgets are often funding OA fees that are frequently justified on the basis that publishers expect low or no income from OA book publishing -- so I hope it's an interesting read also.
https://blogs.openbookpublishers.com/who-owns-open-knowledge/
The Thoth open metadata management and dissemination platform for #OAbooks, developed by @COPIMproject is now on Mastodon @Thoth_metadata@hcommons.social!
Follow them for all things open metadata #MetadataMatters #OpenAccess #OpenInfrastructure
For #OAWeek, the Open Access Books Network and University of London Press bring you a resource focused on how to include material that you *don't* own in your open access book.
Based on the expertise shared at the ‘From Permission to Publication: Managing Third Party Materials in Open Access Books’ webinar, we bring you 'Frequently Asked Questions on Third-Party Materials in Open Access Books':
OA WEEK: Next week (20-26 October) is #OAWeek!
At the OABN, in collaboration with
@copim@hcommons.social, we've gathered as many online events as we can find that relate to OA books or open infrastructures & shared the details in this post:
👉 https://openaccessbooksnetwork.hcommons.org/2025/10/15/international-open-access-week-2025-events/
If we’ve missed anything, let us know at info@oabookstnetwork.org.
Happy OA Week!
RECORDING: the recording of the Open Access Books Network's recent webinar, 'Publishing Open Access Books: Insights from ERC-Funded Authors', organised with the kind support of the ERC Executive Agency, is now available to view and share:
Great post from Tom Morley at Lancaster University Library about applying for an OLH Open Access Award grant last year & using the money 'to facilitate a research culture in which #OAbooks publishing is part of normal, everyday practice.'
Contains some really practical, achievable steps for shifting publication culture among academics.
(Also provides fresh evidence that the 'OA books don't come in paper form' myth refuses to die... Keep showing off the paper copies!)
