Introduction to Knowledge Unlatched, a Wiley Brand
KU’s Mission
- Knowledge Unlatched (KU), owned by Wiley Wiley-VCH GmbH—a subsidiary of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.—is dedicated to advancing Open Access publishing. KU collaborates with publishers, funding institutions, and libraries to make scholarly books and journals freely accessible to readers worldwide.
- KU is renowned among libraries for its innovative Open Access "pledging" campaigns, where libraries across the globe collectively finance a wide array of Open Access book and journal collections. This model, often referred to as "library crowdfunding," was first introduced by KU in 2013 with the launch of a successful global pilot, which has since evolved into an annual initiative.
- KU’s mission is to streamline the publishing and funding of Open Access titles by partnering with publishers (the creators of scholarly content) and libraries or academic institutions (the funders).
- KU’s primary objective is to develop sustainable Open Access business models that benefit all stakeholders in the scholarly ecosystem, including researchers, authors, publishers, libraries, library patrons, and general users.
- KU’s Open Access models, known as Diamond Open Access, are based on the principle that authors and researchers should not bear the financial burden of publishing fees. Instead, Book Processing Charges (BPCs) are redirected to supporting institutions.
- In 2023, KU celebrated 10 years as a leader in Diamond Open Access, widely recognized by the publishing and library sectors as one of the most sustainable Open Access models. The article "10 Years of Knowledge Unlatched: Paving the Way for Diamond Open Access Monographs" offers a comprehensive overview of KU’s journey, mission, innovations, and future goals.
KU’s Role in the Open Access Market
- Each year, KU gathers financial support from libraries and academic institutions, redistributing these funds to publishers to cover the costs of Open Access publishing for scholarly books and journals. This ensures that book authors avoid Book Processing Charges (BPCs) and journal authors bypass Article Processing Charges (APCs).
- KU operates with a high level of transparency, keeping participating libraries informed at every stage of the pledging process. After each pledging cycle, libraries are updated on how their contributions are distributed.
- KU also maintains a publicly accessible document, the KU Collection Tracker, where libraries can monitor the "unlatching" of new books across all collections as they become available.
- KU actively seeks input from libraries through various channels, such as surveys, discussion groups, online meetings, and webinars, ensuring that the funded titles and collections are relevant, timely, and aligned with institutional needs.
- Since 2013, the focus has been on delivering high-quality, peer-reviewed content, primarily in the Humanities and Social Sciences, with increasing offerings in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
- Working with a broad and growing network of academic publishers, from large global publishing houses to niche and university presses, KU continually tests and refines its business models. This ensures the long-term sustainability of Open Access book and journal collections, allowing libraries to invest in them year after year.
KU’s Annual Pledging Process
- Each May, KU launches a new pledging round, inviting libraries worldwide to invest in its Diamond Open Access collections. This pledging period runs until December, after which the results are evaluated, and the “unlatching” process begins, making the content freely accessible.
- The more financial support KU receives from libraries, the greater the number of books and journals that can be published as Open Access each year. KU offers libraries a diverse selection of collections spanning the Humanities, Social Sciences, and STEM disciplines.
- In recent years, KU has also revamped several collections to align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, demonstrating a commitment to both quality and relevance.
- All publishers working with KU must submit content that has already undergone peer review in line with established academic standards. KU’s collections vary in scope, with some being multi-disciplinary (e.g., KU Select), others focusing on specific topics (e.g., Global Warming), and some tied to particular publishers (e.g., IWAP collection, CRC Press).
Each May, KU releases a new brochure detailing the available collections, which can also be downloaded from the KU homepage.
Libraries interested in supporting KU’s Open Access collections are provided with a range of resources to help guide their decisions, including brochures, webinars, provisional title lists, and more.
KU Select and Library Partnerships
KU is best known for its flagship collection, KU Select, which launched as a pilot program in 2013. This multi-disciplinary collection spans a variety of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) disciplines and includes topics aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. Each year, libraries have the option to support the full KU Select package or focus on specific subject areas that align with their institutional priorities.
- In addition to KU Select, KU offers an array of subject-specific or publisher-specific collections for libraries to support based on their unique interests and institutional needs.
- The KU Selection Committee—comprising nearly 300 librarians from around the world—plays a critical role in the collection curation process. Publishers submit title suggestions early in the year, and the Selection Committee reviews and votes on these titles. The highest-voted titles are included in the KU Select collection and proceed to be funded and published as Open Access.
- The process by which titles are selected, funded, and published Open Access is visually represented in the following illustration:
KU's Impact
- KU’s success relies on the collective effort of libraries worldwide to co-finance the publication of selected scholarly titles, all for the benefit of the global academic community.
- Libraries appreciate that even if they do not participate in KU’s annual crowdfunding campaigns, they can still access and integrate KU’s Open Access content into their systems. This is the essence of Open Access: making content freely available for anyone, anywhere, to use and download under Creative Commons licenses.
- Each library pledge contributes to creating a sustainable path for Open Access, enabling more scholarly books and journals to be freely available each year.
- KU’s flexible pricing models allows libraries of all sizes and budgets to participate by choosing the collections and initiatives that best suit their financial capacity.
- KU also provides comprehensive usage reports to help libraries track which Open Access books are being used within their institutions, including data from platforms such as JSTOR and OAPEN.
- Since its launch in 2013, nearly 700 libraries and institutions across the globe have financially supported one or more of KU’s Open Access collections. A complete list of these institutions, organized by country, can be accessed here.
- KU works with over 100 scholarly publishers who contribute high-quality content for “unlatching” each year, and a list of participating publishers is available here.
- KU’s titles are accessed in over 200 countries worldwide, and the most frequently used regions are detailed in KU’s annual "Open Access Heroes" report.
- The number of user interactions with KU titles (including downloads and views) has grown by 20% year on year, reaching 23.5 million interactions.
- On average, each KU book receives between 2,200 and 2,500 user interactions.
- To date, KU has helped publish nearly 5,000 books and around 60 scholarly journals as Open Access, with these numbers continuing to rise. Furthermore, nearly 7,000 institutions globally use KU’s Open Access books.
Recent surveys and studies from 2024 reveal that among consortia library models, "library crowdfunding" remains the most popular, with KU being the most widely supported and recognized model worldwide (sources available upon request).
Availability of KU Content
- KU’s Open Access titles are hosted on platforms such as JSTOR, OAPEN, Project MUSE, and the Open Research Library, where they are freely available for access and download.
- Libraries can also integrate KU titles into their systems through several indexing and discovery services, including EBSCO Discovery Service, ProQuest’s Ex Libris Primo and Summon, and the OCLC.
- Free MARC records for all KU titles are available here on KU’s website, as well as on the Open Research Library’s metadata page, which also offers OAI and OPDS feeds.
- Additionally, free KBART files for KU’s content can be downloaded here.
Written by Mirela Roncevic
September 2024