Time is running out to support the Knowledge Unlatched Round 2 Collection which is working to make 78 new Humanities and Social Sciences books from 26 scholarly publishers Open Access – the deadline is February 28, 2016. A broad range of institutions from 16 countries has pledged so far to unlatch these titles.

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We are very aware of library budgets and ask that you consider the following in your decision process:

  1. KU is a global, community-driven initiative – as more libraries pledge, the lower the costs. If the Collection is unlatched, the per-title cost will be just under $50 (£34) or lower – equivalent to the price of a monograph back in the early 1980s and about a third of the cost of the average multi-user e-book license.
  2. Many of the titles in the KU Round 2 may be titles that your institution is planning to buy – this means getting access to the titles 1) at a lower cost and 2) downloadable — DRM free.
  3. Even if these books are not central to your collection, helping to make KU a success sends a powerful message that libraries are committed to working to make books Open Access.
  4. Be part of a community that will have a say in future KU offers.

Highlights of KU Round 2 Model

  • Builds on the Pilot of 28 titles that successfully demonstrated proof of concept, with over 50,000 downloads from at least 170 countries.
  • Includes eight packages at a capped maximum of $3,891 (£2,683). Options for six or seven packages are also available. Minimums will vary based on the packages selected.
  • Titles will be indexed by Google Scholar.
  • MARC records are available.

Next Steps

If You’re Ready to Pledge

The pledging period ends on February 28, 2016. We’re almost there, and we look forward to your support as we work together in finding a sustainable route to Open Access.

Winner: IFLA/Brill Award for Open Access 2014

Winner: Curtin University Award for Best Innovation in Education 2015About Knowledge Unlatched

About Knowledge Unlatched

Knowledge Unlatched is committed to creating a positive change in scholarly communication landscapes by helping libraries to share the costs of publishing high quality specialist scholarly books and making them available in Open Access. By working together libraries and publishers can create a sustainable route to Open Access for scholarly books.