The University of California (UC) Libraries are supporting several open access pilot projects intended to broaden access to UC research and scholarship by making UC-authored books freely available online.
Following the successful efforts to open UC-authored journal articles, these projects enable UC authors to choose publishing their books open access with select university presses at no cost to them. Two of the projects will allow UC authors to retroactively publish their books open access. The projects represent both a “strategic investment in [book processing charge]-based open access monograph initiatives that directly support authors…aligned with UC research and teaching” and “strengthened partnerships with university presses,” two core recommendations of the UC Libraries’ recently released report, Advancing Open Monograph Opportunities at UC.
Pilot Projects
- UC Press – through fiscal year 2026-2027, new books published with UC Press by UC authors may be published open access at no cost to authors
- Duke University Press – through fiscal year 2026-2027, new books published with Duke University Press by UC authors may be published open access at no cost to authors
- Oxford University Press – 100 UC-authored books published between 2003-2015 through Oxford University Press will be retroactively opened by June 2026
- Big Ten Open Books – 34 UC-authored books published with several university presses will be retroactively opened
Find books opened through these pilots on eScholarship.
See all support for open access book publishing on the Library’s Discounts and Funding for Open Access Publishing page.
How the pilots work
Digital copies of books made open by the projects will be freely available worldwide, expanding the reach and impact of UC scholarship, especially in the humanities. In addition to being openly accessible on the presses’ websites, the volumes will be available in eScholarship. Designed in part to strengthen ties between libraries and university presses, these projects explore new business models for broadening access to scholarly books. They also envision future opportunities for libraries to support the retroactive opening of books by authors affiliated with their institutions, thereby extending the life and impact of academic monographs.
UC authors do not need to apply to these pilot programs. The UC Libraries and presses are working together to identify eligible monographs and will contact authors if their monograph is identified as a candidate.
These pilots are supported by systemwide funding intended to advance ongoing investments in the open‑access transformation of scholarly publishing. No campus library funds are being used for these projects.
Contact Us
Have a question about the pilots or other presses? Contact the Scholarly Communication team.
[This post is modified from the original UC Office of Scholarly Communication’s announcement.]