Igitur provides e-publishing services for Utrecht University, including maintaining the institutional repository and supporting scholars in e-publishing. It was launched in 2004 to address problems of limited access to scholarly information and delayed availability of research results. Igitur's primary goal is to increase access through the institutional repository (green OA) and by supporting e-publishing (golden OA), though it faces difficulties in financing open access publications and transitioning journals from subscription to open access models.

1. Igitur, Utrecht Publishing & Archiving
services
• Launched in 2004
• E-publishing department of Utrecht University Library
responsible for institutional archive and supporting
scholars in e-publishing
• More information: www.uu.nl/igitur
October 20, 2009

2. Why is Utrecht University Library
engaged in electronic publishing?
Mission of a research library: to provide the best
possible access to scientific information
2 problems in the nineties:
• Scholarly information became more expensive, so less
accessible (serials crisis)
• Results of scholarly research too slowly available
Solution: electronic publishing and Open Access
October 20, 2009

3. Primary goal of Igitur: to increase access
to scientific information...
October 20, 2009

4. ... in two ways:
• To develop the institutional repository of Utrecht
University (the green road to OA)
> financed out of the library’s budget
> 24.000 items
• To support scholars in their e-publishing
endeavors (the golden road to OA)
> marginal costs must be recovered
> products: e-journals (peer-reviewed, OA), e-books
October 20, 2009

5. How Igitur promotes Open Access?
• in discussions with the University Board and
Deans of faculties to develop an Utrecht
University Open Access Policy
• in contacts with faculties, research institutes
and individual researchers about content
delivery to the repository
• in contacts with researchers and editorial boards
who (want to) publish with Igitur
• in various national and international
committees, projects, conferences etc.
October 20, 2009

6. Advantages Igitur has in promoting OA
• Igitur and Open Access were fully supported by the
management of the library
• Igitur, as a new initiative, was not held back by an existing
business model
• Igitur, as part of a non-commercial organisation, was not
required to earn a profit
• Igitur is able to benefit from the well-established
reputation and network of the library
• Igitur supports the golden road to OA as well as the green
road: synergy!
October 20, 2009

7. Difficulties Igitur encountered in
promoting OA
• Big issue: how to finance an open access publication?
• Open Access is still a bit unfamiliar, especially with
researchers (they rarely encounter problems accessing
scientific information)
• Authors prefer to publish in well-known journals with an
impact factor
• Author-pay-model: some editorial boards think author pays
is a threat to the quality of their publication
• Transition problems: transitioning from a subscription
journal to an open access journal
• Repository: quality of publications and copyright are issues
October 20, 2009

8. Future plans
• Improve the quality and visibility of the Igitur OA
publications, making it attractive for an author to publish
with Igitur
• Develop sustainable business models
• Further develop the Utrecht University Open Access policy
and promote Open Access in the university
• National/international cooperation, particularly in
influencing other stakeholders (funders, governments,
publishers) to adhere to Open Access
October 20, 2009