MSU Press joins other publishing partners of OtF, Central European University Press and Liverpool University Press, who implemented the model in 2021, since which time they have together published nearly 40 open access titles through the scheme, with funding accrued for nearly the same number again.
MSU Press, which has published OA titles since 2002, will use OtF’s sustainable funding model to expand its OA frontlist. Under the model, libraries subscribe to curated backlist packages and, in return, their fees collectively fund the publication of new OA monographs. Libraries gain perpetual, DRM-free access to the backlist books, while their membership/subscription fees support the immediate OA release of new titles.
This new partnership with MSU Press focuses on African and Diaspora Studies, which is a particular area of strength for the Press. The package includes 65 backlist titles spanning history, politics, post-colonial studies, and the arts, with future OA publications continuing in these fields.
Opening the Future is a funding mechanism developed by the Copim Project, a project funded by Research England and the Arcadia Fund to create, implement and strengthen infrastructure for mission-led publishing of scholarly monographs. We aim to transform OA publishing by enabling small, mission-led publishing initiatives to flourish on their own terms.
For any questions contact the team on openingthefuture@copim.ac.uk. You can follow them on Bluesky @openingthefuture.bsky.social and on LinkedIn.