Open Access as a Business Model: Practical Insights and Disciplinary Comparisons

Friday 23 May 2025, 14:00 → 15:30 Europe/Berlin

Online-Zoom

Jana Keck (German Historical Institute Washington / Max Weber Stiftung), Nanette Rissler-Pipka (Max Weber Stiftung)

In 2024, the board of the Max Weber Foundation (MWS) adopted two guidelines on Open Science and Open Access initiated by the Working Group Digital Humanities. In light of these developments and the launch of  SeDOA, a national service center for Diamond Open Access in which MWS participates, we are organising an event bringing together experts from various OA initiatives.

Open Access (OA) is no longer just an idealistic concept—it has become an established practice that has developed in distinct ways across disciplines and publication cultures. But which business models have proven successful? What challenges arise in terms of funding, infrastructure, and quality assurance? And what can we learn from existing initiatives?

This event aims to explore different OA business models, regional and disciplinary variations, and best practices through concrete examples. Through concise pitches, the invited speakers will share their experiences with Open Access publishing, covering a diverse range of topics.

The session will conclude with an open Q&A discussion, allowing participants to engage directly with the experts and explore the implications of different OA models for their own work. We invite all interested colleagues to join the conversation and gain valuable insights into the evolving landscape of Open Access publishing.

Experts / Speakers

• Carmen Birkle, Professor of North American Literary and Cultural Studies at Philipps University, Marburg, and Editor of American Studies Journal
• Joe Deville, Professor in Science and Technology Studies at Lancaster University and Managing Director of the Open Book Collective
• Josef Jeschke, Specialised Information Service (FID) Middle East, North Africa and Islamic Studies, Halle University Library
• Michael Kaiser, Head of Research Infrastructures, Libraries, IT at Max Weber Foundation
• Johan Rooryck, Executive Director of cOAlition S and Visiting Professor at Leiden University
• Anna Ross, Senior Lecturer in Modern European History at School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities, University of Sheffield, and Editor of German History Journal
• Julius Wilm, Postdoctoral Researcher, Research Centre Global Dynamics, Leipzig University, Germany

 

The workshop is organised by the Working Group Digital Humanities of the Max Weber Foundation - German Humanities Institutes Abroad in cooperation with Text+  and SeDOA (Servicestelle Diamond Open Access).

14:00 → 14:10 Welcome and Introduction

Conveners: Jana Keck (German Historical Institute Washington / Max Weber Stiftung), Nanette Rissler-Pipka (Max Weber Stiftung)

14:10 → 14:15 What role do the different formats play in a scholar's publication strategy? How does their reception differ?

Speaker: Julius Wilm (Leipzig University)

14:15 → 14:20 Transitioning journals to OA – How did the academic community react? How did readership change?

Speaker: Carmen Birkle (Philipps University, Marburg)

14:20 → 14:25 The hybrid OA model – Balancing traditional and open access approaches

Speaker: Anna Ross (University of Sheffield)

14:25 → 14:30 Scholar-led OA publishing for monographs – Infrastructure and sustainability

Speaker: Joe Deville (Lancaster University)

14:30 → 14:35 The role of FIDs and the development of OA in and for specific regions

Speaker: Josef Jeschke (Halle University Library)

14:35 → 14:40 The Diamond Open Access principle – Challenges and advantages of this funding model

Speaker: Johan Rooryck (Leiden University)

14:40 → 14:45 The DOA initiative in the German research landscape – Bridging functions to EDCH

Speaker: Michael Kaiser (MWS)

14:45 → 15:25 Q&A: Open discussion with the audience

Conveners: Jana Keck (German Historical Institute Washington / Max Weber Stiftung), Nanette Rissler-Pipka (Max Weber Stiftung)

15:25 → 15:30 Announcement of future steps

Conveners: Jana Keck (German Historical Institute Washington / Max Weber Stiftung), Nanette Rissler-Pipka (Max Weber Stiftung)