Navigating the new terrain: international developments in Open Access
VALA2024 CONCURRENT SESSION 09
Thursday 11th July 2024, 10.55-11.25am
Angus Cook
- Director Content Procurement
- CAUL
Presentation
Abstract
As the initial major Open Access (OA) agreements in Australia and New Zealand mature, evaluating the alignment between international OA advancements and institutional requirements, alongside CAUL’s Agreement Principles that outline frameworks for future agreements, becomes imperative. This presentation explores the recent advancements in OA through the lens of initiatives like Plan S, the United States Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) directive, and the work of organisations such as SPARC and OA2020. This session will provide an overview of the changing landscape of OA, focusing on how these developments influence academic libraries and research institutions globally. Emphasis will be provided on the Australian context and how CAUL’s strategy aligns with developments internationally . The presentation will highlight key strategies for adapting to these international policies and explore collaborative opportunities for Australian libraries to enhance equity, accessibility, diversity and inclusivity in scholarly communication. We aim to foster a dialogue on the challenges and opportunities these OA initiatives present, drawing on real-world examples and current practices. The Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) is keen to share insights and engage with the broader library and information community at VALA 2024, contributing to a deeper understanding and practical approach towards Open Access.
Biography
Angus Cook is the Director, Content Procurement at CAUL, leading the Content Procurement Service, which operates the CAUL Consortium. He is responsible for designing and implementing programs to meet the service’s strategic objectives and serves as CAUL’s key negotiator for content agreements for the Australian and New Zealand higher education sectors.
Under Angus’ leadership, the Content Procurement Service has significantly expanded its open access agreements, enhancing the availability of scholarly content across various publishers and advancing open scholarship in the region. His work in strategic content procurement, access improvement initiatives, and continuous improvement of workflows and communications has been crucial in supporting CAUL’s content procurement activities. Angus engages actively with staff from CAUL Member institutions throughout the procurement cycle, focusing on licensing and equitable pricing models.
Angus has over two decades of experience in content procurement. Before joining CAUL in 2020, he worked in various sales and licensing roles for large publishers and library systems vendors.
Angus holds a Master’s degree in Information Management from RMIT, which highlights his commitment to libraries’ role in education and research.
Angus lives and works in Naarm (Melbourne) on Wurundjeri land.
This work is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International.