The Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and the Association of University Presses (AUPresses) jointly hosted a meeting on July 22, 2019, in Washington, DC, of the TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem) community. TOME is a five-year pilot initiative of the three associations that supports the digital publication of peer-reviewed scholarly books by participating university presses, allowing the open-access (OA) publication of these works online and broadly improving access to these works by scholars and the public.
In this third year of the pilot, presenters reported on the initiative’s progress. Sixteen universities currently participate in TOME, providing baseline grants to publish open-access monographs. Sixty-two participating university presses have published 18 TOME books to date. Representatives of three participating presses and four participating universities related their perspectives on TOME. The meeting concluded with a discussion of actionable steps. The group agreed to highlight TOME’s connection to the larger conversation around sustainable scholarly infrastructure, including lowering the financial and time commitment for participating in TOME. Emphasizing that TOME is a movement not a club, the participants support and are engaged with other OA monograph initiatives.
For more information on the TOME meeting, please see the full report.
About the Association of American Universities
Founded in 1900, the Association of American Universities is composed of America’s leading research universities. AAU’s 62 research universities transform lives through education, research, and innovation. Our member universities earn the majority of competitively awarded federal funding for research that improves public health, seeks to address national challenges, and contributes significantly to our economic strength, while educating and training tomorrow’s visionary leaders and innovators. AAU member universities collectively help shape policy for higher education, science, and innovation; promote best practices in undergraduate and graduate education; and strengthen the contributions of leading research universities to American society. Follow AAU on Twitter, on Facebook, and on LinkedIn.
About the Association of Research Libraries
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 124 research libraries in Canada and the US whose mission is to advance research, learning, and scholarly communication. The Association fosters the open exchange of ideas and expertise, promotes equity and diversity, and pursues advocacy and public policy efforts that reflect the values of the library, scholarly, and higher education communities. ARL forges partnerships and catalyzes the collective efforts of research libraries to enable knowledge creation and to achieve enduring and barrier-free access to information. ARL is on the web at ARL.org.
About the Association of University Presses
The Association of University Presses (AUPresses) is an organization of more than 150 international nonprofit scholarly publishers. Since 1937, the Association of University Presses has advanced the essential role of a global community of publishers whose mission is to ensure academic excellence and cultivate knowledge. The Association holds integrity, diversity, stewardship, and intellectual freedom as core values. AUPresses members are active across many scholarly disciplines, including the humanities, arts, and sciences, publish significant regional and literary work, and are innovators in the world of digital publishing.
