(11 Dec 2024) Subscribe to Open (S2O), the model by which open access publication is funded by annually renewed subscriptions, has grown exponentially since it was first implemented by Annual Reviews.* A growing number of publishers use the model to deliver equitable open access to an ever more diverse list of journals and books. Increasingly, librarians are enthusiastic to support the model, as it not only aligns with their institutional goals for open research but also resolves concerns around inequitable article processing charge- (APC-) based models.
There are many opportunities for publishers to implement the model successfully and for librarians to support it. As with any innovative new model, it also faces headwinds. On the one hand, this model offers a compelling means of supporting open access, especially for smaller publishers, niche publications, and underfunded disciplines that remain an important part of library acquisition strategies. On the other hand, budget constraints and funding restrictions remain challenges that even this model cannot (and does not aim to) solve. Supported by important intermediaries and other key stakeholders, publishers and librarians continue to work together to improve the model with each new year of offerings.
As we enter the 2025 renewal season, which marks the sixth year since the first S2O journals were launched, we come together here as two early S2O publishers to share our different applications of and experiences with the model: In 2020, Berghahn, of which Vivian is managing director, followed in Annual Reviews’ footsteps to become the second publisher to implement the Subscribe to Open model with their Berghahn Open Anthro initiative. EDP Sciences, of which Charlotte is director of marketing and communications, was another early adopter of the model in 2021 for several of their journals across astronomy, mathematics, and radioprotection.
Katina has the article in full here.
