For new updates, please click the following link to see the current status of the deal.
The University of Toronto (U of T) and Karger Publishers have entered into a transformative open access agreement that includes reading access to all Karger e-journals with immediate open access to U of T-authored articles. This agreement is Karger's first open access deal in Canada.
Under the terms of the agreement, U of T researchers will have the option to make their articles open access in all Karger journals, free from article processing charges, as of January 1, 2020. This agreement has been extended to December 31, 2021, and remains cost-neutral for the university.
This agreement is an important milestone for both the university and our peers in Canada, as we work towards securing equitable access to publicly-funded research and sustainable models for paying for this content. “This is an example of our institution and a publisher working together to find a new path forward, “ says Larry Alford, Chief Librarian of the University of Toronto Libraries. “It recognizes the value of publisher's contributions while also making scholarly output open and accessible to the widest audience possible.”
Daniel Ebneter, CEO at Karger Publishers, says: “Embracing OA is one of the ways in which Karger supports and promotes the early and effective communication of scientific knowledge. With our OA activities, we strive to respect the needs and wishes of research institutions, libraries, authors, funders, and other stakeholders, as they are at the center of everything we do.”
This deal is part of the ongoing work by the University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) in support of initiatives that work towards immediate and barrier-free access to research. Additionally, the UTL continues to work closely with other Canadian universities through the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) to negotiate access to journal packages. Read more about this work on the UTL Publisher Relationships webpage.
For general questions or more information on how this agreement works, please contact the U of T Libraries Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office.
For a full list of Karger Publishers’ funder and institutional open access agreements, please visit this webpage.
About Karger
Karger Publishers, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is a globally active publishing house in health sciences. It is independent and family-led in the fourth generation by Chairwoman and Publisher Gabriella Karger. Connecting and advancing health sciences since 1890, Karger has been continuously evolving, keeping pace with the current developments and shifts in research and publishing. The publishing house is dedicated to serving the information needs of the scientific community, clinicians, and patients with publications of high-quality content and services in health sciences. Karger Publishers has 240 employees and is present in 15 countries around the globe.
Originally published: February 18, 2020