From: Craig Olsvik <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2024 16:51:00 +0000

The Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) is pleased to announce that
we have signed a new three-year, read-and-publish agreement with Elsevier.
As part of CRKN’s commitment to transform access to research, this
agreement repurposes funds that CRKN members have traditionally paid in
subscription fees for Elsevier journals, to cover open access publishing
and full reading access for those same journals.



Corresponding authors at participating member institutions will benefit
from *unlimited open access publishing* in more than *1,800* Elsevier
hybrid journals at no cost to the author (i.e., with no article processing
charge (APC)). This agreement has the potential to result in the
publication of more than *9,000* open access articles by Canadian authors
per year throughout its duration. Through this read-and-publish agreement,
CRKN members have leveraged their collective negotiating power to support
the Canadian research community. By covering the cost of open access
publishing in this agreement, CRKN members are unlocking a significant
volume of Canadian research publications, while ensuring that research
funding can cover researcher needs rather than publishing costs.



CRKN’s *Content Strategy Committee
<https://www.crkn-rcdr.ca/en/content-strategy-committee>* (CSC) is
entrusted with the task of negotiating terms that meet the needs of CRKN
members while ensuring optimal value. To guide this process, the CSC
adheres to *CRKN’s Licensing Principles
<https://www.crkn-rcdr.ca/en/crkn-licensing-principles>* and develops
negotiation objectives informed by member feedback. In this case, member
feedback indicated that the agreement must remain *cost-neutral for
libraries *and should include *no restriction on the number of articles
eligible for publication*.



“We are very pleased to have negotiated an agreement that will have such a
large impact on making Canadian research openly available and meet the
objectives of our members,” commented Denise LaFitte, CSC Chair and Acting
Vice-Provost (Library & Museums) and Chief Librarian, University of
Alberta. “With continued engagement and support from members, the CSC was
able to ensure that this agreement would allow for unlimited open access
publishing and contain costs for members.”

CRKN is grateful to our members and the CSC for their guidance throughout
this read-and-publish negotiation process. We also wish to thank the
Elsevier negotiating team for their willingness to collaborate on an
agreement that strengthens the research community in Canada.



Through signing this read-and-publish agreement, CRKN and our member
institutions demonstrate our commitment to transform scholarly
communications by empowering Canadian researchers and creating a future
where knowledge is accessible to all.



The term of this agreement is from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2026,
and the agreement includes 73 participating institutions.



For more information, the complete read-and-publish agreement is available
on the *CRKN website
<https://www.crkn-rcdr.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/CRKN-Elsevier_2024-2026_License%20Amendment_2024-03-28_red.pdf>*.
Additional information about this agreement's open access publishing
component and the eligible titles can be found on the *Open Access
Publishing <https://www.crkn-rcdr.ca/en/open-access-publishing>* page of
the CRKN website.


Sincerely,

-Craig.



• • • • • • • • • • • • •



Craig Olsvik

Senior Manager, Licensing and Member Services | Gestionnaire principal des
licences et des services aux membres

T: 613.907.7033



*Canadian Research Knowledge Network*

*Réseau canadien de documentation pour la recherche*