What is it?
Copim Compass is an online information hub developed by the Copim Open Book Futures project (2023–2026) to provide comprehensive resources on alternative funding models and modes of publishing, acquiring and archiving open access books, alongside new training and guidance on archiving and preservation best practice.
- Main purpose: It has three main purposes: 1) To provide a user-friendly entry point to the complex, crowded and disparate field of open access book resources, 2) To provide the Opening the Future Toolkit, a toolkit for small presses to implement a Diamond OA backlist-driven funding programme themselves, and 3) To provide the Copim Open Book Accessibility resources and tools.
- Who is it for? It is for anyone interested in learning more about open access. It was written primarily with publishers in mind, and many parts of it are focussed on their needs, although we have heard anecdotally that it is also very useful for open research librarians.
- Skill level: Beginner
- Access: Copim Compass [https://compass.copim.pub /\]
- Key features: The resource provides organised and categorised links to external OA resources of different kinds and also provides summaries of them. It also contains an evidence bank of OA successes from authors, libraries, and publishers, which aims to provide data points for OA advocates from (and to) these different audiences. The Opening the Future toolkit contains guidance on implementing a Diamond OA collective funding model but also provides all of the price modelling resources, template emails etc needed to practically support this. Meanwhile, the Open Book Accessibility resource provides concrete suggestions around improving open book accessibility to help publishers comply with necessary legislation as well as go beyond compliance.
What can I do wit h it?
- Use the search function at the top to look for particular key words or areas of inte rest.
- Browse it by category to find guidance, reports, or other resources on particular aspects of open access.
- Read through the experiences that authors, libraries, and publishers have had with open access to learn their perspectives.
- Learn how to implement Diamond OA funding at your own publishing house.
- Assess your current level of compliance with book accessibility requirements and take practical steps to enhance your accessibility.
Good to know
- This resource, while it encompasses many general OA resources, is primarily focussed on open access books. It also, while we have taken steps to mitigate this by reaching out to contacts around the world, has a strong focus on the UK, US and Europe.
Try it if you…
… are overwhelmed by the number of OA resources out there and want to get a handle on them as you explore the topic more deeply, if you are getting to grips with the accessibility of your books as an OA publisher, or if you are interested in implementing or learning more about Diamond OA collective funding!