Open Access – Open Archaeology. Wissenschaft und Bibliothek als Dream-Team?

Abstract

Since 2006 the Heidelberg University Library has been encouraging the Open Access idea in the field of classical studies with its digital repository “Propylaeum-DOK”. By hosting the open source software Open Journal Systems (OJS) the library is now also providing the technical means for publishing and managing online journals. It thereby ensures the hosting of the software and published data, as well as layout adaptations requested by the editors. Furthermore, it offers introductory workshops to OJS in order to support editors with the publication process. First experience were gathered in 2013, when the “Archäologische Informationen“ of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ur- und Frühgeschichte (DGUF) were digitized and published in close cooperation with the editors. With its 2013 publication the journal became one of the first in the field of classical studies in Germany to publish – in addition to a printed version and without a moving wall, i.e. without postponement – in Open Access. Further e-journals in the field of classical studies will be following. Since 2014 Heidelberg, in addition, provides scholars with a similar platform for the e-publication of monographs as well as the archiving of research data.
The cooperation of DGUF and Heidelberg University Library sets an example for future division of tasks: the supply of high quality content by academics as well as the permanent and citable archiving, cataloguing and distribution of data through a library. The new developed processes diminish the dependence on commercial academic publishing and establish a balanced relationship between academics and the publishing market and, furthermore, place an important emphasis on free access to research data in Open Access.