Open Access eBooks in South Africa By Andrew Joseph (Digital Publisher, Wits University Press) <Andrew.Joseph@wits.ac.za> “Never minded working hard. It’s who I’m working for.” — Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, “Everything Is Free”
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he state of South African research output appears to be rather healthy. Proportionally, we have the second highest number of female researchers in the G20, a very strong impact in medicine and health-related research (despite relatively low output), and high output (but relatively low impact) for the humanities and social sciences (HSS). There is a general increase in scholarly book production (up about 19%), and on the whole, research and research output in South Africa is growing at a rate of about 12%. (Adams and Rogers 2021). What we don’t see is a corresponding increase in publications by local publishers (Le Roux and Cassells 2022; DHET 2020). It is apparent that most researchers continue to choose to publish with nonlocal publishers. This is especially true of open access (OA) monograph publishing which, while offered by some local presses, is certainly not the norm. At the onset of OA monograph publishing, especially in Europe and North America, there was for local publishers a sense of not knowing exactly where to begin, despite strongly supporting its fundamental intention and wanting to participate. Notably, the HSRC Press was one of the early adopters and initiators of an OA monograph publishing program in the early 2000s. There has always been strong enthusiasm for OA publishing in South African institutions, usually from the institutional or reader perspective. The benefits were obvious particularly for journals: increased accessibility and lowered cost for libraries and readers in a deeply unequal society. Combined with state-planned digital infrastructure in the early 2010s, and the envisaged increase in access to internet services and devices, the assumed uptake/access/usage appeared to be a sure thing. However, both infrastructural development and increased internet and communication technology services came to be provided by private enterprise, not the state, which put paid to the hoped-for coherence of implementation. The enabling of local publishers to develop their own, or participate in existing, OA programs was limited to the outcome-driven need for OA. It would have been far more useful and productive for a program for local stakeholders to be developed, in which aspects such as changing business models and technology skill improvement were systematically approached. Instead, local publishers have had to contend with the continued (and rightly so) calls for increased OA offerings, while not having had the benefit of participating in a coordinated program to enable them to do so. Publishers in South Africa have however risen to the challenge, and through cooperative and individual efforts, most presses are publishing OA monographs. Most if not all university presses have participated in Knowledge Unlatched initiatives since its inception, and many have taken this impetus further. Wits University Press has made a number of backlist titles OA and attempts to publish 10% of its frontlist program as OA. Similar initiatives are underway at UNISA Press and African SUN Media, with HSRC Press continuing its OA offering. The
14 Against the Grain / July 2022 Special Report
University of Johannesburg Press and the recently relaunched University of Cape Town Press have been established following a library publishing model, and are “OA only” publishers. Nonuniversity-press OA publishers too have been active in this sphere, including AOSIS and African Minds. Recent collaborative projects, which have helped presses begin to collectively identify issues and potential solutions, include the OA Committee in the National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum (under the auspices of the Academy of Science of South Africa) and an OA working group in the Scholarly Publishers Committee of the Publishers Association of South Africa (PASA), which looks into OA more generally. These initiatives include publishing staff at both management and operations levels and are attempting not only to develop practical collaborations, but also to ensure information and skill sharing. It is essential, to my mind, that these groups grow and extend their inclusion. The participation of policymaking bodies is essential to mitigate the effects of this delayed start. Discussions with such bodies as the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), Universities South Africa (USAf), PASA, and the South African National Library and Information Consortium (SANLiC must continue to grow, and programs should be developed around this activity. In a twist on our usual mode of “South African exceptionalism,” I believe we should imagine that we’re the slipper being tried on by many feet, and not a Cinderella waiting for the opportunity to assume our “rightful” position. What may be observed from the South African example is a strong ideological impetus, with neither planned infrastructural support nor comprehensive future planning. As a result, better OA book services appeared to be offered by North American and European publishers, despite great local initiatives at the time, such as that of HSRC Press. This perception has taken great effort to alter, particularly in the minds of authors and institutions. What could make it all come together? 1. Local publishers should refocus on processes, constantly re-examine underlying intentions and mission, propose regulations, and consider the role of technology organizations. We should not simply focus on immediate outcomes (i.e., instant access for readers and institutions), but should work towards coordinated capacity building, alignment with standards, and participation in the development of OA monograph publishing initiatives. This approach will lead to a deeper, structurally embedded, and accountable offering. 2. Increased coordination at a policy level for national government, institutions, libraries and local publishers. A greater gain would include regional cooperation, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This would be an important first step in the internationalization of knowledge (production, access and control). Further, this must tie into the Open Science initiatives (we
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