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ARL Joins Global Sustainability Coalition for Open Science Services

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The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has become a member of the Global Sustainability Coalition for Open Science Services (SCOSS), an initiative aimed at stabilizing a vital infrastructure of freely available open science (OS) services. In joining SCOSS, the Association is becoming part of an international effort to strategically and systematically focus on sustaining open access (OA) and OS services.

“ARL partners with other organizations to catalyze the collective efforts of research libraries in facilitating knowledge creation and achieving enduring and barrier-free access to information,” said Mary Lee Kennedy, ARL executive director. “In its work with the research and learning communities, funders, and other stakeholders, ARL encourages increased commitment to sustainable open scholarship and infrastructure. This new partnership with SCOSS provides ARL members with insights into the global suite of OA and open science services and informs them of opportunities in which to participate.” 

As a member, ARL will occupy a seat on the SCOSS Board while also participating in the SCOSS Advisory and Executive groups, helping guide future development of the coalition and participating in the vetting of potential SCOSS funding candidates. 

“We’re delighted to have ARL join the coalition,” said SPARC Europe director, Vanessa Proudman, who also serves on the SCOSS Board. “Our long-term success in shoring up vital open science services depends upon bodies like ARL joining the effort.” 

SCOSS provides a framework for libraries, policy makers, and other stakeholders to collectively fund and secure the growing infrastructure of noncommercial services on which, in many ways, the OA and OS community at large depend. Having officially launched in late 2017, SCOSS is in the midst of its first-round funding call for two Board-vetted services: the Directory of Open Access Journals and SHERPA/RoMEO. 

To date, SCOSS has attracted pledged funding totalling in excess of 680,000 Euros from library consortia and individual libraries as well as research institutes and universities in Europe, Australia, Africa, and North America. Among these are 28 US and Canadian universities and libraries. 

For additional information, including a full and current list of global institutions that have pledged funding thus far, and for details on how to join them, visit www.scoss.org.


About the Association of Research Libraries

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 125 research libraries in Canada and the US whose mission is to advance research, learning, and scholarly communication. The Association fosters the open exchange of ideas and expertise, promotes equity and diversity, and pursues advocacy and public policy efforts that reflect the values of the library, scholarly, and higher education communities. ARL forges partnerships and catalyzes the collective efforts of research libraries to enable knowledge creation and to achieve enduring and barrier-free access to information. ARL is on the web at ARL.org.

About the Global Sustainability Coalition for Open Science Services

The Global Sustainability Coalition for Open Science Services (SCOSS) represents a community-led effort to help maintain, and ultimately secure, the vital infrastructure on which Open Access and Open Science depend. SCOSS is on the web at www.scoss.org.

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