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As the term 鈥渢ransformative鈥� suggests, these agreements seek to reimagine the relationship between academic libraries and publishers. This model argues that monies spent worldwide on subscriptions would be sufficient to break down paywalls and make more content broadly available across the globe. ¹ Supporting sustainable publishing models is critical to academic libraries鈥� mission to ensure equitable access to scholarly research. By supporting open access publishing, academic libraries position themselves as vital contributors to the university鈥檚 research enterprise while demonstrating their central role in the production and dissemination of scholarship. For individual faculty members, these agreements can cover article processing charges (APCs), eliminating publishing costs that may otherwise total thousands of dollars.

Transformative Agreements in Architectural Scholarship

As in the arts and humanities more broadly, architectural scholarship can face significant barriers to adopting open access publishing models. Architectural librarians can help expand faculty publishing options by raising awareness of the read-and-publish opportunities available through their institutions.

While not every academic institution or their library may be able to provide such support, faculty are encouraged to reach out to see what possibilities may exist. By encouraging your institution to investigate these possibilities, you can help foster a more open, equitable, and sustainable scholarly publishing system.

While transformative agreements can help remove barriers to open access publishing, it is vital to understand that the individual terms of these contractual agreements vary widely. For authors exploring these opportunities, you should ask:

• Am I eligible under my institution鈥檚 agreement?
• Is this particular journal and article type covered?
• Will I have to pay anything?
• Are all images, drawings, plans, etc. cleared for open publication?

It is important to keep in mind that each institution鈥檚 read-and-publish agreement with various publishers will vary significantly. However, there are some publishers with journals related to architecture and design that you may want to explore to determine your eligibility.

• Cambridge University Press:
• Wiley:
• Springer Nature:
• Taylor & Francis:

Architectural librarians should consult with their university鈥檚 scholarly publishing units to identify available open access opportunities and determine whether transformative agreements are in place for affiliated faculty. While read-and-publish agreements are not the only path to open access publishing, they offer librarians an important opportunity to connect faculty with institutional support, reduce financial barriers, and broaden access to architectural scholarship.