World Bank Open Access Policy

Challenges and Opportunities

Jose de Buerba, Sr. Publishing Officer, The World Bank

Webinar - UN Consortium February 7, 2013

Traditional World Bank Publication’s Dissemination Model

• Commercial distribution model, working with a network of print and online distributors around the world

• Steep discounts to customers in developing countries

• Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia were second and third largest markets measured in number of copies sold

• Free e-book dissemination through Bank web site, Google Books and social reading sites

• Sustainable business model from a combination of Bank budget, publishing services and revenues from sales

If it isn’t broken, why fix it?

… it needed realignment

“We need to do development differently” Robert B. Zoellick, Former President, The World Bank Group

New Direction: Democratizing Development

We need to throw open the doors, recognizing that others can find and create their own solutions. And this open research revolution is underway. We need to recognize that development knowledge is no longer the sole province of the researcher, the scholar, or the ivory tower. The aim is to open the treasure chest of the World Bank’s data and knowledge to every village health care worker, every researcher, everyone. Georgetown University, September 2010

Open About What We Know

(Data and Knowledge)

Open About What We Do

(Operations and Results)

Open About How We Work

(Partnerships for Openness)

Open Government (Transparency, Accountability)

THE WORLD BANK OPEN AGENDA

Embracing Openness

Open Access Policy

Creative Commons

Open Knowledge Repository

Strategic Review ofWorld Bank Publishing

or

Open Access Publishing

Open Access PolicyScope:• Applies to manuscripts and accompanying data sets that:

(a) that result from research, analysis, economic and sector work, or development practice;

(b) that have undergone peer review or have been otherwise vetted and approved for release to the public; and

(c) for which approval for release is given on or after July 1, 2012.

Requirements:1. For works published by the Bank

− Available immediately in OKR

− Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)

2. For works by Bank staff published externally (mostly papers)‒ Working paper available immediately in OKR under CC BY

‒ Final, peer-reviewed manuscript, available in OKR after Publisher's embargo under CC BY NC ND (unless more liberal license is accepted)

Why an Open Access Policy?

• To provide greater access to Bank research and knowledge outputs

• To encourage innovation allowing use and re-use (i.e., derivative works, translations, etc.)

• To join a growing Open Access community (e.g., governments, universities, and other institutions)

• To align Bank’s Publishing with Bank’s Open Development Agenda

Four Comparative Advantages

1. Optimal Discoverability: • Interoperable with other repositories• Adherence to Open Access standards (Dublin Core

metadata and OAI-PMH)• Systematic metadata curation process

2. Intuitive Interface: • Several browse options, advanced search, most viewed

content, citation information, permanent links, etc.• Built on Dspace - OA platform

3. Allows Use, Reuse and Building-on Bank’s Work: • CC BY copyright license

4. New Content: • Content published by external Publishers

586,120 Downloads (57% developed, 43% developing countries)

1 million downloads projected for first year

Total Downloads

New World Bank Publication’s Dissemination Approach

• Free and unrestricted online dissemination

• OKR, Google Books, Scribd and ISSUU - Key channels

• Social media fully integrated in the marketing-mix reaching an engaged community of 100k.+

• Direct-to-reader - Less reliance on intermediaries

• Decentralized print-on-demand book distribution through five regional hubs strategically located near the demand

• Leverage commercial opportunities providing they add value (most content is free, added-value is not)

Social Media AudienceCY12 Growth

Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec15,000

17,000

19,000

21,000

23,000

25,000

27,000

Twitter Followers

# of to-tal Twitter follow-ers

1/1/122/1/12

3/1/124/1/12

5/1/126/1/12

7/1/128/1/12

9/1/1210/1/12

11/1/12

12/1/12

35000

37000

39000

41000

43000

45000

47000

49000

51000

Facebook Likes

Lifetime Total Likes

Social Media Engagement

Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

Facebook Monthly Engagement

Monthly Engage-mentLinear (Monthly Engage-ment)

What about the Business Model?

1. Budget support from the institution

2. Income from authoring units → Author-pays model

3. Revenues from commercial activity→ Freemium option for added value services

World Bank eLibrary

The Currency of Open Access Publishing

DEVELOPMENTIMPACT

Challenges

• Negotiating ( and implementing) OA publishing agreements with Academic Publishers

• Changing author behavior for adhering to OA policy and posting content in repository

• Adoption of Creative Commons (for some IGOs)

• Declining revenues as a result of free dissemination – more reliance on Bank budget and publishing fees

• Positioning eLibrary and paid channels vis-a-via free content offerings (e.g., OKR)

• Measuring and tracking usage and impact

Next Steps

• Network with, and learn from, the OA

community

• Partner with other institutions for repository

interoperability South-South knowledge exchange

South-North knowledge exchange

• Develop Open Educational Resources

• Advocate for Open Access

• Where we can add value, help develop OA

capacity

THANK YOU!

Jose de Buerba, Sr. Publishing OfficerThe World Bank

jdebuerba@worldbank.org