“My Books are My Relation to Society”: Transition and Transformation for the Arts and Humanities in an Open Access Future

Abstract

This article contextualises the transition to an open access publishing future and sets it against the background of the current state of decline in arts and humanities research funding in the US and UK. It outlines the problems which have stymied and slowed the move towards open research and it highlights those issues which particularly pertain to the field of arts and humanities. It considers the demands of research assesement and to quantify value and the opportunities that open access publishing might afford to those who research in the arts and humanities.