Open Books Hong Kong: Pioneering Open Access in Asia

In a landmark collaboration, three university libraries and presses in Hong Kong have launched a pioneering open access books programme – Open Books Hong Kong. This initiative, spearheaded by The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), City University of Hong Kong (CityU), and The University of Hong Kong (HKU), aims to foster global knowledge sharing and biblio-diversity.

Since its inception in July 2024, Open Books Hong Kong has garnered over 430,000 views from 170,000 visitors and expanded its collection to include 27 monographs. These works, mainly in Chinese language, showcase the high-calibre research published by Hong Kong’s university presses and begins to address the significant gap in open-access resources for Chinese-language monographs.

The programme aligns with the goals of the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong to embrace open access for the benefit of the academic community and the general public. It builds on Hong Kong’s strengths as a bridge between China and the rest of the world, fostering cross-cultural understanding.

Addressing the Crisis in Scholarly Monograph Publishing
The traditional models of monograph publishing are facing significant challenges, including reduced funding support, high costs of producing and printing books, budget cuts in libraries and institutions, and declining sales. While digital versions of monographs are often behind paywalls with limited accessibility, open access monographs have the potential to massively increase research dissemination and impact.

Titles included in the Open Books Hong Kong initiative are available in the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB). Some titles are also available in the PubScholar portal of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the CNKI Scholar database, facilitating access for readers in mainland China. This further extends the reach of these valuable resources.

The Vital Role of University Presses
University presses play a crucial role in academic monograph publishing, with a focus on making research accessible rather than prioritising commercial interests. A 2021 survey highlighted that university presses support publishing at different scales and contribute to the diversity of published works (Shaw, Phillips & Gutiérrez, The Death of the Monograph?. Pub Res Q 38, 382–395 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-022-09885-2).

The books included in the Open Books Hong Kong pilot have all undergone rigorous peer review and editorial processes at the participating university presses. Written by distinguished scholars from around the world, the selected titles represent a vibrant global academic community in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

The Open Books Hong Kong initiative prioritises access and impact over sales figures. Early data suggests that print sales of these OA titles are in line with expectations, with significant increases in views and downloads for certain titles. This shift towards OA models not only expands the reach of scholarly works but also enhances their impact within and beyond the academic community.

Navigating Challenges with a Collaborative Approach
The implementation of the Open Books Hong Kong initiative has faced several challenges, including budget constraints and issues related to copyright infringement and website stability. However, through a collaborative approach, these challenges were addressed, ensuring the success and continuation of the programme.

One of the significant achievements of the Open Books Hong Kong initiative is its contribution to bridging the language gap in open access. With only 0.004% of open-access books indexed in DOAB being in Chinese, the initiative provides high-quality Chinese-language research, significantly increasing accessibility and impact. In just three months, the programme achieved over 300,000 views and 100,000 downloads. Compared with large English-language platforms, Open Books Hong Kong has seen a huge number of views of each title since its launch (Fig. 1).

Reshaping the Open Science Landscape in Asia
Open Books Hong Kong provides free access to high-quality academic works and promotes equity in knowledge dissemination. By removing barriers to information, it enables researchers, students, and the general public to engage with cutting-edge research, fostering a more informed and educated society. This initiative can serve as a model for other institutions and publishers in Asia, encouraging the development of similar collaborative programmes in our region.

Its focus on Chinese-language monographs addresses a critical gap in the global open access landscape, ensuring that valuable research is not lost due to language barriers. This initiative aligns with the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science which promotes bibliodiversity, and with the IFLA Strategy’s recognition of linguistic diversity.

For more information about the programme and to download the books, please visit openbookshongkong.com.

Contributed by Benjamin Meunier, University Librarian, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Library