Wellcome Library launches open access fund for Library users

Anyone with peer-reviewed work accepted for publication that draws significantly on the Library’s collections is eligible, if they do not already have access to funds to make their publication open access.

The work of researchers who use the Wellcome Library collections is as diverse as the Library’s contents, which range from ancient Egyptian papyrus prescriptions to the latest digital biomedical images and together make up the one of the world's most comprehensive resources for the history of health and medicine. Too often, however, authors simply do not have the means to share their research with the widest possible readership.

Publications made open access through this fund will be deposited in Europe PubMed Central, which receives 35,000 daily visitors.Open access research can be freely read by anyone, is disseminated further and is downloaded more frequently.By covering the publication costs, the Library will allow many researchers of the history of medicine to find new audiences for their work.

The Wellcome Library is part of the Wellcome Trust, which has required its grantholders to make their research papers open access since 2005. This policy has recently been widened to include monographs and book chapters. The Wellcome Library Open Access fund is a voluntary scheme that stems from the same set of ideals, extending the commitment of the Trust to open access and the free circulation of knowledge and ideas.

Simon Chaplin, Head of the Wellcome Library, says “We are keen to see Library users take full advantage of the greater visibility and reach offered by open access publication. In supporting them through our new Fund, we hope to showcase the extraordinary range and quality of research inspired by the Wellcome Library’s collections.”

Potential applicants will find more information on the Wellcome Library website.