The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) provides a critical service to the open access publishing community by curating a comprehensive white list of trusted open access journals. As a result of this work, DOAJ increases the “visibility, accessibility, reputation usage and impact of quality peer-reviewed open access scholarly research journals globally” (DOAJ).
Operating as a not-for-profit organization, DOAJ relies on the voluntary donations of its member institutions in order to sustain its services. While this funding model has allowed DOAJ to establish a robust and trusted database of reputable open access journals, it does not afford them the ability to conduct long term planning or invest in substantial upgrades. In response to this precarious funding model, the organizations in SCOSS (The Global Sustainability Coalition for the Open Science Series) put forward a recommendation that DOAJ supporting members make a commitment to fund DOAJ for the three years, allowing the organization to make significant contributions to their strategic initiatives.
UBC Library, which has long been a supporting member of DOAJ, has signed on to provide this additional sustaining financial support and looks forward to the future resources and services that DOAJ will create as a result of more stable funding.
Read more about DOAJ’s accomplishments in 2017