Academic Libraries Contribute $1.794M to Fund Open Access Collection

SALINE, Mich., March 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, February 22, 2017 the libraries at University of Oregon and Oregon State University made contributions that completed a four-year fundraising effort spearheaded by Reveal Digital to develop an open access collection of alternative press periodicals called Independent Voices.  Leading academic libraries from the U.S, Canada, and the U.K. contributed the entire $1.794M needed to cover the costs of copyright clearance, digitization, platform development and hosting, project management, outreach, and other support activities for this large multi-year project.  

Independent Voices brings together for the first time in digital form 1,000 underground, alternative and literary newspapers, newsletters, and periodicals published during the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s.  More than 39 libraries, archives, and individual collectors have contributed source material from their hardcopy collections.

"Through this project and more to come, Reveal Digital is establishing a truly collaborative model that puts libraries in control of their own content, makes that content accessible to everyone and keeps valuable cultural heritage material from becoming locked behind expensive paywalls," said Reveal Digital founder, Jeff Moyer. "We are thrilled that librarians are embracing our vision and supporting it with their content, their time and their money."

Oregon and Oregon State's contributions top off funding commitments made by 107 libraries, both large and small.  Independent Voices was made possible by early seed money from the California Digital Library and the Big Ten Academic Alliance. In addition, member libraries of the Center for Research Libraries, LYRASIS, the NorthEast Research Libraries, Oberlin Group, and many others have contributed toward the cost of developing the collection. The complete list of funding libraries may be found here.

About Reveal Digital

Reveal Digital works in true partnership with libraries to bring rare-and untapped-content into the digital world. Reveal Digital's revolutionary publishing model allows libraries to collaborate to create and fund unique digital collections using a strict cost-recovery pricing model. Upon reaching a project's cost-recovery threshold, access to the resulting digital collection is open to all. Independent Voices is the first such collection. Reveal Digital is also developing a digital collection of newspapers published by Ku Klux Klan organizations in the 1920s.

Reveal Digital | www.revealdigital.com

SOURCE Reveal Digital

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