Ex Libris, a ProQuest company, is pleased to announce its partnership with Knowledge Unlatched, an open access (OA) service provider. The integration of the Ex Libris Esploro™ research information management solution with the Knowledge Unlatched Oable workflow management solution will provide research institutions with full article processing charge (APC) workflows, covering APC submission, approvals, and budget management in Ex Libris Alma®library services platform. The collaborative solution will facilitate OA publishing and reduce the associated administrative burden.
Through the integration of the Esploro solution with Oable, libraries and research administrators will benefit from a single end-to-end OA management workflow, replacing today’s siloed processes. Researchers will be able to initiate and track an APC request directly from their online profile in the institution’s Esploro-enabled research portal. Library staff can then process the request seamlessly via Oable, follow the status of the request, generate purchase orders through Alma services, and create OA reports in the Esploro and Oable interfaces.
Knowledge Unlatched Chief Solutions Officer Dr. Olaf Ernst commented, “There is an increasing need for the interoperability of data and systems. We have launched Oable as a solution enabling institutions to seamlessly approve, pay, and manage open access activities on campus. Partnering with Ex Libris is an important step in supporting the goal of making the open access publication process a better experience for researchers and institutions around the world.”
Nadav Doron, Ex Libris vice president of research information management solutions, commented, “Open access publishing is gaining momentum, with more and more institutions and publishers adopting OA models. Together with Knowledge Unlatched, we will support universities in their research mission by streamlining APC processes and removing barriers that interfere with the adoption of open access publishing.”
