What motivated you to join DOAB as an ambassador?
I had the privilege of working for OAPEN in 2023-2024 as a Community Manager where I explored what was happening in the open book space in countries around the world (non-Europe and US). It became clear quite quickly that this is very complex and having local understanding and connections is essential. I strongly believe in the philosophy and practice of open scholarship so when I was offered a role in Australia I could not refuse, I suggested to OAPEN that I stay connected as an Ambassador. We didn’t know what that would look like at the time and I am delighted that the program is really taking shape in 2026.
How do you plan to drive open-access books publishing in your country/region through your work as a DOAB ambassador?
There has been significant work in Australia on the development of Open Educational Resources (incorporating not just books but also other resources). While the books in DOAB and OAPEN are, by definition ‘not textbooks’, some research work I undertook with colleagues demonstrated that these open books are being used for the purposes of teaching and learning (see: Tracking the Use of Open Educational Resources Sounds Simple. It Isn’t). This finding is a helpful argument for financial support of the use of these resources.
During that research work we identified the significant amount of open book publishing happening in Australian universities. As a member of Open Access Australasia and also the Australian Scholarly Communication Community of Practice, I hope to hold some discussions with the community about the need to join our activities strategically across the nation (and within the region with our colleagues in Aotearoa/ New Zealand.) We should also ensure this publishing is taking advantage of the centralised services offered by DOAB to further promote their publications.
The need for support of open infrastructure in the current geopolitical climate is more urgent than ever, and I am looking to engage in discussions for us to reframe the way we think about this within institutions. Libraries across the globe are one of the largest support groups for DOAB, and we need to be considering this support as legitimate payment for a service (rather than a donation). I would like to look at ways to demonstrate this through presenting analysis of usage and engagement with the DOAB service. In this way I can develop a position that can be adopted by others if they choose to assist their internal discussions.
What or who inspires you in your role?
I have been very lucky to have had some wonderful mentors over my career who have guided and advised me. I gain great inspiration from the global scholarly communication community who work on all aspects of open scholarship. There are so many talented, intelligent, creative and fun people in the community that it is hard not to remain enthusiastic. I also like a challenge and the constantly shifting nature of the open landscape keeps me intellectually stimulated and on my toes!
What are the biggest challenges you see in advancing open-access book publishing in your country/region?
Australia has always had good pockets of activity in the open space and has a strong community of practitioners within our libraries. Australia is a signatory to the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, so there is international alignment in theory. However we lack leadership at the country level on the topic. Unlike an increasing number of countries across the world Australia has no position on ‘open’. The funding policies that do exist do not align with each other and are not monitored for compliance so are less effective than they could be. This is a constant challenge for the progress of open scholarship locally. I saw first-hand in the UK, when working at Cambridge University on implementing national open access policies, how having government-level policies effects rapid and universal change. I can only dream of something like that happening here.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
There is a need for local and culturally appropriate engagement across the globe on the topic of open, and in particular open access books. Having a team of Ambassadors across the world will be really helpful to progress these discussions and activities. I look forward to learning from my Ambassador colleagues about what is happening across our different locations and working with them to progress the open agenda.