Librarians as Diamond Open Access changemakers

Slide from a panel session on the first day of the Copim Conference 2026, a hybrid event (26-27 February) focusing on the future of community-led open access books. Panel members and presentation titles: Building a National Diamond OA Ecosystem: Infrastructure, Governance, and Activation in Nigeria (Fatimah Jibril Abduldayan) Librarians as Diamond Open Access changemakers (Martina Benz) Investing in Open: From 0 to 1 (Jill Cirasella) Librarians as Diamond OA changemakers (Sarah Thompson) Abstract: Librarians are making major, but sometimes under recognised, contributions to developing a fairer, sustainable Diamond OA landscape. In this international panel, librarians will talk about the concrete work they have been doing, and successes they have had, in advancing open access amongst their institutional contexts and wider networks and communities . Their endeavours range from establishing new library based Diamond OA book publishing initiatives, to changing the ways open access is supported and understood within their institutions, to establishing cross-institutional networks to support Diamond OA publishing. The panel aims to highlight the practical, difficult but vital work librarians have already been doing to support the global health of open access, as well as aiming to open up a discussion on how librarian-led initiatives can better collaborate with Diamond OA collective funding initiatives.