For Libraries

Open | Global | Transparent

Library contributions support KU’s wider mission of making knowledge openly available for society by collectively funding Open Access books, journals, and platforms from a wide range of publishers and partners through a transparent process.

How Your Library Can Get Involved

Knowledge Unlatched is guided by a simple principle: open access has its greatest value when it remains grounded in academic needs while also reaching those who can benefit from it more widely. We believe that open access is a collaborative effort between libraries, publishers, open services, and readers, and that shared stewardship strengthens the community. 

Four different KU pledging opportunities

KU Select Books Collection

Our flagship KU Select Books Collection is curated by a global network of librarian voters, prioritizing professional expertise over purchasing power to accurately reflect user needs and global academic relevance.

KU Curated Partner Collections

Our KU Curated Partner Collections allow libraries to focus their support on specific areas of research most relevant to the academic, professional, and public audiences they serve.

Open Knowledge Resources

Reference works, archives, and primary sources opened to global researchers.

Subscribe to Open (S2O)

Subscribe to Open (S2O) enables publishers to remove paywalls without shifting costs to authors, maintaining equity while supporting long-term Open Access sustainability.

What you can pledge

Curated programs across disciplines and formats

01

Books Collections

Curated front-list monographs from leading university presses, grouped by discipline.

02

Open Knowledge Resources

Reference works, archives, and primary sources opened to global researchers.

03

Journal Collections (S2O)

Subscribe-to-Open pledging for core journals across the humanities and sciences.

How does pledging work?

A typical pledging cycle

  1. Pledging season typically begins in May and runs through December. Multiple pledges can be placed at any point during the season, and invoices can be issued immediately upon confirmation or at a specified time.

  2. Once the pledging is closed, KU combines all pledges and determines the total funding raised, enabling the maximum possible amount of content to be unlatched.

  3. Depending on the funding results, either complete collections can be unlatched, resulting in all titles becoming available Open Access, or KU will work with the publisher partners to unlatch as many titles as possible.

  4. All titles that are published OA as a result of pledging are discoverable on OAPEN with MARC records and relevant reporting.

Your Voice, Your Vote

Librarians can help decide which books become Open Access! Each year, our global network of librarians review the forthcoming scholarly books that have been submitted by leading academic publishers and vote on which titles should become part of the next KU Select Books collection. As a result of our unique voting process, the KU Select Books collection is directly shaped by the expertise of this global library community.

If you are interested in sharing your insight with us, please register to vote. Voting is voluntary, free of charge, and open to all practicing librarians and information professionals. Help shape one of the world’s largest collaborative Open Access book collections. Note: Participating in the voting process does not commit voters or their affiliated institution to supporting a KU collection financially.

READY TO PLEDGE, VOTE, OR LEARN MORE?

Talk to our team about 2026 Pledging for 2027 Publication.

Contact the KU Team