Does a Lack of an Openness Policy hamper the Academic Library? The Case of the University of Lodz

Abstract

This study examines the activities of a scientific library in addressing challenges related to the development of open models for scientific publishing and research data sharing within an institution that lacks a formal openness policy. The case of the University of Lodz (UŁ) demonstrates how bottom-up initiatives, primarily those of the University Library, can shape attitudes and catalyze open science activities. This paper presents the perspective of librarians and their role in promoting open publishing and disseminating knowledge to academics, doctoral candidates, and students. Their participation in university activities is examined in relation to the introduction of good openness practices into research and teaching, including open access publishing programs, read&publish agreements, analysis of journals for predatory publishing practices, researcher support in selecting publication venues, licenses, archiving works via the green way of open access, administering open access journals, and promoting open access through institutional repositories, doctoral courses, and events. The findings reveal two distinct behavioral models in Polish science: adopting a university openness policy versus forgoing such a policy while implementing pro-openness measures aligned with top-down recommendations. The latter model, exemplified by the University of Lodz, demonstrates comparable functionality to the former.