Author Query is a quarterly newsletter that offers curious scholars a window into the rapidly evolving world of scholarly publishing and encourages informed dialogue among authors, publishers, and libraries about the direction of these changes.  

March 2026
What is Diamond Open Access?

What is special about diamond open access? Learn more in this issue about a publishing model that strives for greater equity.

ACLS Support for OA Authors

The ACLS Open Access Book Prizes and the Path to Open initiative support more authors publishing their books as open access.

Funding for Equitable Open Access

But how do we pay for it? Two librarians offer their perspective in Katina magazine on participatory funding for more equitable open access.

Mapping Diamond OA Journals

Do you publish (or read) a diamond open access journal? The Mapping Diamond Open Access Journals study is running a survey through May and would love to hear about it!

 

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November 2025
Interview with Joy Connolly

ACLS president Joy Connolly joined the Against the Grain podcast to discuss ancient studies, open access in the humanities, a new vision for graduate education, and her own forthcoming book!

Celebrating the 2025 Open Access Book Prizes

The celebration of the 2025 ACLS Open Access Book Prizes on October 22 at The New York Public Library featured a panel discussion with the winning authors and publishers, followed by a reception.

Path to Open: Building a Shared Future

One hundred books in the Path to Open collection will flip to open access this January! John Lenahan, Vice President of Published Content at JSTOR, reflects on the progress and future of Path to Open, which ACLS supports through the Community Advisory Committee.

University Press and Library Collaborations

University presses are collaborating with libraries to find new ways of supporting open and innovative scholarship. Katina magazine features three success stories at Temple University, University of Liverpool, and Brown University.

 

August 2025
The Cherokee Natural World

The Cherokee Natural World: Stories, Language, and Teaching from the University of British Columbia Press /RavenSpace is the first new publication supported by the 2024 Arcadia Open Access Publishing Award. Get a sneak peek here before its official launch on August 28!

Meet the 2025 Author Finalists!

The 2025 finalists in all four categories of the ACLS Open Access Book Prizes share their motivations for publishing open access.

Bibliodiversity in Path to Open

Bibliodiversity is a core value of the Path to Open initiative. But what is it exactly?

Indigenous North Americans Collection

The Big Ten Open Books Project has just released the Indigenous North Americans collection, featuring 100 open access titles. Learn more and explore the collection!

 

June 2025
Open Access Authors Panel at SSP 2025

Organized by Amplifying Humanistic Scholarship and JSTOR, a panel of open access authors shared their experiences at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Scholarly Publishing.

2025 Open Access Book Prize Finalists

Text over collage of book covers reads ACLS Open Access Book Prize and Arcadia Open Access Publishing Award 2025 Finalists

Twenty finalists across four categories for the 2025 ACLS Open Access Book Prize and Arcadia Open Access Publishing Award were announced on May 22. Winners announced in fall 2025!

 

Path to Open at Syracuse University

Both the libraries and the press at Syracuse University are participating in the Path to Open pilot. Learn how this innovative model for open access books benefits the entire campus.

Other Stories to Tell: A Final Report

The final report of the ACLS Commission on Fostering and Sustaining Diverse Digital Scholarship is now available in a Manifold edition.

 

February 2025
Welcome to the first issue of Author Query!

Produced by the ACLS Amplifying Humanistic Scholarship initiative, this quarterly newsletter expands the former newsletter dedicated to the ACLS Open Access Book Prizes.

Celebrating the 2024 Open Access Book Prizes

Celebrations of the inaugural 2024 ACLS Open Access Book Prizes took place in Baltimore, Maryland and in Vancouver, British Columbia.

 

 

 

A History of Path to Open as a Community Model

Learn about the origins of Path to Open, a unique community-based approach to funding the publication of open access monographs.

Adventures in Digital Publishing

Adventures in Digital Publishing is an occasional web series, founded in 2020, that explores the development of complex digital publications from university presses.

 

 

This newsletter is compiled by the Amplifying Humanistic Scholarship initiative at ACLS, which includes the ACLS Open Access Book Prizes and the Path to Open Community Advisory Committee.