Behind the Buzzwords - Reframing Transformative Agreements in the Library

2026 COPPUL Scholarly Communications SkillShare session University libraries have increasingly entered into “Transformative Agreements” (TAs), also known as Read & Publish agreements, to bundle together an institution’s subscription and publishing costs. The purpose of these contracts is to provide affiliated authors a no cost open access option to publish their articles. While there is no direct fee charged to the author in these agreements, there are costs to academic libraries that are both obvious (e.g. access costs) and hidden (e.g. labour). Publisher and library statements about TAs use terms like “cost savings,” “funding,” and “cost avoidance,” when developing communications and assessing the agreements. However, this terminology frames TAs in transactional terms that privilege commercial interests over the public good and are potentially misleading or inaccurate. In this interactive presentation, we will critically examine library open access objectives and the current state of TAs within the lens of how they are framed, evaluated, and communicated. We will explore approaches for assessing the broader impact of these agreements, moving beyond narrow financial metrics toward more meaningful forms of evaluation for the institution’s local context. Speakers: Erin Fields, Open Education & Scholarly Communications Librarian, University of British Columbia DeDe Dawson, Open Scholarship Librarian, University of Saskatchewan Jaclyn McLean, Electronic Resources Librarian, University of Saskatchewan