Why all these directories? An introduction to DOAJ and DOAB

Abstract

You have probably heard about them: the 'Directory of Open Access Journals' (DOAJ), 'Directory of Open Access Repositories' (OpenDOAR) and now, 'Directory of Open Access Books' (DOAB). The abbreviations pop up on familiar list-discussions and blogs. The services are mentioned at conferences, referred to in articles about scholarly publishing, and their data is used in research about open access (OA). You might ask yourself what all this fuss is about? Are these directories contributing to scholarly communication? If so, how exactly? This article argues for the value of the directories, mainly focusing on two of them: DOAJ and DOAB. It provides an introduction to the services, containing a brief history and status report, and addresses the differences between OA journal publishing and OA monograph publishing. It also highlights the value of these services and discusses whether the financial models behind them are sustainable.