This landscape analysis was produced by SPARC in response to the growing trend of commercial acquisition of critical infrastructure in our institutions. It is intended to provide a comprehensive look at the current players in this arena, their strategies and potential actions, and the implications of these on the operations of our libraries and home institutions. It also outlines suggestions for an initial set of strategic responses for the community to evaluate in order to ensure it controls both this infrastructure and the data generated by/resident on it. We are at a critical juncture where there is a pressing need for the academic community – individually and collectively – to make thoughtful and deliberate decisions about what and whom to support – and under what terms and conditions. These decisions will determine who ultimately controls the research and education process; and whether we meaningfully address inequities created by legacy players or simply recreate them in new ways. These decisions will shape libraries’ role in the scholarly enterprise, now and for the future.

Preventing monopolies in knowledge infrastructure is the next battleground for publishers and research institutions

SPARC’s Roadmap for Action builds on our previously released Landscape Analysis, providing a set of individual and collective actions that institutions can consider taking to help ensure control of their data and data infrastructure. Recognizing that solutions to these complex issues are not “one size fits all,” this document offers a framework with multiple, concrete solutions that individual organizations can improve and adapt to their local culture and needs. The solution set is by no means exhaustive, and is intended as a starting point for the community to build upon.Produced by Claudio Aspesi, in collaboration with the SPARC team, the Roadmap for Action is intended to inform discussions of these issues on campus and to serve as a catalyst for taking considered action.

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