Knowledge Unlatched
Knowledge Unlatched was born of a simple idea – that it should be possible for libraries, through a collective action approach, to make monographs open access.
Team KU, London, 2014
The guiding principle behind KU was straightforward, or so I thought at first in 2012. Libraries could re-channel their existing funds into an aggregated pool of money to be used to pay for publishing costs early in a book's life cycle, in exchange for making monographs open.
The early days of KU were tough, sometimes brutal. Librarians said their procurement departments wouldn't allow them to "buy" something that couldn't be listed as an asset on the balance sheet. Publishers said it was too risky. It would kill print sales. Consultants wrung their hands and shouted "free riders, free riders"—why would anyone pay if they knew they can get it for free? One publishing colleague called me a 'copyright terrorist'!
Yet, KU flourished and collective collaborations have grown. I passed it on to the entrepreneur Sven Fund in 2017 who developed it further. Then KU had a short stay with Wiley, and finally now is housed at Annual Reviews.
Richard Gallagher, President at Annual Reviews said of KU (Research Information, 7 July 2025):
'Letting my imagination roam a little, I can picture KU's future as a kind of "Grand Bazaar". Picture a lively, ever-evolving space filled with virtual stalls offering not only open books and journals, but also video series, educational resources, discussion forums, publishing services, infrastructure tools, and more. A place where ideas mingle and the energy of open knowledge is on full display.'
