We are currently closed to new TOME applications. Please check back in July 2023.

University of Colorado Boulder Libraries has committed funds to support Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem (TOME), an initiative designed to support peer-reviewed, open access monographs.

This initiative is the result of a collaborative effort between the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and the Association of University Presses (AUP). As of December 2020, 18 universities have pledged support for this initiative. These organizations are jointly seeking options to replace the traditional models of publishing. In an environment in which only those with the financial ability to purchase content have access to it, open access publishing helps scholars find publishing partners who are able to increase the dissemination and accessibility of their work.

University of Colorado Boulder Libraries has committed to funding one subvention grant to support publishing open access monographs in 2020/21 and in 2022/23. Each grant will be contributed directly to a press participating in the program for an open access publication of an eligible CU Boulder faculty-authored work.

Please contact Melissa Cantrell with questions about TOME at CU Boulder.

Application Process

Applications are submitted by the press publishing the monograph. Applications will be internally reviewed as they are received. If any clarifications and/or edits need to be made to the application in order to receive a subvention grant, the author(s) and the press will be notified.

TOME Application Form

Deadline(s) for submission

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, but because of limited funding it is encouraged for the participating press to submit an application as soon as an eligible monograph and author are identified.

TOME Criteria

  • Open access monograph proposals authored or co-authored by a current CU Boulder faculty member.

  • At this time, the grant fund will not accept textbooks, works of fiction, creative works, edited anthologies and collections, translations of previously published works, or critical editions.

  • Projects must have a written acceptance for open access publication from a press participating in TOME.

OA Edition and Press Requirements

  • The press will publish a platform-agnostic and accessible digital edition of the monograph under a Creative Commons license (CC BY or CC BY-NC) no later than the original date of publication.

  • A CC BY license is preferred when possible.

  • This edition must be free from DRM (Digital Rights Management).

  • The press will mint a Digital Object Identifier (“DOI”) for the Book that enables users to find the Open Access Version.

  • The press will provide a copy of the digital edition for deposit in CU Boulder’s Institutional Repository, CU Scholar.

  • The press may print and sell a print edition. If the press sells a print edition, a link to the open access digital edition must be made available alongside information about the print edition wherever possible, including on the publisher’s website.

  • The open access digital edition and any print edition(s) must include a copyright page bearing the Creative Commons license that applies to the work and an acknowledgment of CU Boulder’s funding and the TOME program. This information should appear in a font at least as large as the copyright notice.

  • The final digital publication must be made accessible via WCAG 2.0 or 2.1 requirements.

  • The press will distribute and make the open access monograph available on selected platforms, including: Directory of Open Access Books, HathiTrust Digital Library, Internet Archive, JSTOR’s Open Content, MUSE Open, OAPEN Library.

  • The press will provide a final invoice to CU Boulder. 

  • The press will provide a copy of the fully executed contract with the author within thirty (30) days of execution.