Regarding technology and publishing platforms, both are changing, and quickly, and some members would like for the Oral History Review to be an Open Access journal. While not strictly Open Access, the Oral History Review is a hybrid, Open Select journal. Open Select journals represent most of Taylor & Francis journals (of which OHR is one), including those published on behalf of learned societies like OHA. According to T&F, this provides authors with the choice to publish their research on a traditional paywall basis or make their research Open via an APC if they have the funding to do so, or if their institution is in a read and publish (also known as transformative) agreement with T&F.(Note: An APC is an article processing charge, or publication fee, which is a fee that is sometimes charged to authors. Transformative agreements are made between libraries and publishers so that authors don’t need to pay APCs.)
Currently – and for the foreseeable future – the Oral History Review, while it is an independent, peer-reviewed academic journal, relies for its funding on the subscription revenue that Oral History Association membership provides plus Open Access revenue received from APCs and transformative agreements. In turn, the OHA relies upon the Oral History Review for its content as the flagship journal of the oral history field. We anticipate that there will be many evolving discussions around publishing and platforms and financial models as publishing and technology continue to evolve.
