Qatar National Library Appointed Middle East Representative on Global Open Science Board

Qatar National Library (QNL) has officially joined the Global Sustainability Coalition for Open Science Services (SCOSS), marking a significant step in its ongoing commitment to advancing open access research in Qatar and the broader Middle East region.

As part of this collaboration, QNL was appointed to represent the Middle East on SCOSS’s board. This role aligns with QNL’s mission to foster global knowledge sharing by supporting open access to scholarly communication resources.

SCOSS is a coalition of influential organizations dedicated to securing sustainable open access and open science infrastructures worldwide. These infrastructures encompass essential services, software, and platforms that enable researchers to collect, store, organize, access, share, and evaluate their scientific work.

Since its inception in 2017, SCOSS has identified critical non-commercial services vital to open science and open access. The coalition provides strategic funding recommendations to stakeholders interested in supporting these infrastructures. To date, SCOSS has mobilized nearly $3 million in investments toward open infrastructure projects.

Dr Alwaleed Alkhaja, senior intellectual property librarian at QNL, will serve as the library’s representative on the SCOSS board. Dr Alkhaja emphasized the importance of open access, stating, “Open access is all about making research publications freely available so anyone can benefit from access to research. We are committed to doing everything we can to support the researchers of Qatar, the Middle East and worldwide to disseminate their findings as far and wide as possible.”

He further highlighted QNL’s core values, noting the library’s dedication to free and unrestricted access through initiatives like the Qatar Digital Library. “Open access is vital for improving the reach of research and helping to provide evidence for its impact. It also results in an improved reputation for researchers and their institutions, and in the long term, higher-quality research through open, transparent and reproducible research practices,” Dr Alkhaja added.

QNL actively participates in several international open access initiatives, including INTACT’s OpenAPC project and Open Access 2020. The library also contributes to shaping global open access principles through its involvement with the International Federation of Information and Library Associations.

Since 2017, QNL has supported Qatar’s research community by establishing the Open Access Author Fund, which covers publication costs for researchers publishing on open access platforms. Additionally, QNL offers open access vouchers through partner vendors, enabling eligible authors to publish articles in open access journals without financial barriers.