OU Libraries Monthly Feature: Profiles in Open Featuring Matt Stock

“Profiles in Open” regularly features OU scholars who advocate for open access and make their work openly accessible, benefitting authors, readers, funders, the public, and others. Check out this month’s profile of Matt Stock.

Matt Stock is the Fine and Applied Arts Librarian in the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts School of Music. He is the author of the openly published resource Arban Expansion Pack: Classic Exercises Adapted for Today’s Musicians.

Why do you choose to publish open access?

I’d published an earlier collection with a medium-sized music publisher. While they included it in their advertising and I promoted it on social media, the sales, while OK for a publication of that type, were limited. I’d shared drafts of the Arban Expansion Pack with several colleagues, was confident of its value and wanted it to reach a larger audience.

How have you benefited from publishing open access?

This book reached a larger and far more international audience. In addition to downloads in the U.S. and English speaking countries around the world, it has been frequently downloaded in France, Germany, Sweden, Peru, and Spain. From comments on social media I know it is being used not only by college faculty and students but by professionals and skilled amateurs. This broader, immediate impact is largely the result of open access.

Would you encourage others to publish open access? If so, why?

Yes, the difference in the impact between my open access and traditionally published collections is undeniable. My only caution, especially for pre-tenure faculty, would be to consult with your Committee A and the faculty rules for your department to be certain that an open access project like mine or a digital humanities project will receive appropriate credit on your activity report.