As a part of our mission to amplify the impact of the libraries, scholarship, and resources of the University of California (UC), the California Digital Library (CDL) invests heavily in creating and supporting open technologies, open access models, and open infrastructures. But like many libraries around the world, CDL also relies on proprietary systems and depends on closed sources of information. These systems often control essential data about our scholarly outputs and shape how we understand the reach and impact of UC’s research.
Tools like these fall into the category of “research information systems,” a space that includes citation indices, research analytics platforms, corporate databases, and tools used to connect research outputs to institutional and global measures of impact. Some of these research information systems operate on an open model and some are even run by noncommercial entities aiming to enrich the scholarly record (e.g. OpenAlex, The Lens). However, many research information systems are closed and owned by a handful of vendors (e.g. Web of Science, Scopus, Dimensions). These systems form a lucrative industry for selling analytics and insights back to universities and publishers. Drawing on deep resource pools, these systems are able to augment the data about academic research in ways that are valuable but only benefit paying subscribers. While much energy in libraries has gone into moving publishing and infrastructure to open access and open science, this part of our ecosystem has remained elusive and feels ripe for a shift towards openness.
Throughout our history, CDL has taken a measured, calculated approach to moving our communities to more open models. That does not mean we have played it safe. For every radical or disruptive project we have undertaken, there are also examples where we have worked within existing structures to achieve transformation. At UC, we call this approach “pathways.” By building multiple routes to lasting change, we believe we can achieve wide-ranging impact. We bring this same strategy to our work toward an open research information systems landscape with research information systems.
Our Commitment to Open Research Information
Following the launch of the Barcelona Declaration, CDL took a close look at how we use and interact with research information systems. We examined both the internal tools we rely on and the external partnerships we maintain. After months of thoughtful evaluation and reflection on our long-term goals, CDL leadership concluded that it is time for action:
In April 2025, CDL will formally sign the Barcelona Declaration, publicly committing to open research information.
Of course, signing the Barcelona Declaration is only a first step. What matters most is how we translate that commitment into meaningful change rather than surface-level solutions. For example, we are not simply looking to swap commercial tools for those labeled as “open” if they still come with limitations that restrict participation, reuse, or transparency. Instead, we are undertaking a comprehensive review of how we manage and interact with research information systems across our services. Our goal is to identify and adopt truly open, community-led solutions that support equity, interoperability, and long-term sustainability. By doing so, we aim to help reimagine a research information ecosystem that is governed by and built for the scholarly community, not just licensed to it.
A Challenge We Are Prepared to Meet
At the core of this reexamination is a simple belief: facts about the scholarly record should be open – there should be no paywalls on metadata. Information such as a work’s authors, their affiliations, summary descriptions or abstracts, funders, subject classifications, and licensing terms are essential elements of scholarly communication. They should be freely available, universally accessible, cleanly published, and make use of persistent identifiers. It is the responsibility of all publishers, repositories, and funders to broadcast this metadata without restriction.
As the UCOLASC Declaration of Rights and Principles to Transform Scholarly Communication makes clear, access to metadata is essential for advancing open scholarship. CDL’s affirmation of the Barcelona Declaration builds upon our existing commitments. Open access, diamond publishing, transformative agreements, open metadata and infrastructure are not isolated efforts. They are interconnected pathways to an open future. When key metadata elements such as authorship, affiliations, funders, licensing, and subject classifications are restricted behind paywalls, that restriction blocks the development of interoperable systems, hampers efforts to assess impact and reach, and prevents us from building tools that reflect our values. Without open metadata, we cannot fully reimagine or govern the scholarly ecosystem. We can only license fragments of it.
The Barcelona Declaration Is Part of Our Future
Signing the Barcelona Declaration is an important commitment, but achieving meaningful change requires sustained action. The path ahead for this work is not simple, but it’s essential. Advancing open research information will require deep and intentional collaboration across institutions and with private sector partners. It will demand rethinking entrenched systems and investing in models that prioritize openness, transparency, and sustainability. By endorsing the Barcelona Declaration, CDL signals that it is time to take action.
Together with our partners, we are building a research information ecosystem that reflects our values, supports the public good, and creates a more equitable and accessible future for scholarship.
Author Bio: John Chodacki is Director of the University of California Curation Center (UC3) at California Digital Library (CDL). As UC3 Director, John works across the UC campuses and the broader community to ensure that CDL’s digital curation services meet the emerging needs of the scholarly community – including digital preservation, persistent identifiers, data management, and data publishing. John recently was a member of CDL’s ORI Connect team that explored CDL’s use of ORI infrastructure, services, and systems and proposed a plan of action.
Tags: CDL, Open Access
