Karger Read & Publish SHEDL 2026-2028
Framework Description
Karger Read & Publish SHEDL 2026-2028 is an agreement negotiated by Jisc with the publisher Karger for SHEDL, the Scottish Higher Education Digital Library consortium, and listed in APUC's catalogue. As a read and publish deal, it combines access to Karger content with publishing for member authors. It replaced Karger SHEDL 2023-2025 and runs from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028.
Context & Use Case
Scottish university libraries use it to give medical, health and life sciences researchers access to Karger journals and to cover open access publishing by their authors in the same deal. Buying collectively through SHEDL gives smaller institutions access they might not afford alone. The library's subscriptions or resources team handles sign-up under Jisc's terms.
Scope of Services
Read access to Karger content for SHEDL institutions Open access publishing for authors at participating institutions Consortium licence terms negotiated by Jisc for member libraries
Lots
See framework link
Who Can Apply
This is an agreement with one named publisher, Karger, so no other supplier can join it. It matters mainly to Karger and to other publishers who want to understand how Jisc and SHEDL structure read and publish deals for Scottish institutions.
Buyer Benefits
Libraries combine subscription and open access publishing costs in one deal, which simplifies budgeting and supports funders' open access policies. A three-year term to the end of 2028 gives cost certainty, and consortium negotiation through SHEDL gives institutions more weight with the publisher than they would have alone.
Next Steps
Publishers wanting similar arrangements should study how Jisc negotiates read and publish agreements, and note that this one runs to 31 December 2028, when renewal talks are likely. Library suppliers of other kinds should look at APUC's catalogue for library frameworks that are open or due for re-tender.
How Athena Can Help
As a single-publisher deal, this agreement is not a route in for other suppliers. Our team can help with finding open library frameworks and DPSs and preparing the applications.
When a suitable library tender appears, our tender writing support drafts responses to the evaluation criteria, with editing, proofreading and a compliance check. We also give advice on public sector bids, including pricing models that win and still return a profit.
