About ELP

ELP is a practical, community-based approach to scholarly access.

We believe important knowledge should reach the communities it was meant to serve. Our work is focused on helping scholarly content connect with real users through access models that are structured, transparent, and designed for meaningful use.

Rather than relying on broad assumptions about access, ELP is built around clearly defined communities of use — including specialized research groups, clinical teams, educators, trainees, and other focused professional communities.

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Why We Exist

In many settings, traditional access structures do not always reflect the realities of smaller, specialized communities.

As a result, important scholarly content may not always reach the people who need it most. ELP exists to help close that gap by supporting practical, sustainable, and responsible access structures that better reflect real-world use.

Our goal is not unrestricted distribution. Our goal is meaningful access — carefully managed, clearly structured, and aligned with long-term value for both content owners and users.

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What We Believe

We believe that access should be:

Focused
Built around real communities of use, not generic assumptions.

Responsible
Managed with appropriate controls, transparency, and care.

Sustainable
Structured to support long-term scholarly value and continuity.

Practical
Designed to work in real educational, clinical, and research environments.

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What ELP Supports

ELP supports access models that may be shaped around practical factors such as:

• defined user groups

• simultaneous access needs

• specialty-focused teams

• department or community size

• structured and verified user communities

Depending on the content, the community, and publisher policy, these models can help create access arrangements that are more practical for real users while remaining clear and manageable in operation.

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Who We Support

ELP is designed to support a range of scholarly and professional communities, including:

Scholarly societies
Helping societies extend meaningful reach within the communities they serve.

Publishers
Supporting transparent, policy-conscious, and well-managed access coordination.

Libraries and institutions
Helping organizations explore practical ways to support focused user groups.

Hospitals and clinical teams
Supporting access for specialized professional communities in healthcare settings.

Researchers and educators
Helping important literature reach the people who generate, teach, and apply knowledge.

Trainees and specialized communities
Supporting defined groups with clear educational and professional needs.

A Practical, Responsible Model

ELP is not based on broad or open access by default. It is built around controlled, verified, and well-managed access structures.

Our approach may include:

• clearly defined user communities

• practical access planning

• transparent coordination

• responsible management

• alignment with publisher expectations and content value

We believe this creates a more sustainable and meaningful framework — one that helps important content reach the communities it was meant to serve while respecting the integrity of scholarly publishing.

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Closing

ELP is built on a simple idea:
important knowledge should be accessible to the communities that truly need it.

We are committed to supporting access models that are thoughtful, practical, and sustainable for scholarly societies, publishers, institutions, and specialized users alike.