In the spring of 2010, Knowledge for All shared an innovative proposal, calling on the international library and academic community to collaborate in developing its own truly open research tool for scholarly journal literature. A bold response to skyrocketing access fees for scholarly journal databases, the proposed tool would be freely available to public users via the web as well as private users wishing to customize and adapt it to their own environments. The proposal was met with a welcome reception and, with funds granted by the Council of Atlantic University Libraries (CAUL), it continues to move toward realization.

One year later, the project has successfully launched into its initial Planning and Development Phase (Phase 1) and is on track to prototype launch scheduled for January 2012 when Phase 2 of the project is set to begin. Leading up to this date, engaging stakeholder groups and the international library and academic community in becoming active participants in its development is critical. This document will serve as a guide for facilitating this process. It will inform the project’s approach to strategic engagement leading up to Phase 2, and on an ongoing basis, by:

• Articulating the project’s story, mission and values
• Reviewing the external landscape and situating the project within it
• Clarifying actors and roles within the project’s internal community
• Identifying goals and recommended strategies to engage stakeholder groups and community actors with respect to three key areas: community development, marketing and fundraising

The goals and strategies presented in this document are not intended as a final plan, but rather as a guide for facilitating meaningful engagement on an ongoing basis and a touchstone for engagement activities. They respect that, as an open and dynamic project, needs may change as the community involved in the project’s development grows. Consistent with the nature of the project itself, an open invitation for feedback, improvement and participation in their execution stands. That being said, what follows has taken into careful consideration the challenges and needs of stakeholder groups, community actors, and of the project itself to date, and represents an informed, creative effort to carry the project into its next phase and beyond.