LPC Blog

The Library Publishing Coalition Blog is used to share news and updates about the LPC and the Library Publishing Forum, to draw attention to items of interest to the community, and to publish informal commentaries by LPC members and friends.

December 19, 2024

LPC welcomes a new member: University of Saskatchewan

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The Library Publishing Coalition is delighted to welcome the University of Saskatchewan as a new member. Their voting rep is DeDe Dawson.

A statement from the University of Saskatchewan:

The University of Saskatchewan is a research-intensive medical doctoral university and is home to world leading research in areas of global importance, including water and food security, and infectious diseases. USask’s main campus is located in the vibrant city of Saskatoon, SK, Canada, on Treaty 6 territory and the traditional homeland of the Métis. The University Library operates seven physical locations across campus, as well as robust online services to over 20,000 students. We are in the early stages of developing a diamond open access journal hosting service. Our library has an instance of OJS and we have hosted one journal on it since 2018. It is a peer-reviewed, undergraduate research journal where undergraduate editors run the journal with guidance from library staff and faculty. Additionally, over the last year we have been running a pilot project to support the transition of a small humanities journal from print/subscription to online/diamond OA, and most recently (as of yesterday!) we have entered into an agreement to host another long-running local journal too. We are excited to join the LPC community, and we look forward to learning from our peers in library publishing and contributing back where we can!

December 18, 2024

2024 Library Publishing Directory now available

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The Library Publishing Coalition is pleased to announce the publication of the 2024 Library Publishing Directory! This year’s print, PDF, EPUB, online versions and dataset of the Library Publishing Directory highlight the publishing activities of 167 library publishers across the globe.

The Directory illustrates the many ways in which libraries are actively transforming and advancing scholarly communications in partnership with scholars, students, university presses, and others. Each year, the Directory‘s introduction presents a ‘state of the field’ based on that year’s data, which we also publish in a related blog posting.

We are also excited to announce the Library Publishing Directory research data set has been updated and now includes data through the current directory, 2024, thanks to the hard work of the Research Committee. This resource is composed of the data in csv format and includes the original survey instrument and data dictionary for each year. The directory data can be accessed at the Directory’s main page.

The 2024 Directory also reflects an ongoing partnership with the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Library Publishing Special Interest Group (LibPub SIG), and includes international entries, translated by IFLA LibPub SIG members. Libraries who chose to complete the full survey appear in the print, PDF, and EPUB versions of the Directory. All entries appear in the online version. IFLA’s Global Library Publishing Map is a first-of-its-kind online database of global library publishing initiatives.

Publication of the 2024 Directory was overseen by the LPC’s 2023-24 and 2024-25 Directory Committees:

 Library Publishing Coalition Directory Committee
2024-2025
Allison Brown, SUNY Geneseo (chair)
Emily Carlisle, Western University
Angel Clemons, University of Louisville
Gina Genova, University of Louisville
Briana Knox, University of North Texas
Matthew Vaughn, Indiana University
Elizabeth Scarpelli, University of Cincinnati Press, Board liaison

2023-2024
Allison Brown, SUNY Geneseo, co-chair
Jody Bailey, Emory University
Ryan Otto, Kansas State University
Ted Polley, Indiana University Bloomington
Emily Carlisle, University of Western Ontario

IFLA Special Interest Group on Library Publishing Subcommittee
Grace Liu (Canada)
Ann Okerson (USA)

Library Publishing Coalition Research Committee
Karen Bjork, Virginia Commonwealth University (chair)
Matthew Goldberg, University of Louisville
Matt Hunter, Florida State University
Michelle LaLonde, Wayne State University
John Morgenstern, Emory University
Talia Perry, Carnegie Mellon University
Mai Yamamoto, Purdue University
Leigh-Ann Butler, Board liaison

December 18, 2024

How has the field changed in the last 10 years? An excerpt from the 2024 Library Publishing Directory

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Editor’s note: As much as we love the searchable online interface for the Library Publishing Directory, it doesn’t include the introduction found in the print, PDF, and EPUB versions. Each year, the Directory‘s introduction includes a ‘state of the field’ based on that year’s data that highlights trends and new developments in library publishing as reported by the programs that contribute their information. To make it easier to find, we are republishing that portion of the introduction here.

By the LPC Directory Committee

Key Findings/Overview

In recognition of the Library Publishing Directory’s 10 year anniversary, we took this opportunity to look back at the first Directory from 2014 and to highlight some of the trends and developments we identified in the data from 2014 to 2024.

In this year’s edition of the Directory, we received responses from 179 publishers in 18 countries, and 167 long-form responses are featured in the Directory. The number of respondents has grown gradually since the first Library Publishing Directory in 2014, when 116 library publishers completed the survey. We also see a much higher number in the unique institutions that have participated in the last decade: in the Directory‘s lifetime 383 library programs have responded to the call for entries. Most respondents (92%) represent academic libraries, which is consistent with previous years. Of the remaining respondents, 5% identified their institution type as consortia, 1% as member organizations, and 2% as other.

The survey itself has grown and changed over the years, beginning with just two main sections, Overview and Publishing Activities, in 2014. By 2024 it has grown to include sections on each publishing program’s organization and oversight, partnerships, technologies and services, program highlights, and most recently, policies.

The information we wanted as a community in the first half of the Directory’s life focused on what services to offer, what technologies balance functionality and sustainability, and the quantity of resources, human or otherwise, to dedicate to these efforts. More recently, the community is asking questions about managing existing services, formalizing policies, working in collaboration within and outside of our institutions, and sustaining the people that make all this happen.

In comparing the 2014 and 2024 survey results, we identified a number of positive trends in terms of staffing, technology use, geographic diversity, and publishing program expansion and stability. These positive trends are highlighted here and explained in more detail in the relevant sections below:

  • The Directory has become much more geographically diverse, with publishers from 18 countries contributing in 2024 compared to 5 countries in 2014. 
  • The median age of respondents’ programs has increased 100% from 7 years to 14 years, even as dozens of newly established programs have contributed to the Directory. For example, 53 of the 2024 respondents’ programs did not yet exist when the first Directory was published.
  • In 2014, 61% of respondents were using a proprietary platform for at least one of their publishing initiatives. In 2024, however, less than half (47%) of respondents were using a proprietary platform.
  • Staffing at library publishers has increased 33% from a median of 1.5 FTE in 2014 to 2 FTE in 2024.
  • A typical library publisher added one service between 2014 and 2024, with a median of 10 services offered in 2024 compared to 9 in 2014. The number of possible services identified by the survey increased significantly (29%) over the decade, from 24 to 31.
  • Although services increased in multiple areas, the reported provision of traditional library services such as cataloging and metadata decreased by over 10%.

(more…)

December 12, 2024

New in 2025: the LPC Connections Program

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The 2025 Library Publishing Coalition Peer Mentorship Program is commencing under a new name: the LPC Connections Program. Historically, the LPC Peer Mentorship Program has facilitated two individuals working together, exchanging knowledge, and sharing their expertise and insights. Initially conceived as a traditional mentorship program where one individual “mentors” another, it was restructured in 2019 to a peer-mentorship model. This revised structure allowed for two individuals to meet regularly, learn from each other, and foster an orientation to the LPC, promoting relationship-building and active involvement.

The activities in 2024 included an official kick-off meeting, mid-year evaluations, a list of useful discussion prompts, regular meetings between pairs, and a year-end review. While the feedback from last year has been overwhelmingly positive, participants also expressed interest in interacting with more than one mentor. Given our community’s wealth of expertise, expanding these interactions seems beneficial.

Consequently, the LPC Professional Development Committee has decided to refresh the program structure by rebranding the program as LPC Connections. Here is the plan:

Instead of assigning a single mentor for a year, participants will connect with various knowledgeable individuals from across the LPC. Each month, a new match will be assigned. Participants will meet, discuss, and learn from each other with the help of provided discussion prompts, and the process will repeat with a new match the following month.

Interested in joining the Connection program in 2025? (It’s a rhetorical question. We know you are.) Then please apply now and join the fun!

Timeline for the 2025 cycle:

  • Applications are out now! We are accepting applications through January 12, and we’ll send out regular reminders.
  • The list of participants and rotation schedule will be shared so you can get to know your Connection before meeting up. You and your Connection can schedule a meeting time that works for you both.
  • The LPC Professional Development Committee will provide you with prompts to help jump-start the conversation, but you are welcome to delve into any topic that interests you both. We image that meeting will be anywhere from 30-60 minutes. It’s flexible.
  • Library Publishing Forum 2025 is May 5-8 (Virtual). Let’s meet up!
  • Mid-year and end of year feedback opportunities will be available so if you have ideas or thoughts, we’re always open to feedback.

As this is a pilot initiative, we are eagerly seeking feedback from participants on the new model and any potential areas for improvement. Opportunities for providing feedback will be available throughout the program.

LPC Professional Development Committee

Anna Dimoula, University of Miami (co-chair)
Adam Mazel, Indiana University (co-chair)
Kristina Bloch, University of Louisville
Stefanie Buck, Oregon State University
Patti Sherbaniuk, University of Alberta
Anne Sticksel, Northwestern University