Day/Time: Thursday, May 19, 1:15pm – 2:15pm
Out in the Open: Launching a Diamond Open Access Book Hosting Service
Presenters
- Rebecca Wojturska, University of Edinburgh
Description
With developing guidance and policies around Open Access publishing for academic books, and with relatively high book processing charges (BPCs) from publishers, it is more important than ever for libraries to engage with open access book publishing to provide support for their academics and students. It is even more important to be transparent about the process, so that we can foster an open community between libraries, providing viable alternative publishing solutions for the research community.
Edinburgh University Library offers a Diamond Open Access journal hosting service, and recently launched a complimentary book hosting platform, bringing both services under the rebranded name of Edinburgh Diamond. Edinburgh Diamond is free of charge to Edinburgh staff and students, and enables them to publish journals, textbooks, monographs and edited collections with full library support in the areas of hosting (via OJS & OMP), technical support, indexing, policy development, best-practice guidance and workflow training. The rebranded service launched in October 2021 and we are keen to document and share our journey with the library community throughout the world.
During the presentation I will reflect on the timeline, successes and learning points of launching the book hosting service and of the rebrand, and provide recommendations and conclusions to attendees. I will also discuss how to sustainably grow a books hosting service and how it is useful in supporting teaching and learning. Finally, I will consider the technical requirements of the project, and gather anecdotal evidence from academic and student users to document the successes of the project and launch.
The primary audience for this presentation is the librarian who is beginning their own book hosting service, or who is considering it, as well as those interested in open book publishing.
Learning objectives
· Learn about the tools required for launching a books hosting service from scratch
· Find out more about Diamond Open Access publishing in the library landscape
· Hear about lessons learned along the way, as well as advice and tips if anyone is considering launching their own book hosting service
Swift: A Case Study in Publishing Fiction
Presenters
- Maria Aghazarian, Scholarly Communications Librarian, Swarthmore College (she/her)
- Braulio Muñoz, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Swarthmore College (he/him)
Description
Braulio Munoz is both a scholar and a Professor Emeritus Braulio Muñoz is both a scholar and a novelist; his latest work, The Always Already, is a magical realism epic focusing on indigenous characters and cultures from Peru. Traditional publishing wasn’t a good fit for his latest novel–the epic length and mixed format with bilingual songs made it difficult to market–so we worked together to publish it as a print-on-demand book and as an ebook. Within six months, we brought a book into the world that’s been in the making for the past decade.
This presentation will be a case study of how an early publishing program at a small library with limited staff explored publishing fiction. Scholarly Communications Librarian Maria Aghazarian will provide a timeline of the project, associated costs, campus collaborations, unexpected roadblocks, lessons learned, and proposed next steps for our publishing program. Braulio Muñoz will speak about how this process compared with his experience in traditional publishing.
The audience will leave with: a model timeline and checklist for the publishing process; suggestions for skill building with limited resources; and a renewed sense of publishing opportunities in their communities.
Book Publishing by University Libraries in Brazil
Presenters
- Lucas dos Santos Souza da Silva, Bachelor’s degree on Library Science, Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO)
- Dayanne da Silva Prudencio. Professor of the Library Science Department, Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro
Description
The presentation will show the experiences of Brazilian university libraries with publishing services, especially of materials such as books, theses, dissertations, textbooks, and other alternatives. This study rethinks the contribution of the university library regarding scientific communication, with the premise around librarians leading execution of publishing services of knowledge products made by the university staff and/or academic community in general, considering a transparent, accessible, inclusive system. For better comprehension around this subject, a bibliographic study was executed. Through literature review, it verified that the subject in Brazil has scarce approach compared to international background, not existing such scope regarding the production of books and alternative materials beyond serials publications. Therefore, decision was to execute a field research with qualitative and quantitative approaches, using semi structured questionnaire as data collecting instrument about the experience in such projects at the Brazilian university libraries population. It got 36 responses representing 25 per cent of feedback, finding five university libraries with experience in editorial production of books, against 31 that do not offer such a service, but presenting their reasons and challenges. It concludes that editorial practices in Brazilian university libraries are still not mature, due to some gaps that each information unit needs to fill, but it develops the potential of librarians in the development of such projects and recommends reading materials to encourage the emergence of these initiatives in National territory.