As participation in library publishing grows, the development of a strong evidence base to inform best practices and demonstrate impact is essential. To encourage research and theoretical work about library publishing services, the Library Publishing Coalition (LPC) gives an annual Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Library Publishing. The award recognizes significant and timely contributions to library publishing theory and practice.
LPC’s Research Committee is delighted to announce that this year’s award recipients are Kate McCready and Emma Molls for their article, “Developing a Business Plan for a Library Publishing Program.” With the continued growth of library publishing programs, McCready and Molls’s article provides a business plan template that can be used to assist library publishers as they work to provide an understanding of program goals and services to their campus communities. This excellent article is highly relevant, very timely, and has the potential to change practice among library publishers.
Kate and Emma’s work will be formally recognized at the 2019 Library Publishing Forum in Vancouver, BC. They will receive a cash award of $250, travel support to attend the Forum, and an opportunity to share this work with the community.
In addition, the Committee has decided to award honorable mentions to Dave S. Ghamandi for his article, “Liberation through Cooperation: How Library Publishing Can Save Scholarly Journals from Neoliberalism” and Stephanie S. Rosen for her work, Accessibility & Publishing, Ghamandi’s piece engages with both the practical and the theoretical, providing a conceptual foundation for the development of publishing models that offer an alternative to the current paradigm, which he argues operates from a neoliberal ideology. Rosen’s work foregrounds accessibility as a primary concern of publishing, drawing attention to the importance of an intentional focus on accessibility issues if we are truly to work towards an ethical and equitable publishing future.
Finally, the committee would like to recognize the important work of the Library Publishing Coalition Ethical Framework Task Force for their publication, Ethical Framework for Library Publishing.