Nancy Adams | Library Publishing Coalition

June 17, 2020

Building a Library Publishing Research Community

By Nancy Adams

At this year’s Library Publishing Forum, members of the LPC Research Committee presented a session on “Cultivating Community with the Library Publishing Research Agenda.” The research agenda, released in April, offers an overview of six topics of importance to library publishers: Assessment, Labor, Accessibility, Non-traditional Research Outputs, Peer Review, and Partnerships. The document is intended to serve as a starting point for individuals interested in learning about and conducting research on library publishing, and aligns with the Research Committee’s mission to promote research within the field.

During our session at the forum, we aimed to build on the release of the agenda by giving members of the LPC community the opportunity to create connections with one another and discuss different ways in which the agenda could be used as both an educational resource and a potential catalyst for original research projects. Using breakout rooms, session attendees divided into groups centered around the topics covered in the research agenda, giving them an opportunity to connect with individuals with similar interests. The members of the Research Committee participated in these group discussions as well, and we enjoyed the opportunity to engage in illuminating conversations and learn about ways in which the committee can continue to support research in library publishing.

As a next step in fostering community in this area, the Research Committee is pleased to announce the launch of the LPC Research Interests Match Program. This resource is available to individuals interested in finding collaborators for research projects, conference proposals, and other scholarly endeavors. Participation is open to all, including individuals at non-LPC member institutions. To identify yourself as a potential collaborator, fill out the Research Interests Match form. You can also look for potential collaborators on the response sheet.

In the coming year, the Research Committee will continue to explore ways to foster engagement with the research agenda and develop a strong community of practice around research in library publishing.

LPC Research Committee
Ian Harmon, Chair
Talea Anderson
Jason Boczar
Elizabeth Bedford
Corinne Guimont
Matthew Hunter
Sarah Wipperman

Banner image for 2020 Virtual Library Publishing Forum

June 15, 2020

LPForum20: Leveraging Library Expertise for Student Journal Success

By Nancy Adams

Editor’s note: When we changed the 2020 Library Publishing Forum to a virtual conference format, we gave presenters the option of converting their presentations into blog posts. This is a guest post in that series.

By Stephanie Savage and Gavin Hayes

Download pptx with audio (15.6 MB)
Download pdf with notes

At the University of British Columbia undergraduate research is a growing area of interest both for students and the institution. While UBC is actively supporting increased opportunities for undergraduate research, this interest has yet to extend to student publications. Despite the value of undergraduate journals and the central role they can play in the research process, there is little formalized support available to them and most rely on varying levels of financial and mentoring support from their affiliated departments. This presentation will outline a small grant-funded project to provide services and support for undergraduate student journals on campus as one initiative to engage undergraduates in the research process.

To begin we will summarize the four main objectives that we entered into the project with:

To conduct an environmental scan of the student journal landscape
To manage and grow a community of practice for student journal editorial staff
To provide targeted professional development opportunities for student journal staff
To encourage journals to adopt practices and policies that will enhance sustainability in the face of high turnover rates among journal staff

We will then outline how we operationalized each of these objectives throughout the course of the project. Specifically, we will speak to the identification and outreach strategies we employed when contacting journals and will share the results of the data we collected, including the results of a survey we distributed to student journal editors asking them to share their workflows and potential areas for professional development opportunities. Additionally we will point participants to the resources we have created for the student journals and our plans to facilitate better communication and knowledge sharing among them.

We will also speak to some of the challenges of doing this work, including the difficulty of engaging students, who are often busy and hard to schedule in-person events with, and the impact of high turnover on a sustained outreach campaign.

June 9, 2020

LPForum20: “OK Publisher”: Undergraduate Internships as a Model for Sustainable Publication

By Nancy Adams

By Jonathan Grunert, SUNY Geneseo, @j_grunert

Note: Nicole Callahan, a student editor for Proceedings of GREAT Day, contributed to the proposal and planning for the presentation at LPF 2020. The COVID-19 crisis limited her involvement in writing this short essay.

Proceedings of GREAT Day is an undergraduate research journal that shares research presented at SUNY Geneseo’s annual undergraduate research symposium. GREAT (Geneseo Recognizing Excellence, Achievement, & Talent) Day has been a campus staple since 2006, and the Proceedings began highlighting research from the symposium in 2009.

Producing this journal has, since its founding, been a student-centered endeavor. Student editors have been the primary creators of the journal, as they communicate with authors, suggest article revisions, copyedit texts, and format the journal. Though the faculty supervisor has overseen these operations, students have been central to doing the work of publication.

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March 12, 2020

The 2020 Library Publishing Forum and COVID-19

By Nancy Adams

In light of ongoing developments surrounding COVID-19, including increasing travel restrictions, the Library Publishing Coalition Board and Program Committee have made the difficult decision to cancel the in-person Library Publishing Forum. We feel that the community- and people-centered spirit of the LPC is reflected by this decision to support public health initiatives and maintain the safety of the larger community. We took this step in consultation with our local host, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, to whom we are deeply grateful for their diligent work on behalf of the community of library publishers.

The Program Committee will discuss the feasibility of a virtual conference or other programming to be held either during the week of May 4-8 or later this year. Please stay tuned for further announcements and plan to engage with the library publishing community from where you are! Announcements about virtual programming will be made via LPC’s public news list, which you can sign up for on our homepage.

We deeply regret the necessity of this step, and we look forward to convening again in person in 2021.

March 10, 2020

Update on the Library Publishing Forum and COVID-19

By Nancy Adams

The Library Publishing Coalition is closely monitoring the situation around the COVID-19 virus and the resulting travel restrictions. As of right now, it is our intention to move forward with the Library Publishing Forum as planned, but we recognize that the situation is evolving quickly. We are in consultation with our host, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, to actively investigate all options for the conference, as well as appropriate timelines for decision-making. We will have a more definitive statement and decision ready by March 23 at the latest.

The Program Committee and LPC staff will also be considering the possibility of other options should the in-person event be cancelled. We will provide further information here when it is available.

In the meantime, we recommend keeping an eye on the CDC’s COVID-19 website and the state of Massachusetts to inform your travel planning.