LPC News

March 4, 2024

2024 Library Publishing Directory: Call for Entries

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Library Publishing Coalition logo

The Library Publishing Coalition (LPC) and the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Library Publishing Special Interest Group (LibPub SIG) are partnering to survey the landscape of scholarly publishing in libraries across the globe. LPC is seeking submissions for the 2024 Library Publishing Directory. IFLA’s Library Publishing Map of the World is a first-of-its-kind online database of global library publishing initiatives. Together, we invite you to share information about your library’s scholarly publishing activities.

PLEASE NOTE THIS SIGNIFICANT CHANGE: Beginning this year, we are moving from an annual publication schedule to collecting data and publishing the Directory every other year. That means that if you miss the 2024 Directory survey, you won’t have another chance to be included until 2026. This change in schedule will allow us to undertake more focused topical surveys in the off years, and will allow for more time in the publication schedule for data analysis and writing.

Libraries who fill out only the brief profile will be included only in the IFLA map. Libraries that wish to be included in the print, PDF, and EPUB Library Publishing Directory can go on to fill out the full questionnaire (20-30 minutes to complete). Get started at https://librarypublishing.org/lpdq-2024/. You will be able to save your in-progress submission and return to it, but you may also want to preview the questions. (If your library has had an entry in a previous edition of the Directory, you should have received an email with instructions on how to access information from your previous submission. Email contact@librarypublishing.org with questions.)

Responses in English are strongly preferred; we may not be able to include responses in other languages.

The call for entries will close on March 31, 2024.

Thank you for joining in this great international collaboration. We look forward to your participation.

The Library Publishing Coalition Directory Committee

Allison Brown, SUNY Geneseo, Co-chair
Briana Knox, University of North Texas, Co-chair
Jody Bailey, Emory University
Emily Carlisle-Johnston, Western University
Ryan Otto, Kansas State University
Ted Polley, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
Angel Peterson, Penn State, Board liaison

IFLA Special Interest Group on Library Publishing Subcommittee

Grace Liu (Canada)
Ann Okerson (USA)

About the Library Publishing Directory

The Library Publishing Directory is an important tool for libraries wishing to learn about this emerging field, connect with their peers, and align their practices with those of the broader community. Last year’s edition featured over 150 libraries in almost a dozen nations.

The Directory is published openly on the web in PDF, EPUB, and as an online database. It includes contact information, descriptions, and other key facts about each library’s publishing services. A print version of the Directory is also produced. The 2024 edition will be published in late 2024.

About the IFLA Library Publishing SIG Library Publishing Map of the World

The goal of the LibPub SIG map is to document more fully the publishing activities to which IFLA’s members contribute, in order to facilitate a global community of interest and support. While in its first year the focus was on scholarly/academic library publishers, now the SIG is opening submissions to all types of library publishers: academic, public, and others.

Submissions will appear in the IFLA Library Publishing Map of the World, easily accessible by IFLA members and friends, including LPC members.

Submit an entry to the 2024 Directoy


February 13, 2024

LPC 10th Anniversary Membership Special

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As part of our 10th Anniversary Celebration, the Library Publishing Coalition is excited to offer a membership special for the upcoming program year. New members who join the Coalition in time for the July 2024-June 2025 membership year can do so at the original 2014 membership rate: just $2,000 for the year!

Details

  • Criteria: As with all LPC memberships, this opportunity is open to academic and research libraries and library consortia who are engaged in or planning scholarly publishing activities. 
  • Duration: July 2024 through June 2025
  • Cost: $2,000
  • Benefits: New members will receive all standard membership benefits.
  • Renewal: As with all LPC memberships, new memberships started as part of this special will be automatically renewed, and full membership dues will apply for the 2025-26 membership year. (For our regular membership dues schedule, see the membership page on our website.) 
  • Fill out the application form (.docx).

Learn more about LPC membership.


January 31, 2024

Full COVID Policy for the 2024 Library Publishing Forum

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Goal

LPC’s goal for the 2024 Library Publishing Forum is to encourage the safest possible in-person conference environment through careful planning and mutual care. 

Although public concern has waned, COVID-19 is still a serious health risk. Even otherwise healthy individuals are at risk for complications and for long COVID, and those risks increase with repeated infections. For individuals with weakened immune systems or other vulnerabilities, the risks are heightened significantly.

We acknowledge that an in-person event will inevitably carry a higher level of risk than a virtual one, and that even the most careful precautions may not reduce the risk enough for some community members to attend safely. For that and other reasons, we will continue to alternate in-person events with fully virtual ones.  

Planning

Our planning team is working to create the safest possible conference environment through attention to the following areas: 

Ventilation and air filtration

McNamara Alumni Center was built to meet the codes that prevailed at that time. The original design of the system dictates maximum MERV capabilities, which currently is use of a MERV 13 air filter. Air changes depend on the number of people and the pressure in the building. Spring and fall typically have the highest percentage of outside air in comparison to the coldest or hottest days of the year that the minimum air requirements were designed for.

Spaces within the venue

Because we are planning for a lower number of attendees than the space typically accommodates, we can have fewer tables and ask to have them spread out. Boxed lunches will be provided on both days, so attendees can choose to take their lunch elsewhere. There are about 12-15 small tables located outside the Alumni Center on a first-come first-served basis. Because meals will take place in the same location as the main conference session, risk of transmission will be heightened at sessions immediately following meal and snack times 

Provision of masks and tests

We will provide masks and rapid COVID self-tests for all attendees.

Reliable information and clear communication

We encourage attendees and potential attendees to reach out to us with questions and concerns by emailing contact@librarypublishing.org

Mutual care

Mutual care will help provide a safer conference environment. Below, we have laid out a number of strategies for mutual care and we encourage attendees to utilize as many of them as possible. We aren’t mandating particular strategies across the board, because there will be community members for whom any particular intervention isn’t possible (e.g., individuals who cannot be vaccinated or who cannot wear a mask for an extended period of time). However, attendees are encouraged to do as many of these things as they are able and to do their best to care for their fellow conference-goers.  Individuals are expected to isolate from other attendees if they are sick.

Vaccination

We will strongly encourage all attendees to receive up-to-date vaccines against COVID at least two weeks prior to the event. According to the CDC (at the time this policy was written), you’re up to date on your COVID vaccine if you received an updated vaccine after September 12, 2023. 

Masking

We strongly encourage attendees to wear masks whenever possible. We will make medical-grade masks (KN95 or similar) available throughout the event, and we encourage all attendees who are able to wear them whenever they aren’t eating, drinking, or presenting. 

The venue is part of the UMN campus, and it will include staff, attendees of other events, and potentially members of the public who may or may not be masked.

Testing

Although rapid COVID self-tests are not currently a reliable indicator of whether someone is infected (because of the prevalence of false negative results), they are a fairly reliable indicator of whether an individual is contagious on the day they take the test.(1) We will make tests available (one per attendee per day of the conference) and encourage all attendees to test each morning before coming to the venue. Further information will be posted and/or sent to attendees when available.

Isolating

Individuals who test positive or who are experiencing any moderate or severe symptoms of COVID are expected to isolate from other attendees. This means not attending conference sessions in person, and not gathering for social events with other attendees during the conference. 

Policy updates

This policy was designed based on conditions during early 2024. We are posting it in advance of the conference so that attendees can make an informed decision about their attendance, and we won’t make changes to it lightly. However, this policy is subject to change based on national trends and/or in accordance with CDC updates to guidelines and regulations. We will notify attendees of any changes as soon as possible. 

Contact

Questions about this policy? Please email contact@librarypublishing.org

 

(1)  Lopera TJ, Alzate-Ángel JC, Díaz FJ, Rugeles MT, Aguilar-Jiménez W. The Usefulness of Antigen Testing in Predicting Contagiousness in COVID-19. Microbiol Spectr. 2022 Apr 27;10(2):e0196221. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01962-21. Epub 2022 Mar 29. PMID: 35348350; PMCID: PMC9045251. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35348350/ 


January 30, 2024

February is the return of Documentation Month!

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What would happen if you won the lottery and could leave your job tomorrow? What information would the next person doing your job need to have? What information would you leave behind to help that person pick up where you leave off?: Documentation!

Documentation is important because it helps to preserve institutional memory, allows future you to get up to speed, and can be a useful resource to share with colleagues. Yet this important activity is often neglected. Whether you’re not sure where to begin or because we’re all faced with perennial deadlines and constant day-to-day tasks, documentation all too often falls to the bottom of our to-do lists. To give everyone a chance to focus on documentation, the Professional Development Committee is hosting its fourth-annual Documentation Month this February!

Documentation toolkit

To support the community in creating documentation, members of LPC’s Professional Development Committee have created a Library Publishing Documentation Toolkit. It consists of four sections: Getting started with documentation, Planning a documentation day, Suggested documentation projects to tackle, and Sharing documentation beyond your institution. The toolkit is available in PDF and as a Google Doc.   

Workshops/Community Calls

We will also be hosting a series of workshops/community calls focused on the theme of documentation and accessibility. We have four calls planned for four Thursdays in February: 

  • PDF Accessibility and Documentation, Thursday, February 1st (2-3 p.m. Eastern) with Angel Peterson

  • Video Content Accessibility and Documentation, Thursday, February 8th (2-3 p.m. Eastern) with Matt Vaughn

  • Google Docs Accessibility Documentation, Thursday, Feb 15th (2-3 p.m. Eastern) with Erin Jerome and Adam Mazel

  • Accessibility and your Campus Institutional Repository: A Conversation, Thursday, Feb 29th (2-3 p.m. Eastern) with Carmen Mitchell and Amy Carpenter 

Scheduling information and call details for these events will be sent out each week to the listserv. Please feel free to share widely within your institution, but these calls are open to LPC member libraries only, so please do not share outside the community. 

Happy documenting! 

From the Documentation Month planning group (Erin Jerome, Adam Mazel, and Matt Vaughn) on behalf of the LPC Professional Development Committee.

 


December 12, 2023

LPC releases new, 5-year Community Plan

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LPC is excited to announce the publication of our new Community Plan, which will guide our activities from 2024 to 2029. Based on deep engagement with the community over the last year, this brief document centers on four areas of focus:

  • Support community members’ well-being and career longevity in the field of library publishing.
  • Advocate for library publishers and give them the tools to advocate for themselves. 
  • Navigate changes in scholarly output, business models, and infrastructure, through a lens of ethics and collaboration.
  • Continue to develop LPC as an inclusive professional space.

The plan also includes a set of “Principles of Action,” which, used alongside our Vision, Mission, and Values, will help us translate this flexible guidance into concrete action plans as needed.  

Many thanks to our Board for their vision and writing, to LPC’s staff for guiding and supporting the process, to the LPC community for contributing the raw material for the plan, and to Kelly Pendergrast for the design.

Here’s to the next five years of community! 


December 5, 2023

LPC welcomes a new member: William & Mary

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Please join us in welcoming William & Mary as a new member of the Library Publishing Coalition! The voting rep for William and Mary is Rosie Liljenquist.

About William and Mary:

William & Mary is a premier public research university. As one of eight “Public Ivy” institutions and as the second oldest college of higher education in the nation, W&M has a long and proud history of excellence in education, innovation, and research. William & Mary Libraries is excited to venture into more specialized publishing support for faculty/researchers including creating open monographs, hosting journals, supporting digital humanities; self-archiving interdisciplinary reports and gray literature, and more.


November 28, 2023

Ally Laird receives the 2023 LPC Award for Exemplary Service

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On behalf of the LPC Board, we are delighted to announce that the recipient of the 2023 LPC Award for Exemplary Service is Ally Laird, Open Publishing Program Coordinator for Penn State University Libraries. The Award recognizes substantial contributions by an LPC community member to advancing the mission, vision, and values of the Library Publishing Coalition.

Ally was nominated for her significant contributions as Treasurer of the LPC Board during the previous two program years. During this time LPC made substantial changes to its financial structures and processes. Ally supported the Board and the community throughout this challenging transition with diligent analysis and clear communication and, as mentioned in her nomination, “ the end results – solid financial processes, steady membership, and community goodwill – owe much to her work.”

A statement from Ally:

“I feel extremely humbled and honored to have been awarded LPC’s Award for Exemplary Service this year. It was a true pleasure to serve on LPC’s Board and while the work I did as the Treasurer over the past two years, and last year especially, was challenging, I am thankful for the opportunity to help serve our community. The care, thoughtfulness, and support that my fellow Board members and the community provided during the challenging season of having to rethink our financial model and increase our dues for the first time was so exemplary and made my job much easier than it could have been. It’s a beautiful example of why I love and value this community so much! I have grown significantly through my service as Treasurer, and I’m thankful that I was given the opportunity to help our community navigate through this change and help to position the LPC for continued success and stability for years to come. Thank you!”

Ally will receive a complimentary registration to this year’s Library Publishing Forum and a $500 honorarium. She will also be recognized at the Forum.

Please join us in congratulating Ally!

On behalf of the LPC Board
Amanda Hurford, President
Perry Collins, President-Elect
Sonya Betz, Secretary
Justin Gonder, Treasurer
Harrison Inefuku, DEI Officer
Angel Peterson
Elizabeth Scarpelli
Janet Swatscheno
Emma Molls, Past President


November 13, 2023

November 2023 LPC Update

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The November 2023 Library Publishing Coalition Update has been published! In it you’ll find recent news from the Library Publishing Coalition including

Forum News

  • Call for proposals is open
  • Call for applications for Forum Scholarships are open

Community News

  • Version 2.0 of An Ethical Framework for Library Publishing has been published
  • Celebrating 10 years of the Library Publishing Coalition
  • 2022-2023 Annual Report is now available
  • Much more!

Blog Post Spotlights

  • The first in our new series of consortial publishing profiles: Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library
  • Finding the Right Publishing Platform
  • The state of the field: An excerpt from the 2023 Library Publishing Directory

Read the Update


November 9, 2023

LPC welcomes a new member: Stanford University Libraries

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Please join us in welcoming Stanford University Libraries as a new member of the Library Publishing Coalition! The voting rep for Stanford University Libraries is Friederike Sophie Sundaram.

About Stanford University Libraries:

With over twelve million items, fifty subject specialists, twenty campus libraries, and a broad spectrum of services available, Stanford Libraries are a hub of scholarship on campus. Digital and physical collections span from cuneiform tablets to photographic collections documenting the Civil Rights Movement to contemporary artist books. The Libraries publish exhibit catalogs, bibliographies, scholarly books, essays and poetry, and keepsakes and miscellanea to explore and celebrate the Libraries’ extensive holdings.