LPC News

August 9, 2019

LPC welcomes a new member: Cornell University

The Library Publishing Coalition is delighted to welcome Cornell University as a new member!

About Cornell University Library:

One of the leading academic research libraries in the United States, Cornell University Library promotes a culture of broad inquiry with its world-class holdings, expert staff, and cutting-edge services. Comprehensive electronic and print resources, including rare and unique manuscripts, support the full range of scholarly endeavor. Connections with partner institutions widen access to specialized material, facilitate international research and learning opportunities, and fuel the pace of innovation. The Library’s commitment to the production, dissemination, and preservation of knowledge drives it to the forefront of digital scholarship and open-access advocacy. Librarians’ expertise in innovative tools and technology equips students to succeed in a digital society, and enhances all facets of teaching and learning at Cornell.

August 2, 2019

LPC welcomes a new member: University of Houston

The Library Publishing Coalition is delighted to welcome the University of Houston as a new member!

A statement from University of Houston Libraries:

University of Houston Libraries advances student success, knowledge creation and preservation, and globally competitive research. In support of this mission, University Libraries offers institutional and data repository services, and is currently in its second year of developing an Alternative Textbook Incentive Program as well as the Digital Research Commons, a lab that builds communities of digital scholarship practitioners and sponsors digitally based research projects. We are pleased to be a part of the Library Publishing Coalition, and look forward to learning from and sharing with the community!

July 22, 2019

LPC welcomes a new member: University of Louisville Libraries

The Library Publishing Coalition is delighted to welcome the University of Louisville Libraries as a new member!

About the University of Louisville Libraries:

The University of Louisville Libraries are central to the scholarly life of the University of Louisville community and support over 170 fields of study with 12 schools and colleges. Over three million people visit our libraries annually including Archives and Special Collections, Art, Music, Ekstrom, Kornhauser Health Sciences, and Law libraries. University Libraries also hosts ThinkIR in order to advance open access and to share the work of University of Louisville faculty, scholars, and students. University Libraries is a member of the Association of Research Libraries.

July 18, 2019

LPC members to present IFLA webinar on library publishing

LPC Board members Jody Bailey and Ted Polley will be presenting a webinar on August 1st for the Academic and Research Libraries section of the International Federation of Library Associations. The webinar series is organized by 2017-19 LPC Fellow Reggie Raju (University of Cape Town), and the webinars are free and open to the public.

Academic Libraries Engaging in Publishing: A Burgeoning Service Model in the Open Access Sphere

August 1, 2019 at 9:00 AM Eastern U.S. time

With Plan S making headlines in the scholarly communications sphere for the past several months, it seems that the move to open access in scholarly publishing is an ever-present topic of discussion among librarians, publishers, funders, and other stakeholders. What may have been lost in many of these discussions, however, is the fact that numerous academic libraries have been engaged in publishing open access journals, books, and other materials for a number of years. Join our presenters as they provide an introduction to library publishing, including an overview of practices and Library Publishing Coalition resources as well as discussions about library publishing programs working with university presses, types of publishing libraries engage in, and skills needed to be successful in library publishing.

Presenters:

Jody Bailey

Is the Head of the Scholarly Communications Office at Emory University Libraries, where she leads a team of librarians and library specialists who are responsible for services surrounding copyright, open access and publishing, research data management, and open educational resources. The team also manages two scholarly repositories that publish works by Emory faculty and students. Jody is a member of the Board of Directors for the Library Publishing Coalition, and her scholarly interests include open-access publishing, open educational resources, user-centered library services, and outreach activities. She has published articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented at numerous conferences.

Ted Polley

Is the Social Sciences & Digital Publishing Librarian at IUPUI University Library, where he manages the Library’s digital publishing service. Currently, the Library hosts and provides support to 21 scholarly peer-reviewed journals, with plans to expand into open monograph publishing soon. Ted’s research interests include open access, library publishing, open data, and data visualization. He is active in the library publishing community and currently sits on the Board of the Library Publishing Coalition.

This webinar is free and open to the public. Please share this invitation openly.

Please click this link to register for the webinar:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/104daa9db5f1d9aecde7dc3c8da9331e

Series organizer: Dr Reggie Raju reggie.raju@uct.ac.za

Chair of ARL: Ms. Mimi Calter mcalter@stanford.edu

UPDATE: Video and slides are now available online.

June 11, 2019

Call for Nominations: Library Publishing Curriculum Editor-in-Chief

The LPC Board seeks nominations for the volunteer position of Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of the Library Publishing Curriculum. Created in partnership with the Educopia Institute as part of a project generously funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Curriculum is moving to its permanent home as an ongoing program of the LPC. The EIC will provide leadership related to the Curriculum for the LPC, its Board of Directors, and, eventually, for the Library Publishing Curriculum Editorial Board (to be formed in 2020). The EIC will serve a three-year, renewable term, reporting to the LPC Board.

Responsibilities

The EIC will be responsible for setting the vision for the future direction of Library Publishing Curriculum development and for maintaining the highest editorial quality of the Library Publishing Curriculum. Key aspects of this position include:

• Serve as an ambassador and advocate for the Curriculum.
• Under the direction of LPC’s Board and in collaboration with LPC staff, the EIC will develop requirements and a strategy for establishing an online home for the Curriculum on LPC’s website and oversee the implementation of that strategy.
• Develop proposals for the Curriculum Editorial Board; proposals may include new content or updates needed to the Curriculum, new offerings of the Curriculum, and opportunities for the Curriculum to have a global impact.  
• Guide the formation of the inaugural Curriculum Editorial Board (to be launched September 2020).

When the Curriculum Editorial Board is in place, the EIC will:

• Set agendas for and facilitate Editorial Board monthly meetings.
• Work in tandem with, and provide leadership for, the Editorial Board as it identifies maintenance and development needs for the Curriculum, oversees (and occasionally performs) that work, and promotes the wide adoption and use of the Curriculum.

Qualifications

• Accomplishment and expertise in library publishing, and a keen interest in expanding professional capacity in the field
• Research and publishing experience or curriculum development experience
• Strong organizational and leadership skills
• Strong communication skills
• A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Time to dedicate to a demanding service role (up to 4 hours/wk)

Nominees do not need to work at an LPC member institution.

Nomination process

Nominations and self-nominations will be accepted through June 30th via this nomination form. Nominated individuals will be invited to provide a C.V. and a statement of interest by July 31st. LPC’s Board, working with a search committee made up of Board members and community members involved in the original Library Publishing Curriculum project, will review candidates and select the EIC. The new EIC will start on October 1st.

April 29, 2019

A check-in on LPC’s strategic plan progress

It’s been nine months since LPC released our very ambitious 5-year strategic plan (PDF), setting out a range of objectives in three goal areas: 1) promulgate best practices in library publishing, 2) strengthen the community of library publishers, and 3) act as a focal point and a force multiplier for library publishing. The Board is still building up our tools and processes for tracking and reporting progress on the plan, but in anticipation of the Forum where there will be opportunities for reflection and conversation we wanted to let the community know about some work that has been happening in each of these areas. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it gives a flavor of some activities happening within the organization.

Promulgate best practices in library publishing

Training: In addition to our regular program of webinars, LPC partnered with Educopia this year to offer a number of Library Publishing Curriculum pilot workshops – in person, synchronous virtual, and asynchronous virtual – using this fantastic new resource. LPC is also in the process of taking on the long-term stewardship of the curriculum, and will be putting out a search for a Curriculum Editor-in-Chief this summer.

How-to guides: In the last year, we released two new publications – the Ethical Framework for Library Publishing and a how to guide for DOAJ Applications – to help library publishers follow best practices in their work.  

Research: Library publishing is a relatively new field, and there are still plenty of areas where best practices aren’t yet known. To encourage investigation and development of these areas, LPC’s Research Committee is creating a research agenda for the field. Look for a draft for comment this summer!

Strengthen the community of library publishers

Growth in membership: LPC has welcomed 20 new member libraries in the last year! We also launched a new mentorship program to support new library publishers and new member libraries in getting the most out of the community.

Growth in outreach: We added three new strategic affiliate organizations this year (SPARC, Open Textbook Network, and Creative Commons USA) and the number of organizations sponsoring the LPC and the Library Publishing Forum continues to grow.

Growth in international engagement: While LPC’s membership is primarily North American, supporting and learning from the international community of library publishers is a priority for us. We are participating in the new Special Interest Group on Library Publishing that formed this year within the International Federation of Library Associations, and a Board subgroup is currently drafting a strategy for sustained international engagement.

Act as a focal point and a force multiplier for library publishing

Engaging with vendors: We continue to build out our Publishers and Service Providers List as a starting point for library publishers looking to outsource services. We are also working on some exploratory projects that will investigate the system and support needs of library publishers with the goal of contributing to the development of targeted solutions – stay tuned for more information.

Raising awareness about library publishing: At a variety of conferences, we have increased our capacity to engage with related communities of practice, and are regularly presenting on our work. This year, the LPC Blog has been an active platform for commentaries that explore issues important to library publishers and profiles that raise the visibility of the transformative work our members do on their campuses. We also published a scholarly article highlighting LPC’s work and the importance of library publishing.

Creating community spaces: The Library Publishing Forum serves as an important and growing venue for sharing best practices, identifying trends, and tackling thorny problems. Many groups within LPC – including the Program Committee, the Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee, and the Board – have worked this year to grow the Forum in breadth, depth, and inclusivity, while retaining its unique character and welcoming environment.

We want to hear from you!

These achievements and the efforts that are underway indicate a very strong launch to accomplishing the goals outlined in our plan. All of this work was done by you, the LPC membership, along with our talented Educopia staff. We welcome your feedback on this work and your ideas for bringing the LPC Strategic Plan to life.