LPC News

February 20, 2023

LPC is raising our membership dues for the first time ever

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This year, for the first time in our almost 10 years of existence, LPC is raising our membership dues. This blog post is a deep dive into the reasons for the raise, the process we went through to decide on it, and what, exactly, it will look like. If you just want a quick overview that you can share with your library administration or business office, don’t worry – we’re working on it! In the meantime, this post will hopefully answer many of your initial questions. We will also be hosting a membership meeting on March 2, 2023 at 12pm ET, followed by office hours where LPC Board members and staff will be available to answer any remaining questions. 

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February 13, 2023

2023 LPC Board election: Candidate bios and statements

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Elections for the Library Publishing Coalition Board open today and will continue through Friday, March 3. Instructions for voting will be sent to each member institution’s voting representatives. This year there are three opening for 3-year terms. The candidates are:

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January 30, 2023

LPC Documentation Month returns this February!

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Documentation: we all know it’s important. 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 for a variety of factors. This February the LPC Professional Development Committee is excited to announce the return of Documentation Month to kick-start our community documentation chops. For the third year, Documentation Month will provide resources, community support, and strategies to encourage library publishers to undertake this important work. Follow along in the LPC-l mailing list for event details and login information to our events.

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.   

Ways to participate in Documentation Month

How can you participate in Documentation Month?

For everyone: 

  • Organize a local documentation day (see the toolkit for instructions). Share a photo or agenda from your event on Twitter with the #LPCDocMonth hashtag & join in on the fun. 
  • Create some documentation! The purpose of this event is to support LPC members in creating documentation about your publishing program, so if it inspires you to create even one piece of documentation, you’re participating!

For LPC members: 

  • Attend this month’s upcoming community calls and workshops
    • Friday, February 3rd ; 3-4pm – Documentation Study Hall #1 w/ Corinne Guimont and Cheryl Ball.
    • February 10th, 1-2pm Eastern, Documentation Month kick-off community call
    • Friday, February 10th; 3-4pm – Documentation Study Hall #2 w/ Corinne Guimont and Cheryl Ball.
    • Friday, February 17th; 3-4pm – Documentation Study Hall #3 w/ Corinne Guimont and Cheryl Ball.
    • Friday, February 24th; 3-4pm – Documentation Study Hall #4 w/ Corinne Guimont and Cheryl Ball.
    • February 27th, 1pm-4pm Eastern, Zoom drop-in Documentation Day sprint

Scheduling information and call-in 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 on behalf of the LPC Professional Development Committee

 

January 25, 2023

2023 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 its 10th annual 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.

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-2023/. (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 update your information. 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 Friday, February 10, 2023.

Note: The call for entries has been extended to Friday, February 24, 2023.

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

The Library Publishing Coalition Directory Committee

Karen Stoll Farrell, Indiana University – Bloomington, Chair
Jody Bailey, Emory University
Briana Knox, University of North Texas
Ryan Otto, Kansas State University
Ted Polley, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
Nicholas Wojcik, University of Oklahoma

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 2023 edition will be published in mid-summer 2023.

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

January 4, 2023

Angel Peterson receives the 2022 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 2022 LPC Award for Exemplary Service is Angel Peterson, Open Publishing Production Specialist at Penn State University. The Award recognizes substantial contributions by an LPC community member to advancing the mission, vision, and values of the Library Publishing Coalition.

Angel was nominated by multiple community members for her service on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee where she serves as a member and rotating chair. During her time on the committee, she has made substantial contributions to LPC’s Roadmap for Anti-Racist Practice and the revised LPC Code of Conduct, both important community documents. Further, this award recognizes how Angel went above and beyond by taking on extra responsibilities when necessary and even extending her term on the committee after other members had to resign their positions.

A statement from Angel: 

“Thank you so much for this recognition! I am very honored. This award means so much to me because Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is very important in all aspects of my life. The D&I task force and eventually the DEI Committee was my first venture into the LPC as I only started my library publishing career in 2020 and I have loved every moment of it. Contributing positively to the advancement to DEI in the LPC Community with the Roadmap for Anti-Racist Practice and working on updating the Code of Conduct has been rewarding. It means a lot! Thank you.”

Angel will receive a complimentary registration to this year’s Library Publishing Forum and a $250 honorarium. She will also be recognized at the Forum.

Please join us in congratulating Angel.

On behalf of the LPC Board,
Emma Molls, President
Willa Tavernier, Secretary
Ally Laird, Treasurer
Perry Collins
Justin Gonder
Amanda Hurford
Jessica Kirschner
Elizabeth Scarpelli
Janet Swatscheno
Christine Fruin, Past President

December 14, 2022

LPC Peer Mentorship Program Update and 2023 Signups

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The 2022 cycle of the LPC Peer Mentorship Program is wrapping up, and the Professional Development Committee is preparing for the 2023 cycle. Details of the program and how to participate follow. 

Looking Back: The 2022 Cohort

The LPC Peer Mentorship Program was launched in 2019. In the following year, the program began to focus on peer-mentor relationships, which continued into the 2021 iteration. In 2021 and 2022, a series of discussion prompts were sent to pairs monthly. These prompts are optional, and touch on topics such as dealing with burnout, strategies to conduct outreach for one’s library publishing program, and challenges of academic scholarship and how to overcome them.

The 2022 goals of the Peer Mentorship Program were:  

  •  Primary: To enrich participants’ experiences with the LPC and build meaningful relationships between peers.
  •  Secondary: To further the development of library publishing through a professional, semi-structured mentorship program.

In early 2022, participants were matched, and then coordinated meeting times according to their schedules. Pairs engaged in monthly calls and email exchanges. The committee provided monthly discussion prompts to guide possible discussion between pairs, though pairs were free to let their conversation take whatever direction appealed to them. Midway through the program year, mentors received a survey to assess the program and to provide feedback, which the committee uses to refine and improve the program. We received five responses, and some valuable insights into how the program was working for participants. Most respondents felt supported and enjoyed their time together .  

Interested in being a peer mentor and sharing your expertise? The LPC Professional Development Committee will offer the peer mentorship program again in 2023. Applications are now available! We hope you’ll join us as part of the 2023 LPC Peer Mentorship Program!

The 2023 Cohort: Timeline and Invitation to Apply

  • Apply for the 2023 Peer Mentorship Program now! We’ll be accepting applications through January 9, 2023.
  • You’ll be matched with your Peer Mentor by early February.
  • Participants will receive instructions and orientation materials in February.
  • Optional meet-up at the Library Publishing Forum (May 8-11, 2023).
    (The LPC Professional Development Committee will host a meet-up for participants. Stay tuned for more information!) 

Other activities for program participants include:

  • Special mentorship calls hosted by the Professional Development Committee (topics and schedule TBD)
  • Mid-year (6-months) survey
  • Post-cycle (12-months) cohort evaluation with exit survey

Apply for the 2023 Peer Mentorship Program, or contact the Professional Development Committee with any questions.

LPC Professional Development Committee

2020-2023 Erin Jerome, University of Massachusetts (2022-2023 co-chair)
2020-2023     Liz Hamilton, Northwestern University (2022-2023 co-chair)
2021-2023     Matthew Hunter, Florida State University
2022-2024     Emily Stenberg, Washington University in St. Louis
2022-2024    Matthew Vaughn, Indiana University Bloomington
2020-2023     Mary Beth Weber, Rutgers University

December 6, 2022

LPC Quarterly Update

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The latest Quarterly Update has been published! It’s chock full of information, including

Community News

  • LPC’s new community planning efforts
  • Awards open for submissions: Outstanding Scholarship in Library Publishing AND Publishing Practice
  • 2021-2022 Annual Report
  • and more!

Library Publishing Forum: CFP now open!

Research: Workflows Project wraps up

Read the Quarterly Update

November 2, 2022

Nominations being accepted for the 2023 Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Library Publishing

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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, theory, and innovative practice in library publishing (for a definition of “library publishing”, see the LPC website home page), the Library Publishing Coalition is pleased to support the Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Library Publishing, which recognizes the best publication from the preceding calendar year. The LPC Research Committee will evaluate submissions and select a recipient for the award. 

Winners will be officially announced in the spring and be recognized at the annual Library Publishing Forum. The award recipient(s) will receive a cash award of $250 and complimentary registration to the 2023 Library Publishing Forum. The awardee(s) will also have an opportunity to share their work with the community via a post to the LPC blog. 

Nominations may be made either by the author(s) or by any employee of a LPC member institution. Nominated author(s) do not need to be affiliated with a LPC member institution. The deadline for nominations is January 16, 2023.

Learn more and nominate

November 2, 2022

Apply for a 2023 Publishing Practice Award

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The Library Publishing Coalition is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for the third annual Publishing Practice Awards. These awards are designed to recognize and raise awareness of effective and sustainable library publishing practices.

The Publishing Practice Awards will highlight library publishing programs that implement concepts advanced in the LPC’s An Ethical Framework for Library Publishing and/or in the LPC’s Values statement. While a representative publication must be submitted, the focus of these awards is not on publication content but on the process of publishing the piece. This year, award categories are:

  • Accessibility
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Privacy
  • Innovation

An award will be available in each category, though all categories may not be awarded each year. Each publisher may submit only one application per year, in a single category. Publishers applying for an award do not need to be affiliated with an LPC member institution. 

Award recipients will be publicly recognized by the Library Publishing Coalition and will receive a digital seal that they may place on their website and on the representative publication. Awardees will also share their publication process with the wider library publishing community through a post on the LPC blog, adapted from the essay accompanying their application.

The deadline for application is January 16, 2023.

Learn more and apply

Water with the word reflections in all caps with a horizontal line above and below
November 1, 2022

What LPC accomplished under our first strategic plan

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LPC’s current 5-year strategic plan (PDF) is winding down. Published in summer 2018, it was our young community’s first concrete statement of our strategic goals. From LPC’s seed-funded project period (2013-14) through our first two years as a full-fledged membership association (2015-2017), we relied for guidance on our original scoping materials and focused much of our energy on getting the community’s infrastructure and ongoing programs on solid footing. By 2017, it had become apparent that we were ready to think more strategically about the future and put in the work to make sure we were pulling in the same directions across the community. The strategic planning process we undertook was a traditional one, involving a SWOT Analysis, an environmental scan, and community consultation. The outcome was a traditional 5-year strategic plan consisting of three goals, with nested objectives and action items. 

As we head into a new planning process, I wanted to reflect on what we accomplished under our current plan from my perspective as the LPC Community Facilitator. This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive listing of accomplishments. Instead, this post will share a high-level view from the staff perspective of how LPC has evolved in each of our strategic areas, where we’ve made significant progress, and where I see untapped potential.

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