LPC News

June 22, 2021

Announcing the 2021 Publishing Practice Award Recipients

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The Library Publishing Coalition (LPC) is excited to announce the recipients of the 2021 Publishing Practice Awards! Congratulations to the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries – Mavs Open Press for exemplary work in the category of Accessibility, and to the University of Cape Town Libraries for exemplary work in the category of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Publishing Practice Award sealThe Publishing Practice Awards are designed to recognize and raise awareness of effective and sustainable library publishing practices. They highlight library publishing programs that exemplify concepts advanced in LPC’s An Ethical Framework for Library Publishing and in LPC’s Values statement. While a representative publication is acknowledged, the focus of these awards is not on the publication’s content, but rather on the process of publishing the piece. The inaugural award categories for 2021 are Accessibility and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

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June 15, 2021

Call for applications for 2021-2023 LPC Fellowship Program

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We’re excited to announce a call for applications for the third round of the LPC Fellowship Program. The fellowship program is intended to broaden access to library publishing to underrepresented groups, to develop research capacity in the field, and to bring new voices into the LPC community. This round of the fellowship program is centered around research, and it is aimed at library publishers who are interested in learning to do research that advances the field of library publishing. Fellowship benefits and responsibilities are scoped accordingly. Fellowships span 2 years, beginning in October 2021 and ending in September 2023. Up to two fellows will be selected. Applications are due by Monday, August 9, 2021.

LPC Fellows receive numerous benefits, including access to LPC member resources, travel support to attend the Library Publishing Forum each year of the fellowship, mentorship, and regular meetings with LPC staff and leadership. To support their research activities, this round of fellows will be provided with targeted mentorship relationships and professional development and peer support around research through LPC’s Research Committee.

Fellows are expected to undertake a research project in the field of library publishing, which they will work on throughout their fellowship. Applicants are not expected to have a research project in mind or experience doing research prior to starting the program. Fellows will serve as members of the LPC Research Committee, where they will both contribute to and benefit from that committee’s work. Fellows will write 2 to 3 blog posts per year for the LPC blog (previous posts can be found in the Fellows Journal category on the blog) and present at the 2022 and 2023 Library Publishing Forums. For more details about the fellowship, visit the program webpage or email contact@librarypublishing.org. 

Eligibility

Candidates should be:

  • Currently employed in a library that is not a member of the Library Publishing Coalition
  • Able to dedicate 1 to 2 hours per week to the fellowship throughout the 2 years
  • Interested in developing research skills
  • Able to attend meetings during North American business hours

Selection Process

Fellows will be selected by the Board based on the following criteria:

  • Strong candidates will have professional responsibilities related to library publishing in their current position, which could include running a publishing program or developing a new program. 
  • Strong candidates will have a demonstrated commitment to professional development in library publishing or scholarly communication. Candidates who are interested in sharing the knowledge and experience they gain during their fellowship with other professional communities will be prioritized.
  • Strong candidates will bring new perspectives to the LPC community. Candidates from underrepresented groups or regions that do not yet have professional communities related to library publishing will be especially competitive. 
  • Fellows will be expected to communicate with the LPC community through writing and presenting. Strong communication skills are required. 

Applications are due Monday, August 9, 2021, and all applicants will be notified by September 30th. Applications will include:

  • An application form (demographic info, etc.)
  • A C.V.
  • A writing sample
  • A letter of support from library dean or supervisor (as appropriate)

Learn more and apply at: https://librarypublishing.org/get-involved/lpc-fellowship-program/

June 14, 2021

LPC welcomes a new member: the University of Oklahoma

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Please join us in welcoming the University of Oklahoma as a new member of the Library Publishing Coalition. The voting rep is Jen Waller, jenwaller@ou.edu.

A statement from the University of Oklahoma:

University of Oklahoma (OU) Libraries offers journal hosting for faculty-driven, open access publications. Their scholarly publishing services team – Jen Waller, Nicholas Wojcik, Sara Huber, and Catherine Byrd – works with OU-affiliated stakeholders to create new journals or migrate existing journals to their library-hosted OJS platform. OU Libraries provides a suite of services to seven (very soon to be nine) journals and are committed to hosting journals that cover diverse, unique, and underrepresented fields and topics. The team also works on OER publishing and supporting OU’s institutional repository, SHAREOK.

June 10, 2021

LPC welcomes a new strategic affiliate: ARL

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The Library Publishing Coalition is delighted to welcome the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) as a new strategic affiliate!

About ARL:

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 125 research libraries in Canada and the US whose mission is to advance research, learning, and scholarly communication. The Association fosters the open exchange of ideas and expertise; advances diversity, equity, and inclusion; and pursues advocacy and public policy efforts that reflect the values of the library, scholarly, and higher education communities. ARL forges partnerships and catalyzes the collective efforts of research libraries to enable knowledge creation and to achieve enduring and barrier-free access to information. ARL is on the web at ARL.org.

Strategic affiliates are peer membership associations who have a focal area in scholarly communications and substantial engagement with libraries, publishers, or both. See our list of strategic affiliates or learn more about the program.

LPC Strategic Affiliates icon

April 19, 2021

LPC welcomes a new strategic affiliate: CLOCKSS

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The Library Publishing Coalition is delighted to welcome CLOCKSS as a new strategic affiliate! A statement from CLOCKSS:

We are looking forward to working with LPC and the LPC community!

A collaboration of the world’s leading academic publishers and research libraries, CLOCKSS provides a sustainable dark archive to ensure the long-term survival of Web-based scholarly content.

CLOCKSS (Controlled LOCKSS) employs a unique approach to archiving (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) that was initiated by Stanford University librarians in 1999. Digital content is stored in the CLOCKSS archive with no user access unless a “trigger” event occurs. The LOCKSS technology regularly checks the validity of the stored data and preserves it for the long term. CLOCKSS operates 12 archive nodes at leading academic institutions worldwide, preserving the authoritative versions of 43 million journal articles, over 25,000 serial and 240,000 book titles, and a growing collection of supplementary materials and metadata information. As of March 2020, 64 titles have been triggered and made available from our archive via open access. CLOCKSS participants include 300 libraries and 400 publishers.

This secure, robust, and decentralized infrastructure can withstand threats from technological, economic, environmental, and political failures. A destructive event in one location won’t jeopardize the survival of preserved digital content because the 11 other locations serve as mirror sites to back-up and repair the disrupted location’s archive.

CLOCKSS is governed by and for its stakeholders. Our operations are governed by a Board of Directors with an equal number of librarians and publishers making decisions together about policies, procedures, priorities, and when to trigger content. As an independent, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization, CLOCKSS is committed to keeping its fees affordable, for libraries and publishers of all sizes and budgets to participate in CLOCKSS. Low operating costs make it possible to keep this commitment. As a long-term preservation organization, CLOCKSS believes that a robust Succession Plan is required. In the unlikely event of the demise of CLOCKSS, four of our twelve library nodes have committed to continuing the preservation of the content in the Archive.

As the only dark archive that assigns a Creative Commons license to all triggered digital content, CLOCKSS benefits the greater global scholarly community by enabling permanent Open Access to abandoned and orphaned publications. As a result, recovered content becomes perpetually available to anyone with Internet access.

Strategic affiliates are peer membership associations who have a focal area in scholarly communications and substantial engagement with libraries, publishers, or both. See our list of strategic affiliates or learn more about the program.

LPC Strategic Affiliates icon

Library Publishing Coalition Quarterly Update
April 13, 2021

LPC Quarterly Update

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Check out our latest Quarterly Update! It includes:

  • Community News
    • Research Interests Match Program
    • LPC statement supporting Asian Americans and Asians
    • New LPC board members elected
    • New Strategic Affiliate
    • 2021 Library Publishing Directory
    • LPC Roadmap for Anti-Racist Practice
    • Library Publishing Documentation Toolkit
    • Kudos!
  • Library Publishing Forum
    • Updates for the Forum
  • LPC Research
    • Updates from the Library Publishing Workflows Project
  • Blog Spotlight
    • Transitions series

Read the Update

April 7, 2021

Participate in this year’s Research Interests Match Program!

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LPC’s annual Research Interests Match Program connects individuals interested in finding collaborators for research projects, conference proposals, and more. After filling out a short form, participants are matched based on research interests and given an initial introduction. 

Library Publishing Research AgendaIf you are interested in being matched with someone who shares your research interests, fill out the Library Publishing Research Interests Match Form by May 17, 2021. Looking to get involved in research but don’t have a specific topic in mind? There’s a question that allows you to choose a topic from the Library Publishing Research Agenda!

In June, the LPC Research Committee will match participants based on their research interests and provide an initial email introduction for matches. The Program encourages matched participants to connect and discuss shared research interests, but participants are under no obligation to start a collaboration or project. All form responses will be made publicly available to enable further connections. 

This is a new annual program organized around the Library Publishing Forum, so a new form will be issued each spring, and the previous year’s responses will be retired when the new year’s are released. 

This resource was developed by the LPC Research Committee, and modeled on the Research Interests Match for Residents and Early Career Librarians, developed by the ACRL Residency Interest Group. Email contact@librarypublishing.org with questions. 

March 22, 2021

LPC Statement Supporting Asian Americans and Asians

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The Library Publishing Coalition stands together with the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), the American Library Association’s Executive Board, the Black Caucus of ALA, and other librarians, library institutions, and library users in recognizing and condemning anti-Asian hate crimes in the US and elsewhere. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in discrimination, hate speech and rhetoric, and violence towards Asian Americans, continuing a long history of violence, scapegoating, stereotyping, and exclusion of Asian Americans and Asians in the US. As noted in the statement from ALA, library and information workers must combat cultural bias and bigotry in their work, and in this vein LPC has recently published a roadmap to taking accountable actions for the LPC itself and its member organizations. LPC pledges to combat hate and ignorance and to take anti-racist action in its own community and in collaboration with other information and publishing professionals. In this instance, we direct colleagues looking to take action to resources to combat Anti-Asian violence.

Library Publishing Coalition Diversity and Inclusion Task Force

Library Publishing Coalition Board of Directors

March 3, 2021

New LPC Board members elected

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The nine-member Library Publishing Coalition Board oversees the governance, organizational structure, bylaws, and the review and direction of the membership of the Library Publishing Coalition. We have three newly elected Board members, with terms running from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2024:

  • Justin Gonder, California Digital Library (2021-2024)
  • Willa Tavernier, Indiana University (2021-2024)
  • Sarah Wipperman, Villanova University (2021-2024)

They will join the returning Board members:

  • Karen Bjork, Portland State University (2019-2022)
  • Christine Fruin, Atla (2019-2022)
  • Jessica Kirschner, Virginia Commonwealth University (2020-2023)
  • Ally Laird, Penn State University (2020-2023)
  • Emma Molls, University of Minnesota (2020-2023)
  • Jody Bailey, Emory University, jody.bailey@emory.edu (ex officio Past President)
  • Melanie Schlosser, Educopia Institute, melanie@educopia.org (ex officio Community Facilitator)

Note: Sarah Hare is stepping down from the Board a year early. We will fill her spot as usual next year. 

Many thanks to outgoing Board members Vanessa Gabler, Scott Warren, and Sarah Hare for their service!

March 1, 2021

Kudos to the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force!

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The Kudos program recognizes impactful work done by community members on behalf of the Library Publishing Coalition community.

Group photo of the task force

This Kudos recognizes Cheryl Ball (Wayne State University), Kevin Hawkins (University of North Texas), Harrison Inefuku (Iowa State University), Joshua Neds-Fox (Wayne State University), Angel Peterson (Penn State University), and Willa Tavernier (Indiana University) for their excellent work on the new LPC Roadmap for Anti-Racist Practice:

The Diversity and Inclusion Task Force has done a huge amount of excellent work since it convened in July of 2019, but its recently published LPC Roadmap for Anti-Racist Practice is likely to have the largest and most lasting impact on the organization. The task force held a community call on anti-racism in September of 2020, and spent the next four months reviewing, organizing, and fleshing out the ideas that arose into a long-term plan for LPC to engage in anti-racist practice. They held extra meetings to accomplish this work alongside their regular activities (such as meeting with representatives from other LPC groups), and put in a substantial amount of time on it outside of meetings, as well. The result is a foundational document for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee that will launch in July of this year, and one that will make it possible for that group to hit the ground running with community-driven anti-racist leadership for the whole organization. The task force deserves the recognition and thanks of the entire community. Kudos!

Statements from the task force:

Joint statement: “Working on the DEI Task Force is a way for us to demonstrate our commitment to anti-racist work in scholarly publishing. The anti-racist roadmap shows how the LPC stands behind these mandates on diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Cheryl: “Already I have cited the roadmap to senior library leaders and have begun implementing its suggestions in other areas of my publishing work.”

Angel: “I joined the Library Publishing Coalition in 2020 and working on the anti-racist roadmap was my first official duty within the coalition. It is really inspiring to see our commitment to being a diverse and inclusive community. I fully plan on using these principals in my day-to-day work!”

Willa: “LPC has an amazing sense of community and the support for the work of the DEI Task Force that has come from the community is tremendously inspiring!”

This Kudos was submitted by Melanie Schlosser