LPC Blog

The Library Publishing Coalition Blog is used to share news and updates about the LPC and the Library Publishing Forum, to draw attention to items of interest to the community, and to publish informal commentaries by LPC members and friends.

Library Publishing Workflows. Educopia Institute. Library Publishing Coalition. Institute of Museum and Library Sciences.
October 24, 2019

Meet the Library Publishing Workflow Project Partners

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This post is part of a running series on the Library Publishing Workflows (LPW) project, which is investigating and modeling journal publishing workflows in libraries. LPW is a collaboration between the Library Publishing Coalition, Educopia Institute, and twelve partner libraries, and is generously funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant. See all posts in the series. 

One of the key goals of Library Publishing Workflows is capturing a diversity of workflows from different types of institutions with different goals and methods. We want to introduce each of the libraries and their project representatives, who will be working with us over the next two years to document, analyze, and share the publishing workflow(s) they are employing.

University of Alberta Library

Based in Edmonton, Canada, the University of Alberta Library supports open, sustainable, and responsible models for ensuring a healthy and robust scholarly communications ecosystem. We hope that our participation in this project will enable us to contribute meaningfully to a shared understanding of common workflows, best practices, and documentation to help libraries demonstrate viable models for community owned, scholar-driven academic publishing.

Sonya Betz, Head of Library Publishing and Digital Production Services, has been working with the UofA’s open publishing program since 2015.

Robert W. Woodruff Library (Atlanta University Center)

Established in 1982, the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Robert W. Woodruff Library serves the nation’s largest consortium of historically black colleges and universities, which includes Clark Atlanta University, the Interdenominational Theological Center, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. AUC Woodruff Library is involved in this project to capture and refine our current workflow(s) and learn how we can improve our library publishing services as we grow and adopt new publishing platforms.

The main library representative for this project is Josh Hogan, Assistant Head of Digital Services, who is heavily involved with assisting current journal editors and staff as well as reaching out to potential new journals in the AUC community.

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Library Publishing Workflows. Educopia Institute. Library Publishing Coalition. Institute of Museum and Library Sciences.
October 15, 2019

Meet the Library Publishing Workflows Advisors

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This post is part of a running series on the Library Publishing Workflows (LPW) project, which is investigating and modeling journal publishing workflows in libraries. LPW is a collaboration between the Library Publishing Coalition, Educopia Institute, and twelve partner libraries, and is generously funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant. See all posts in the series. 

 

Our project advisory board bring diverse expertise and experience in library publishing, scholarly communication, and library infrastructure. The advisors will provide advice and feedback at all phases of the project. We are excited to introduce our awesome advisors!

Cheryl Ball

Headshot of Dr. Cheryl E. Ball

Cheryl is Director of the Digital Publishing Collaborative at Wayne State University Libraries, where she is building a digital publishing pedagogy based on open-access and multimedia-driven work. She is the Project Director for Vega, an open-source academic publishing platform, and serves as the executive director of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals. Since 2006, Ball has been lead editor of the peer-reviewed, open-access journal Kairos: Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy, which exclusively publishes scholarly multimedia, from which she founded KairosCamp, a series of institutes to teach scholars, editors, and publishers how to produce and publish digital (humanities) projects.

Cheryl brings extensive experience in diverse publishing roles and initiatives to support this project. She will draw upon her experience in these areas to assist project partners to develop research strategies relevant to library publishers and bring these much-needed insights to the library publishing ecosystem.

Rachel Frick

Rachel is Executive Director, Research Library Partnership, OCLC, overseeing OCLC’s work and engagement with the Research Library Partnership, a venue for research libraries to undertake significant, innovative, collective action to benefit libraries, scholars and researchers everywhere.

Rachel has nearly 20 years of broad-based library experience, including senior positions at the Digital Public Library of America, the Digital Library Federation at the Council on Library and Information Resources, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the University of Richmond.

At a time when commercial publishers are seeking control of the entire research lifecycle, this scaffolding for open publishing is increasingly important and potentially transformative.

This proposed work comes at a strategic moment for OCLC, as we investigate ways to best leverage our collections infrastructure to support libraries’ investment in open content. It is a great opportunity to be involved in this project as an advisory board member project.”

Kari Smith

Kari is the Institute Archivist and Program Head, Digital Archives at the MIT Libraries, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Kari works to collect, make accessible and preserve for the future the Research output, Faculty papers, and Administrative records that document MIT’s engagement with the world and it’s academic and research missions. Kari previously served as the BitCurator Consortium President and member of the Executive Committee, and on the ArchivesSpace Technical Advisory Committee, and she serves on the SAA Research Forum Program Committee. She teaches on the Digital Preservation Management Workshops series and researches how creating durable documents and information forms can lead to a more complete historical record.

As a project advisor, Kari’s extensive experience in developing archives and library workflows and infrastructure will help inform the cohort creation and development of the project. She was also a partner participant in Educopia Institute’s OSSArcFlow Project, and brings valuable insights from that process.

Library Publishing Forum 2020, May 4-6, Worcester, MA
October 14, 2019

LPForum20: Call for proposals and scholarship applications open

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The Library Publishing Forum is an annual conference bringing together representatives from libraries engaged in (or considering) publishing initiatives to define and address major questions and challenges; to identify and document collaborative opportunities; and to strengthen and promote this community of practice. The Forum is sponsored by the Library Publishing Coalition, but you do not need to be a member of the LPC to attend. The 2020 Forum will be held in Worcester, MA, May 4-6, hosted by the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

This year we are moving away from the format of a one-day preconference followed by a two-day Forum and instead having a single, three-day Forum. Adding a third day to the Forum will allow us to encourage deeper, continuing conversations, and to make space for different types of community activities. 

Call for Proposals

A call for proposals is now open! In addition to the full sessions and individual presentations formats we have used for the last couple of years, we are also welcoming two new proposal formats: poster talks and experimental sessions. We warmly encourage proposals from first-time presenters and representatives of small and emerging publishing programs. Proposals may address any topic of interest to the library publishing community and all disciplines. However, with the conference being hosted by the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), we extend a special invitation to sessions exploring projects or topics related to STEM publishing and the Open Science Movement. The proposal deadline is November 15th.

Learn more and submit a proposal

Library Publishing Forum Award

The Library Publishing Coalition is pleased to offer the third annual Library Publishing Forum Award. This year, we will offer up to three awards to aid individuals from diverse backgrounds in attending and contributing at the Forum. Applications for the Forum Award are due by November 15.  

Learn more and apply

About the Forum

The Library Publishing Forum is an annual conference bringing together representatives from libraries engaged in (or considering) publishing initiatives to define and address major questions and challenges; to identify and document collaborative opportunities; and to strengthen and promote this community of practice. The Forum includes representatives from a broad, international spectrum of academic library backgrounds, as well as groups that collaborate with libraries to publish scholarly works, including publishing vendors, university presses, and scholars. The Forum is sponsored by the Library Publishing Coalition, but you do not need to be a member of the LPC to attend.

October 8, 2019

Announcing the 2019-21 LPC Fellows: Talea Anderson and AJ Boston

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We are very excited to announce our cohort of 2019-2021 LPC Fellows: Talea Anderson (Washington State University), and Arthur “AJ” Boston (Murray State University). The Fellowship Program is intended to encourage participation in the LPC community by important voices who are not at a member institution, to broaden access to library publishing to underrepresented groups, and to mentor new library publishers. For the next two years, Talea and AJ will be participating in the LPC community through service, writing for the LPC Blog, and presenting at the Library Publishing Forum. We look forward to learning from them and working with them to advance library publishing practice!

Headshot of LPC Fellow Talea AndersonAbout Talea: Talea Anderson is the Scholarly Communication Librarian at Washington State University, where she manages the university’s institutional repository and supports open education initiatives. She has research interests in open pedagogy and web accessibility, especially as these pertain to library publishing and library-based open initiatives. Talea received a Library Publishing Forum First-Time Attendee Scholarship in 2018. 

 

 

Headshot of LPC Fellow AJ BostonAbout AJ: Arthur “AJ” Boston is an assistant professor and scholarly communication librarian at Murray State University Libraries, where he administers the institutional repository and coordinates the Office of Research and Creative Activity. Research interests include hip-hop and scholarly communications; research assessment reform; Creative Commons for studio art students; machine learning applications in publishing; citizen science, podcasting, and other tools with potential for engaging the public with the academy. [Twitter: @AJ_Boston / ORCID: 0000-0001-8590-4663]

Library Publishing Workflows. Educopia Institute. Library Publishing Coalition. Institute of Museum and Library Sciences.
September 23, 2019

Meet the Library Publishing Workflows Team

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This post is part of a running series on the Library Publishing Workflows (LPW) project, which is investigating and modeling journal publishing workflows in libraries. LPW is a collaboration between the Library Publishing Coalition, Educopia Institute, and twelve partner libraries, and is generously funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant. See all posts in the series. 

We will be regularly publishing blog updates as this project advances—we are leading off this series with an introduction to the project team!

melanie schlosser headshot

 

 

Melanie Schlosser (Scholarly Communications Program Leader, Educopia Institute and Community Facilitator, Library Publishing Coalition) is the lead Principal Investigator for the project. 

 

 

brandon locke headshot

 

Brandon Locke (Project Manager, Library Publishing Workflows, Educopia Institute) will oversee much of the day to day work of the project, including coordinating between partner institutions and the project team, conducting research and documenting workflows, logistics and planning for the LPW in-person meeting, and preparing and presenting research outcomes from the project.

 

 

katherine skinner headshot

 


Dr. Katherine Skinner (Executive Director, Educopia Institute) is a co-principal investigator. She will ensure the project and its deliverables adhere to open access and community frameworks, and that they are both built and sustained by a range of committed partners. 

 

 

hannah ballard headshot

 

Hannah Ballard (Communications Manager, Educopia Institute) will oversee the project’s communications strategy and presence. Hannah will help share project stories and deliverables via a series of digital campaigns that will correspond with major moments and milestones in the project’s two-year timeframe.

 

 

Follow us on Twitter, or at #LibPubWorkflows, to keep current on project news!

September 23, 2019

Nominations open for the second annual Award for Exemplary Service

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As participation in library publishing grows, community involvement and leadership has become increasingly important for the profession. To encourage and recognize such service, the Library Publishing Coalition (LPC) gives out an annual Exemplary Service Award. The award recognizes substantial contributions by an LPC community member to advancing the mission, vision, or values of the Library Publishing Coalition. The award will consist of a complimentary registration to the 2020 Library Publishing Forum (May 4-6, Worcester, MA) and a $50 gift card. 

Nominations, including self-nominations, may be submitted to the LPC Board by any member of the LPC community. Anyone who is at an LPC member institution can nominate someone. Deadline for nominations is Friday, October 18th. Please use the nomination form and include the nominee’s name, affiliation, and email address, as well as a brief statement on why the nominee deserves the award. The winner will be announced in December. 

Criteria for the award

Awardees must:

  • Have contributed substantially to advancing the mission, vision, or values of the Library Publishing Coalition through service.
  • Have served on an LPC committee or task force within the last three years.
  • Be currently employed by an LPC member institution.
  • Not be currently serving on the LPC Board.

Substantial contributions may include:

  • Effective leadership of or exemplary contributions to a committee or task force.
  • Advocacy on behalf of the LPC or the creation or strengthening of LPC relationships with other groups.
  • Significant contributions to the creation of a new program within the LPC or to the expansion, or adoption, of programs and services for members.

Submit a Nomination

September 4, 2019

Cheryl Ball appointed as Library Publishing Curriculum Editor-in-Chief

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The Library Publishing Coalition is pleased to announce the appointment of Cheryl E. Ball to a three-year term as Editor-in-Chief of the Library Publishing Curriculum. Created in partnership with the Educopia Institute as part of a project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the curriculum is moving to its permanent home as an ongoing program of the LPC. Cheryl 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). To learn more about the role of the Editor-in-Chief, see the call for nominations. 

Headshot of Dr. Cheryl E. BallCheryl is Director of the Digital Publishing Collaborative at Wayne State University Libraries, where she is building a digital publishing pedagogy based on open-access and multimedia-driven work. She is the Project Director for Vega, an open-source academic publishing platform, and serves as the executive director of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals. Since 2006, Ball has been lead editor of the peer-reviewed, open-access journal Kairos: Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy, which exclusively publishes scholarly multimedia, from which she founded KairosCamp, a series of institutes to teach scholars, editors, and publishers how to produce and publish digital (humanities) projects. She serves on several editorial boards and projects focused on scholarly multimedia and digitally driven publications. Her research in editorial workflows, digital publishing infrastructures, and publishing pedagogy can be found in multiple journals and edited collections, as well as on her personal repository, http://ceball.com. 

A statement from Cheryl: 

“I am really excited to be formally working with the Library Publishing Coalition as Editor-in-Chief of the publishing curriculum! The work of this position fits perfectly into the pedagogical strategies of the digital publishing team at Wayne State University Libraries, and as a founding member of the LPC, we are thrilled to be part of this project. I look forward to building an editorial board and ensuring the sustainability and usefulness of the curriculum.”

A statement from LPC Community Facilitator Melanie Schlosser: 

“I am delighted that the Library Publishing Coalition is taking on the stewardship of this crucial resource for the field of library publishing, and I am excited to partner with Cheryl as we make the curriculum an ongoing program of LPC. Her track record of scholarship, editing, and innovation speaks for itself, and I have no doubt that her experience and energy will be a tremendous asset for the curriculum and for the community of library publishers.”

August 26, 2019

LPC welcomes two new members!

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We are delighted to announce two new members to the Library Publishing Coalition this summer: Université du Québec à Montréal and Caltech. Welcome colleagues!

 

 

August 19, 2019

Call for proposals to host the 2021 Library Publishing Forum

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The Library Publishing Coalition is seeking a host for its annual Library Publishing Forum in the spring of 2021. The Forum typically welcomes around 200 guests for 3 days of conference and pre/post conference activities. The LPC aims to hold the Forum in a variety of attractive locations throughout North America that provide convenient access for attendees through geographic proximity or easily accessible transportation. The LPC seeks a member institution willing to act as a partner in providing access to library-owned spaces, or co-signing contracts for spaces at reduced costs.

Host responsibilities 

The Forum is financed through conference registration fees and sponsor support, and the Educopia Institute will handle all conference planning and logistics. The host institution is not required to provide additional financial support. However, local organizers should provide referrals to appropriate venues for the main conference activities, pre- and post- events, and hotel stays. The host institution should also plan to have a staff member serve as the Host Liaison on the Program Committee. The Host Liaison has a one-year, non-voting role, and is invited to attend committee meetings, but is not obligated to undertake more general committee work. In addition, we welcome support from local hosts in planning a reception and coordinating appropriate social events. 

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August 9, 2019

Open Textbook: Path to Scholarly Communication: Reflections of a Forum Attendee

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post by the recipient of a 2019 Library Publishing Forum Award. 

On the occasion of the 2019 Library Publishing Forum, held 8–10 May in Vancouver, British Columbia, it was possible to explore  the route outlined by numerous initiatives in open publishing in the academic environment and to be nourished by activities that strengthen its background.

Recognized among universities in North America, Canada, and beyond, the 2019 Forum, sponsored by the Library Publishing Coalition in collaboration with Simon Fraser University and Harbour Centre, welcomed librarians, academics, university publishers, and platform vendors interested in immersing themselves in library publishing services. 

The pre-conference on May 8 focused on Open Educational Resources. The morning workshop, offered in collaboration with the Open Textbook Network, provided an opportunity for discussion and hands-on work, highlighting project management strategies in support of open textbook publishing. Time savings in the planning stages (Plan – Do – Check – Act) are outlined through the information exchange established between author and publishing specialists related to research, resource creation, writing of the book outlined, supplemental resources, chapter planning, peer review, review related to style / format, copy editing, proofreading, preparation for publication up to launching—these are only some of the subjects offered in the BC Open Textbook Self-Publishing Guide.

In the afternoon’s full sessions, planned in collaboration with BCcampus, presenters engaged attendees with topics such as the academic publication reshaped by library publishing and set out on a small scale, requirements for sustainable software, alliances (or not) with different models of the university press, surveys about undergraduate use and acceptance of digital didactic resources, in addition to efforts to prepare librarians to work/advocate in these scenarios.

For academic book production, a collaborative approach between author, librarian, and publishing team facilitates the clarification of doubts during the project design; a timely process can avoid the familiar  miscommunications responsible for innumerable disagreements and problems such as content produced without planning; numerous “come and go” for style redesign and publishing requirements; ignorance of the author’s objectives for the publication; author’s unfamiliarity of the license to be adopted; remaining doubts about open access; uncertainties regarding DOI being the best alternative to use, definition of the most appropriate platform for hosting content.

At event closing it was evident that many discussions of the nuances of scholarly communication had originated among the disparate groups of attendees, seeking understanding of their differences in pursuit of quality-targeted solutions that reach significantly more individuals.

Daily, I have been encouraging future monograph authors and helping them prepare their manuscripts using the perspective of library as publisher; however, this activity is still unknown to many at the university. For open publishing opportunities to become a real knowledge network, a single publishing structure designed at an administrative level by the library system is necessary.

The Library Publishing Forum’s professional work provides countless perspectives for reflecting on ways to provide better library performance through concrete experiences. It has a special position in my agenda!

Célia Regina de Oliveira Rosa is Librarian at the Geosciences Institute of the Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brazil, www.usp.br/. She holds a Masters in Information Science with a concentration in book library publishing.