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.

December 14, 2017

Thinking about accessibility and sustainability in scholarly communication

By Charlotte Roh

The Fellows Journal is a forum for the current Library Publishing Coalition fellows to share their experiences and raise topics for discussion within the community. Learn more about the Fellowship Program.

In addition to my duties as a scholarly communication librarian, one of my roles at the University of San Francisco is liaison to the Migration Studies program. It’s a relatively new program in a relatively new field, so search terms are still evolving. For example, one of the common roadblocks that students encounter is that research data is available under “refugees” rather than “migrants.” This search term confusion is easily remedied, but there are also problematic descriptors such as “illegal” and “undocumented”. One of the questions that came up this past year was, What do you call someone who has valid legal immigration status but who is deported or detained? (People in the class agreed “illegal” is unacceptable, and “undocumented” is inaccurate.) Since many of the students in the program have a personal stake in these issues, these conversations around naming are not taken lightly.

In addition to these discussions in the classroom, naming and authority are, of course, important to librarianship as well. More recently, I have been thinking about “accessibility” and “sustainability” as terms that are heavily used both in my work as a scholarly communications librarian and more broadly outside of my professional niche.

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December 6, 2017

What library publishing looks like in 2017 – Excerpt from the Library Publishing Directory

By Melanie Schlosser

If you haven’t yet checked out the latest edition of the Library Publishing Directory and the new, searchable online platform, well…they’re pretty cool! See our previous post for the full announcement. While we are super excited about the online platform, the one thing it doesn’t have is the Directory‘s front and back matter, which is more interesting than you’d think.

Each year, the Directory‘s introduction includes a ‘state of the field’ based on that year’s data. It highlights trends and new developments in library publishing as reported by the programs that contribute their information. We wanted to share this year’s on the blog to make it easier to find and discuss. The following is an excerpt from this year’s Directory, written by Melanie Schlosser, Liz Hamilton, Joshua Neds-Fox, Tom Bielavitz, and Alexandra Hoff.

LIBRARY PUBLISHING LANDSCAPE 2018

Each year, the Directory Committee mines the Directory data set in order to highlight trends and unique aspects of library publishing. In our fifth year, the trends and tendencies pointed out in previous introductions have started to reveal themselves as enduring characteristics and essential features of the library publishing landscape. We believe this reflects both the growing data set and the maturing of the field itself. This introduction highlights that continuity (“The Song Remains the Same”) and draws out two of those essential features for consideration (“Openness” and “Publishing and Pedagogy”).

THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME

This year’s data is remarkably consistent with what we have seen in past Directories. Most of the numbers are very similar to last year or within range from previous years. Of the two areas where there are noticeable changes—services and digital preservation—one of them is in line with previously noted trends.

Partnerships

Partnerships remain important to library publishing programs, and individual faculty and campus departments are still our most common partners. We continue to see significant numbers of partnerships with graduate and undergraduate students, and the number of university press partnerships continues to rise slowly. The only substantial change from last year was a jump in partnerships with graduate students (from 72% last year to 77% this year).

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Promotional image for 2018 Library Publishing Directory

December 6, 2017

Announcing the 2018 Library Publishing Directory and a new online platform

By Melanie Schlosser

The Library Publishing Coalition is pleased to announce publication of the 2018 Library Publishing Directory, as well as the launch of a new, searchable online platform for the Directory data.

2018 Library Publishing Directory

This year’s Library Publishing Directory highlights the publishing activities of 125 academic and research libraries, and is openly available in PDF and EPUB format. The Directory illustrates the many ways in which libraries are actively transforming and advancing scholarly communications in partnership with scholars, students, university presses, and others.

New Online Platform for the Directory

We are also excited to share the Directory in a new format – a searchable online platform! As of launch, the new platform includes the data from the 2017 and 2018 Directories, with 2014 through 2016 coming soon. In addition to full-text searching, the new platform allows users to sort and limit by a number of factors, including location, publication types and formats, and software platforms used. We are delighted to provide this new functionality for the Directory’s rich data set, and we welcome feedback on it.

Publication of the 2018 Directory was overseen by the LPC’s Directory Committee:

Liz Hamilton, Northwestern University (2017-18 chair)
Joshua Neds-Fox, Wayne State University
Tom Bielavitz, Portland State University
Alexandra Hoff, Purdue University
Melanie Schlosser, Educopia Institute (ex officio)

The Directory is made possible by the generous donation of services from Purdue University Libraries and Bookmasters.

November 29, 2017

LPC becomes a PKP Strategic Partner

By Melanie Schlosser

Remember when we rolled out our Strategic Affiliates Program a few weeks ago? One of the fun things about launching that program was talking to our new strategic affiliates about the ways that they work with their own communities, and the opportunities for organizations like ours to get involved. As it turns out, the Public Knowledge Project has a similar program of their own – the PKP Strategic Partners. As of today, we are delighted to announce that LPC is an official PKP strategic partner! Some dueling quotes from the announcement:

John Willinsky, PKP’s Founder and Director stated: “The Library Publishing Coalition represents the growing number of academic libraries in North America and elsewhere that are providing the publishing services and support needed to expand open access. Libraries and open access publications represent two closely aligned and cooperative communities that PKP seeks to serve, and so it is fitting for us to collaborate with the LPC and their members given our sharing of many common goals.”

And our response:

“The LPC is delighted to join the list of PKP’s Strategic Partners and to formalize the already-strong partnership between our two organizations. PKP’s software has been invaluable to the community of library publishers, and our community continues to benefit from innovations such as PKP’s Private LOCKSS Network. We look forward to continuing to work with PKP on community-focused initiatives, and to future collaborations around education and advocacy.”

Thanks for the invitation, PKP – we’re very happy to join!

November 29, 2017

Nominations open for the Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Library Publishing

By Melanie Schlosser

Have you read (or written) some good scholarship on library publishing this year? If so, consider nominating it for the 2018 Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Library Publishing! The award is given out by LPC’s Research Committee to recognize an excellent research or theory publication from the previous calendar year. Publications can be nominated by the author or by any staff member from an LPC member institution. (Nominated author(s) do not need to be affiliated with a LPC member institution.) Please read the eligibility criteria, and turn in your nominations by January 16, 2018.

Nominate

November 15, 2017

LPC welcomes a new strategic affiliate: Digital Public Library of America

By Melanie Schlosser

The Library Publishing Coalition is delighted to welcome the Digital Public Library of America as a new strategic affiliate! A statement from DPLA:

The Digital Public Library of America is excited to join the members of Library Publishing Coalition in our shared goal of maximizing access to open and trustworthy information. DPLA connects people to the riches held within America’s libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions and we are working to expand the discoverability, accessibility, and availability of ebooks for the general public. DPLA’s vision for improving the ebook ecosystem includes helping libraries serve more open access content, such as Creative Commons-licensed fiction and nonfiction, open textbooks and open educational resources, and public domain classics. As part of this work, DPLA is currently piloting the DPLA Exchange (exchange.dp.la), a marketplace where libraries can purchase popular ebooks and other e-content to serve to their patrons. For more on DPLA’s ebook initiatives, visit our blog.

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.

November 14, 2017

Publishing platforms preconference: Call for showcase participants!

By Hilary Hickman

The Library Publishing Coalition seeks participants for a showcase session at the Library Publishing Forum’s preconference on open source publishing platforms (May 21st, 2018) at Wilson Library at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. The preconference is affiliated with the Library Publishing Forum, which will take place May 22nd and 23rd at the University of Minnesota’s McNamara Alumni Center.

The showcase session will allow attendees to learn more about the broader ecosystem of open source publishing software. We especially invite representation from:

Open source platforms used to publish content online
Open source tools related to any stage of the publishing process
Service providers working with open source software
Organizations focused on creating or sustaining open source publishing software

For more information on the preconference and the Library Publishing Forum, see our official call for showcase participants. If you have any questions, please reach out to Melanie Schlosser. Registration for the preconference will open in spring 2018.

We hope to see you in Minneapolis in May!

November 14, 2017

Call for proposals: 2018 Library Publishing Forum

By Hilary Hickman

The Library Publishing Coalition Program Committee is delighted to announce that the call for proposals for the 2018 Library Publishing Forum is now open!

The Program Committee welcomes proposals on any library publishing topic. We particularly invite those that address the following themes:

New directions: Share your new initiatives, partnerships, or research, or tackle new challenges in library publishing.
Accessibility: Share how your program is working to achieve the broadest possible access to scholarship or explore opportunities for increasing the accessibility of digital publications.
Discovery: Share how you are increasing the reach and impact of your publications or propose collaborative solutions to discovery challenges.

We are accepting proposals for both full sessions (60 minutes, including Q&A) and individual panel slots (~15 minutes).

The deadline for submission is January 19, 2018, and applicants will be notified of their acceptance no later than February 28, 2018.

See the official call for proposals for more information on the Forum, plus instructions on how to submit.

We hope to see you in Minneapolis in May!

November 8, 2017

Announcing the 2018 Library Publishing Forum keynote speaker: Catherine Kudlick

By Melanie Schlosser

Catherine Kudlick photograph The Library Publishing Coalition Program Committee is excited to announce that the keynote address at the 2018 Library Publishing Forum will be given by Catherine Kudlick, Professor of History and Director of the Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University.

Dr. Kudlick has published a number of books and articles in disability history, including Reflections: the Life and Writings of a Young Blind Woman in Postrevolutionary France and “Disability History: Why We Need Another Other” in the American Historical Review. She oversaw completion of Paul Longmore’s posthumously published book, Telethons: Spectacle, Disability, and the Business of Charity. She is co-editing The Oxford Handbook of Disability History with Michael Rembis and Kim Nielsen. As director of the Longmore Institute, she directed the public history exhibit “Patient No More: People with Disabilities Securing Civil Rights” and co-hosts Superfest International Disability Film Festival. She has been active in electronic accessibility initiatives, first at UC Davis and more recently in public advocacy.

We are looking forward to learning more about Dr. Kuclick’s work on accessible book publishing, and to exploring how library publishing can help make scholarship accessible to all!

November 6, 2017

LPC welcomes a new member: University of Cincinnati

By Melanie Schlosser

The Library Publishing Coalition is delighted to welcome University of Cincinnati as a member! About their program:

The University of Cincinnati Library Publishing Services (CLiPS) an imprint of the University of Cincinnati Press, provides professional publishing services to faculty, staff, departments, and centers associated with the university. CLiPS assists authors and editors in publishing output in print, digital and open access incorporating new technologies to provide our community with a full range of services promoting academic scholarship. We support faculty-authored publications sponsored by UC academic departments, publications edited by UC organizations, affordable textbooks, open educational resources, and student run publications. We encourage the exploration of new types of publications in print or electronic forms working with materials beyond traditional written papers and monographs.