March 19, 2021
Panel Th1b
Day/Time: Thursday, May 13, 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM
‘Opening the Future’ – a new funding model for open-access monographs: introducing an innovative approach to publishing OA books through library membership funding
Presenters:
- Martin Paul Eve, Professor of Literature, Technology and Publishing, Birkbeck (University of London), Open Library of the Humanities, & COPIM
- Contact info only: Tom Grady, t.grady@bbk.ac.uk
Description:
We outline the work of a university press, with assistance from the COPIM Project (Community-led Open Publication Infrastructures for Monographs), in launching an innovative revenue model to fund open access monographs at a traditional scholarly publisher. Building on library subscription models, we present a sustainable OA publishing model that gives library members access to a highly-regarded backlist, with the revenue then used to make the frontlist openly accessible.
Given the current global library environment and existing budget pressures that have been exacerbated by Covid-19, a consortial model of funding promises a cost-effective solution for OA that means no single institution bears a disproportionate burden. This model, then, appeals to both those who wish to pay for subscription-access content (more traditional university acquisition models) and those who support OA initiatives. It brings many institutions together under one roof for an affordable route to open-access books.
The potential of Library Publishing Services to transform scholarly communication in Ireland
Presenter:
- Dr. Johannah Duffy, Marino Institute of Education
Description:
Libraries need to move beyond traditional roles of purchasing and distributing scholarly literature, librarians need to strategically position themselves and take ownership of improving access. As a direct result of Covid-19, there is a new level of urgency to transform the scholarly communication process and there are enormous opportunities for an expanded and inclusive library publishing service which addresses access to knowledge and literature. This rich discussion will stimulate the drive to make library publishing a mainstream service within Irish libraries.
The purpose of this study is to provide a vision for how academic libraries can assume a more central role in a future where open access (OA) publishing has become the predominant model for disseminating scholarly research. This work will analyse existing trends related to Open Access policies and publishing with an emphasis on the development of repositories managed by libraries to publish and disseminate articles. These trends, coupled with emerging economic realities, will create an environment where libraries’ will assume a major role in the Open Access publishing environment. This paper will provide an insight for academic libraries and their institutions to consider a dramatic shift in the deployment of subscription financial resources from a largely closed scholarly communication system to one that provides open, unrestricted access to research.
Given the importance of scholarly publishing, a number of Irish Third level libraries have launched library publishing services including the establishment and management of high quality library published peer-reviewed open access journals to support formal and informal scholarly communication. Librarians are also upskilling in the area of library publishing. A number of Irish Librarians have completed the Library Publishing Coalition’s Library Publishing Curriculum. There is also a newly formed Library Publishing Group as part of the Library Association of Ireland. This study aims to identify and examine the factors of library publishing services that facilitate scholarly communication. The clear message from this discussion is that libraries need to include publishing in their services, advocate for open access and serve their communities and societies.
The Evolving Scholar rethinks the publishing and publication processes
Presenters:
- Frédérique Belliard, Open publishing (open access) advocate and open scholarly communication lead, TU Delft Library
- Nicoleta Nastase, Innovation Consultant, TU Delft Open
Description:
Open science, combined with new technologies, is triggering innovation within the publishing ecosystem, from infrastructures to research outputs. The process of publishing research outputs is somewhat standard, but a growing number of researchers no longer adhere to the traditional way of publishing. Nowadays, publishing open access is becoming the norm worldwide. Furthermore, open science increases researchers’ visibility by making not only their final publications but their whole work transparent. For its final publication, every researcher has conducted studies that contributed to the final output. It could be literature surveys, experiment failures, developing new methods or generating new ideas, many of which are hidden. Why not bring these research output “by-products” to light? To fill in this gap in the publication journey of the researcher, we launched at TU Delft the open access journal The Evolving Scholar (ThES). It is an initiative of TU Delft OPEN Publishing with Orvium (a CERN spin-off, specialized in accelerating scientific publication for all researchers’ needs). We made ThES a collaborative, interactive and experimental environment for creating new forms of publication and publishing. The publication process managed by the author and the reviewers follows an open peer-review system. While any member (expert or non-expert) of the community can interact with the content by leaving comments, the quality check is done by moderators. We aim that ThES grows with the needs and engagement of its community, whether authors, reviewers, readers or moderators, so it becomes an environment for professional (and personal) development. It’s simple: by deconstructing the publication journey of the researcher, we want to create a path to the reliability of the researchers and trust in science.