March 27, 2019
Panel: Big Ideas for Library Publishing
Friday, May 10, 2:30-3:30pm
Room: Joseph & Rosalie Segal Centre (1400-1430)
Copyright Reform for Open Access: An End to Workarounds
John Willinsky, Stanford University
Description: This presentation addresses the scholarly publishing initiatives of libraries by tackling the legal question of whether copyright law in the United States, Canada and elsewhere is doing enough to encourage access to research and scholarship to still be true to the original intent of copyright, captured in the Statute of Anne 1710 — An Act for the Encouragement of Learning — and the U.S. Constitution: To promote the progress of science and useful arts. I will argue that current copyright law is being used to unduly impede the circulation of research in the digital era, contrary to the new scientific norm of open access supported by government agencies, universities, and publishers, both here and internationally. I will present the case for creating a distinct intellectual property category for research, with the costs handled by the institutional users and funders of this research (much as cost are paid now, only with considerable impeding of access to this work). Current copyright law recognizes a range of intellectual property types, including literary works, film, sound recordings, video games and tapes, among others. I am proposing that copyright law be amended to create a new category of intellectual property for research that has been published through a scholarly process. This new research category would cover work that (a) has been peer-reviewed by recognized experts in the relevant field of research; and (b) the publication of which is valued and utilized, in the first instance, by the larger academic community of universities, research institutes, and the research arm of industry. When such work is published, the law should provide, on the one hand, for its immediate free public online access; and on the other hand, for publishers of such work to be fairly compensated by those utilizing (via libraries) and funding it.
Leveraging Library Publishing to Promote Diversity
Suzanne Stapleton, University of Florida
Description: In 2018, the Library Publishing Coalition released the community-authored An Ethical Framework for Library Publishing, including context and resources for library publishers as we aim to raise awareness of pressing topics among the scholarly community. In particular, the framework offers a starting point for promoting diversity and inclusion that encourages librarians to help combat a publishing ecosystem that represents only a small segment of the scholarly community.
How can librarians and other campus stakeholders take concrete steps to implement the framework’s recommendations within our own programs and institutions? This presentation will describe ongoing work at the University of Florida, where the UF Florida Online Journals Service Team is developing a series of short- and long-term initiatives focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. Beginning in 2018-2019, we are creating a best practices guide to share with each of the journals we publish. Discussion of these best practices will be incorporated into initial discussions for new users of Florida Online Journals, our LibGuide website and also shared at annual meetings with journal staff. This guide will draw on the LPC framework and other resources, emphasizing issues such as academic bias and the importance of a globalized community of scholars and connecting these topics with our journals’ specific plans for outreach, policy, and assessment. An annual client survey provides a good venue to prompt self-reflection and track journal editorial policies and their impact on diversity for that publication and discipline.
