Day/Time: Friday, May 14, 2:45 PM to 3:45 PM


Measuring Impact: Reflecting on University of Michigan Press’ COVID-19 Response

Presenter:

  • Emma DiPasquale, Michigan Publishing, University of Michigan Library

Description:

In response to the request of the International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) for “creative solutions that allows critical access to publisher content for the research and public health communities,” the University of Michigan Press, a division of the University of Michigan Library, made all 1,150+ titles in the University of Michigan Press Ebook Collection (UMP EBC) free-to-read from March 20 – August 31, 2020. Immediately after making the collection free-to-read, we designed several surveys in Qualtrics and implemented them to obtain qualitative feedback from libraries, authors, and readers as part of a strategy to gather as many different kinds of impact and engagement information as possible. We were able to gauge engagement through various other metrics, such as our readership map, Google Analytics reports, Altmetrics and Dimension reports, COUNTER reports, and an IP registry analysis. Through these metrics, it was made clear that UMP content was more widely used since free-to-read access began. As free-to-read and fully open access models are a growing norm for the Press, this information helped us shape our plans in terms of implementing different access models in such a way that reflects the feedback of our community of libraries and authors. This presentation serves as a reflection of UMP’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, the tools we used to measure impact and engagement, what UMP learned from conversations with our library community, and how this information is helping to shape UMP’s strategy going forward.


Changing a Library Publishing Program: How the USF Library was able to affectively scale-down library publishing services in the wake of COVID-19

Presenter:

  • Jason Boczar, University of South Florida

Description:

The University of South Florida (USF) Libraries publishes over 20 open access journals. The library began publishing journals in 2008. In that time, there have been various agreements made with journal editors regarding the support the library would offer, such as: journal layouts, technical support, DOI registration, etc. Every journal has a separate requirement as defined in their respective MOUs. Over time this has created a complex web of services that the library has to deliver for these open access journals.

With the challenges of COVID in 2020, the USF Libraries made a decision to move some staffing from the scholarly publishing area into other departments in the library. In doing so, a new streamlining of services offered by the library was necessary. By looking at the various services offered, the library made distinctions on services the library must offer and what services would now be the responsibility of the journal editors.

This presentation will discuss how the journal publishing unit in the library worked with editors to ensure a smooth transition. It will also discuss how decisions were made on what services would be offered by the library. Potential impacts will be discussed as well as the long-term goals of the publishing unit in the USF Libraries.


Learnings from Our First Virtual Book Launch

Presenters:

  • Laurie Taylor, Senior Director for Library Technology & Digital Strategies, University of Florida
  • Perry Collins, Copyright & OER Librarian, University of Florida
  • Chelsea Johnston, Scholarly Publishing & Repository Librarian, University of Florida
  • Tracy MacKay-Ratliff, LibraryPress@UF Designer and Coordinator, University of Florida

Description:

In March 2020, the LibraryPress@UF published the story of a global disease: My Scrapbook of My Illness with Polio. The book tells the story of polio, an infectious disease caused by a virus, which became epidemic in the United States in the early to mid-20th century. Recounted in the form of a journal, this book makes the story of polio come alive, showing how Americans in the 1940s understood and treated polio.

The LibraryPress@UF acquired this book because of its interesting form and relevance to medical humanities, Florida history, and ability to tell a story of why vaccines and science are so important in addressing diseases and epidemics. We had started promotion in early March, and because of the book’s particularly close ties to communities in Florida, we knew it was ideal for an in-person launch party. When we had to change plans to virtual, we drew on our community connections to support outreach for a successful event, including a process for mailing a printed, signed bookplate in lieu of in-person book signing.

In this presentation, we will:

  • Discuss our standard promotional elements and considerations for books (e.g., posters in the libraries, bookmarks, social media, and other activities like textual or video Q&A with the author or creator/s).
  • Discuss specifics for this book, including our first virtual book launch, complete with support for a signed, printed bookplate to complement print-on-demand book copies.
  • Share templates for bookplates, and invite participants to discuss methods for signed copies in remote and virtual environments.
  • We share how we acted as whole workers and activated our personal community connections to promote the virtual book launch, resulting in front-page coverage on a local newspaper. We conclude by explaining how this work informs our overall best practices for promotion and outreach, including for cross-collaborations.