LIBRARY PUBLISHING
COALITION
A two-year project led by over 50 academic libraries
dedicated to advancing the emerging field of library publishing.
Charles Watkinson
Head of Scholarly Publishing Services, Purdue Libraries
and Director, Purdue University Press
(lib.purdue.edu/publishing)
Mission Statement
The Library Publishing Coalition promotes the development
of innovative, sustainable publishing services in academic
and research libraries to support scholars as they create,
advance, and disseminate knowledge.
Project Foundation
LPS:S4S project and report
• IMLS-funded project of Purdue, Georgia
Tech, & University of Utah.
• Survey of academic libraries of all sizes;
• > 120 attendees at three workshops
“In 2011, over 55% of North American
academic libraries were developing or
offering publishing services (79% of ARLs)”
http://wp.sparc.arl.org/lps
Evidence-based recommendations:
• Develop best practices for LPS
• Create shared resources
• Formalize skills and training
What is Library Publishing?
• Library publishing is the set of activities led by college and university
libraries to support the creation, dissemination, and curation of
scholarly, creative, and/or educational works.
• Generally, library publishing requires a production process, presents
original work not previously made available, and applies a level of
certification to the content published, whether through peer review or
extension of the institutional brand.
• Based on core library values and building on the traditional skills of
librarians, it is distinguished from other publishing fields by a
preference for Open Access dissemination and a willingness to
embrace informal and experimental forms of scholarly communication
and to challenge the status quo.
What is Library Publishing?
Higher
Education
Publishers
University
Presses
Library
Publishers
“What distinguishes publishing
fields from one another is the
type of content produced within
them and the kind of market for
which it is produced, together
with the associated
relationships, types of
marketing, and forms of reward
and recognition that go along
with this.”
Thompson, 2005, Books in the
Digital Age, p. 38
What is Library Publishing?
LPC Project Foundation
LPS:S4S project and report
• IMLS-funded project of Purdue, Georgia
Tech, & University of Utah.
• Survey of academic libraries of all
sizes;> 120 attendees at three
workshops
“In 2011, over 55% of North American
academic libraries were developing or
offering publishing services (79% of ARLs)”
http://wp.sparc.arl.org/lps
Evidence-based recommendations:
• Develop best practices for LPS
• Create shared resources
• Formalize skills and training
LPC Project Background
• Project period: January 2013 to December 2014
• Aim: To create the Library Publishing Coalition. The
project group will study, document, and evaluate how best
to structure this community-led initiative in order to
promote collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
• Funding: Seed funding from participating institutions
LPC Project Timeline
Exploratory
conversations
between
Purdue, Virginia
Tech, University
of North Texas,
Educopia
May
2012
June
2012
Précis drafted by
Purdue, Virginia
Tech, University
of North Texas,
Educopia.
Educopia
committed as
host.
Draft précis
circulated to
major library
publishing
groups for
feedback
July
2012
August
2012
Project team
confirmed
participation in one
of two categories
and committed seed
funding
(Founding=$5K/yr;
Contributing=$1K/yr)
Invitations issued to
academic libraries
(selection based on
participation in earlier
initiatives &
reputation in the
field)
Sept
2012
Oct
2012
Executive Group
established through
nomination/election
process; Sarah
Lippincott hired as
Project Manager
Pre-project
planning
teleconference
with 49
participating
libraries
Dec
2012
LPC Project Finances
• Founding Institutions
• $5K/year for two years. Project drivers.
• Contributing Institutions
• $1K/year for two years. Advisors to the project.
• Host Institution
• Educopia Institute. Administrative apparatus and donation of time to
the project. Hosts staffing, provides “glue” and infrastructure to hold
the project team together.
LPC Project Governance
• Executive Group: Implements the vision of the Organizing
Committee through drafting the governance, organizational
structure, and bylaws of the LPC.
• Organizing Committee: Responsible for developing the mission,
goals, and organizational documentation for the LPC. Each
Founding Institution nominates one representative.
• Advisory Committee: Provides broad perspective and feedback to
the Organizing Committee. Each Contributing Institution nominates
one representative.
• Subcommittees: Directory Subcommittee, Program
Subcommittee, and Research Subcommittee prepare the project’s
major deliverables
Project Team: Founding Institutions
• Brigham Young University
• University of Illinois, Chicago
• Colby College
• University of Kentucky
• Columbia University
• University of Massachusetts-Amherst
• Dartmouth College
• University of North Carolina, Greensboro
• Duke University
• University of North Texas
• Grand Valley State University
• University of Pittsburgh
• Kansas State University
• University of San Diego
• Northeastern University
• University of Tennessee
• Ohio State University
• University of Utah
• Oregon State University
• Utah State University
• Penn State
• Virginia Tech
• Purdue University
• Washington University Libraries, St. Louis
• Syracuse University
• Wayne State University
• University of Arizona
Project Team: Contributing Institutions
• Boston College
• Tulane University
• California Digital Library
• University of Florida
• California Polytechnic State University
• University of Georgia
• Carnegie Mellon University
• University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Claremont University Consortium
• University of Iowa
• Cornell University
• University of Kansas
• Florida State University
• University of Maryland
• Illinois Wesleyan University
• University of Massachusetts-Worcester
• Indiana University
• University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• McGill University
• University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
• Northwestern University
• University of Washington
• Pacific University
• Valparaiso University
• Pepperdine University
• Villanova University
• Rutgers University
• Wake Forest University
• Simon Fraser University
Project vs. Coalition
Project
Coalition
56 participants
Concrete deliverables
Two-year endeavor
Founding process
?? members
Services
Ongoing endeavor
Membership org.
LPC Services (1 of 2)
• Hosting an annual forum where libraries with an interest in digital
publishing services may communicate to the broader field about their
activities and goals and with one another about developments in
library publishing.
• Compiling a directory of library publishing services that defines the
field and supports libraries in the creation and enhancement of
publishing services.
• Conducting new research that addresses practical concerns,
documents the range of library publishing activities, refines
justification and positioning, and help libraries envision and develop
publishing services.
LPC Services (2 of 2)
• Building relationships with other organizations in the scholarly
•
•
•
•
•
communications and library fields.
Developing advocacy and awareness materials and programs that
articulate the unique value of library publishing.
Providing training and learning opportunities for professionals and
students to develop needed skills and competencies.
Gathering statistics that track trends, needs, and developments.
Exploring collective purchasing arrangements that allow libraries to
effectively use resources.
Developing collective marketing strategies that build exposure for
library publishers.
Get Involved . . .
1. Pledge as a contributing member.
Contact Sarah Lippincott for details.
2. Submit your listing to the first directory of library
publishing (coming fall 2013).
Completing this questionnaire by July 15:
www.surveymonkey.com/s/librarypublishing
(non-members welcome!)
New Home of the LPC project (07/13)
www.librarypublishing.org
Questions?
For more information, please contact:
Sarah Lippincott
Program Manager
Library Publishing Coalition
sarah@educopia.org
Executive Group of the Organizing Committee:
Richard (Rick) Clement (Utah State University)
Sandra (Sandy) De Groote (University of Illinois, Chicago)
Rebecca Kennison (Columbia University)
Spencer Keralis (University of North Texas)
Katherine Skinner (Educopia Institute)
Julie Speer (Virginia Tech)
Charles Watkinson (Purdue University)