Library publishing: We can't do everything, so should we just quit?

Abstract

Library budgets and their investments in journal publishing have been under strain. At the same time, journals, policy makers, authors, editors, and funders expect more and more. Linked-data, persistent identifiers (PIDs), XML, accessibility, funding notifications, new formats, glitzy websites - where does it end? Given the demands, what is the least that a library can do to work within the values of the library’s mission without losing professional integrity? How can a library publishing program honor the organization’s intentions to foster and pursue equity for knowledge creators when budgets are tight? This session proposes a model for assessing a library publishing program’s investment in a non-revenue generating open access journal publishing service. The model may be used to help a library make decisions about when to take on new titles or when to launch new publishing initiatives (e.g., monographs). Likewise, it will serve as a tool to identify journals that may be at risk of losing the library’s services. Tools of this nature may provide useful starting points for discussions between libraries, editors, and administration interested in forming or sustaining scalable university-based publishing initiatives.