Ball State University Libraries has joined the Library Publishing Coalition, “an independent, community-led membership association of academic and research libraries and library consortia engaged in scholarly publishing.”

Background

The Library Publishing Coalition (LPC) comprises a robust network of libraries committed to enhancing, promoting, and exploring this growing field. LPC members include academic and research libraries and library consortia that have or are considering library publishing programs. The LPC has nearly 100 member organizations, including the Library of Congress, the California Digital Library, Indiana University, and the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana. To facilitate collaboration and open communication, LPC works with strategic affiliates, including the Association of Research Libraries, CLOCKSS, Coalition for Networked Information, Crossref, Digital Library Federation, DOAJ, Library Accessibility Alliance, NASIG, Open Education Network, Public Knowledge Project, and SPARC. Together, the member organizations and affiliates create an expansive resource for Ball State University Libraries.

LPC supports the work of its members and strengthens the library publishing community at large through its community initiatives, strategic partnerships, and professional development opportunities. As a result, LPC is an investment in our library’s publishing capacity, as well as an investment in the community and in the development of resources for all libraries.

Benefits

LPC membership benefits include:

  • Engagement with an international community of practice
    • Access to the LPC listserv, the opportunity to attend member-only events such as themed community calls, and special rates to the annual conference: Library Publishing Forum
  • Access library publishing resources
    • LPC’s shared documentation library, where members can log in and share everything from checklists for starting new journals to model MOUs.
    • A webinar series that brings members together with leading experts and creators of tools and services.
  • Connect with essential services through LPC’s strong relationships with strategic affiliates in the publishing space, such as the DOAJ.
  • Service opportunities for Ball State University Libraries staff where you can serve on committees and task forces that directly advance the field of library publishing (you don’t need to work in library publishing to serve; this is open to anyone at the University Libraries and is a great way to learn through professional development!)
  • Access a robust and responsive backbone infrastructure.
    • LPC is an affiliated community of the Educopia Institute, which provides access to a broader network of staff, peer communities, and research initiatives, including the Sustainable Libraries and the Software Preservation Network.

Moving Forward

These benefits will help the University Libraries advance open access publishing initiatives on campus and complement the results of the Digital Scholarship and Scholarly Communication unit’s (DSSC) recent survey on digital research and publishing. For information on how to get involved in the LPC, contact odslibs@bsu.edu.

The DSSC unit is grateful to Dean Nancy Abashian and the Library Senior Managers Group for their support of this LPC membership. If you have an interest in publishing, accessibility, preservation, institutional repositories, documentation workflows, or professional development opportunities, then check out what the LPC has to offer!