Publishing with Open Journal Systems (OJS): A Librarian’s Perspective

Abstract

The genesis of this paper is a workshop presentation on publishing with Open Journal Systems (OJS) that was delivered during the Kenya Library and Information Services Consortium Pre-Annual General Meeting held on May 30, 2019, at the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya. The article lays the context of online hosting of university sponsored journals in Kenya and gives a background of Online Journals Systems. The paper further describes potential roles that librarians can play in institutional journal publishing. The article concludes that librarians possess the requisite skills for participating in scholarly journal publishing and recommends that including publishing literacy skills in information literacy sessions provides an excellent opportunity to showcase librarians’ value in the scholarly journal publishing process.     

The Missing Model: A “Circle of Gifts”

Abstract

In spite of the search for electronic publishing models, there is apparently already early, energetic scholarly publishing on the networks. Without a great deal of adjustment and even without formal academic recognition, the Net's accessibility and excitement have provided academic "incentives." With thoughtful development, it could provide a highly effective and competitive path to delivering scholarly knowledge. Indeed, there is currently so much momentum that it is difficult to imagine a failure to proceed, short of a deliberate and concerted attempt by universities and scholars to suppress the "thousand flowers" blooming on the scholarly networks, a choice not to support and subsidize academic publishing on the Net.

An effective scholar-based publishing system must recognize and support the widely divers forms of communication necessary for research and scholarship. It should not discriminate against nonlucrative projects or disciplines. It complements the paper-based scholarly efforts of university presses and of academic libraries, which are already beginning to provide networked access and archiving for university-generated scholarship. It creates a linked structure of scholars, societies, and academic institutions. It aims to fulfill another vital objective: retaining for the academy some ownership of its authored intellectual property.

The Missing Model, fledgling and fuzzy, is alive and well and living on the Net. To thrive, the academy needs to thoughtfully nurture it. The Circle of Gifts concept formally entwines the scholarly community, research institutions, scholars, and learned societies in the age-old and time-honored enterprise in which ideas are shared, affordably, by the creators of the ideas.     

“United we save,divided we spend”: Current purchasing trends in serials acquisitions in the UK academic sector

Abstract

CrossRef is an independent membership association for building shared technologies. It has an unusual mission: to improve access to published scholarship through services that require collective agreement among competitors in scholarly and professional publishing. The CrossRef network today covers millions of articles and other content items from several hundred publishers. This article looks at how far CrossRef has come since it launched in 2000 and what has to happen going forward in order for the service to arrive at a truly comprehensive linking network for scholarly and professional content online. Serial Review 2004; XX: XXX-XXX.     

SCOAP3 and Open Access

Abstract

SCOAP3 is an innovative Open Access initiative for publishing in high-energy physics. The model is viewed by many as a potential solution to multiple issues related to the financial crisis, the peer review system, scholarly communication, and the need to support institutional repositories. This installment of “The Balance Point” presents articles written by three Open Access advocates, outlining the SCOAP3 proposal, benefits of participation, and some of the roles libraries, publishers and scientists can play in making important changes to scholarly communication. Contributors discuss scalability and transferability issues of SCOAP3, as well as other matters of concern.     

Discipline-Specific Literature Bases: A View of the APS Model

Abstract

Librarians see the large quantities of literature and the complete writing/publishing/world as a complete system. Changes to one piece (e.g., making publishing or reading electronic) will not fundamentally change the process. The pieces of the system are there, not for technological reasons, but for reasons of authority, validation, and self-correction in the process of scholarly communication. Electronic publishing will cause great changes, but the changes will not eliminate roles that now exist. The changes will be to enhance our abilities to better do that which we do now, whether that be to edit, review, referee, write, or manage the information flow.     

Union Lists: The U.K. Perspective

abstract

Predatory journals are multiplying rapidly, but awareness is increasing in the scholarly community. Publishers, open access advocates, and researchers are exploring new ways to fight back. This column examines different ways members of the research community have chosen to address the problem of fraudulent publishing.     

Electronic journals and the paradigm shift: 1995 Spring forum of the Canadian Serials Industry Systems Advisory Committee

Abstract

Since 2006, Research Online, the University of Wollongong's open access institutional repository has utilised Bepress' Digital Commons software to make available published research outputs and digital theses. This article discusses the outcomes of recent academic demand for its use as a publishing tool of university journals and conference proceedings. The Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice is provided as an example. Digital Commons includes the editorial management software, EdiKit, which assists in managing submissions, editorial functions, and peer review. Also considered are changes to scholarly communication patterns arising out of the new open access, electronic only, publication regimes.     

Preserving Open Access

Abstract

Libraries have an established track record of preserving the scholarly record, but this stewardship role has generally been exercised over materials the library has purchased or otherwise acquired. With open access publishing, the library’s role in preservation is less certain, as libraries may facilitate access to a wide array of freely accessible materials without ever obtaining any copies. Additionally, the open access landscape includes many small noncommercial publishers with limited resources that may not be able to invest in long term preservation and access. In this column, Courtney McAllister, Electronic Resources Librarian at Lillian Goldman Law Library, Yale University, discusses preservation concerns and strategies for open access publications and how libraries may be affected by unstable or unpredictable long-term access.     

Open Access: A Review of an Emerging Phenomenon

Abstract

Discussion about Open Access (OA) has dominated industry news for the past two years. Librarians and publishers alike are attempting to fully grasp the implications of different business models on various issues, including costs, peer review, funding mechanisms, value, and archives. While there is general agreement about the importance of broadening access to scientific literature, there is disagreement on how this is best achieved in a financially responsible fashion. This article looks at some of the questions surrounding Open Access journals as well as the role publishing plays in the continuum of science in general, particularly with regard to membership organizations.     

Building Bridges: Advocacy as a Tool for the Technical Services Professional

ABSTRACT

“The Sharpest Tool in the Shed” column seeks to introduce new systems and tools relating to scholarly publishing, serials, electronic resources, and more. This issue's column will focus on an important but often overlooked tool for anyone engaged in the work traditionally housed in technical services (TS)—advocacy for the work of technical services. This would include both advocacy regarding how technical services work supports the library's mission and the work in other divisions. How to make that work accessible for the novice to facilitate collaboration with other library departments is also discussed. As a serials catalog librarian at Michigan State University Libraries, I have worked to make advocacy a part of what I do and how I think about my work and the work of my colleagues. Locally, this has meant the development of a series of talks around TS expertise and projects to reach out to our colleagues about our work.     

Author disincentives and open access

Abstract

All parties in the scholarly-information marketplace agree that any Open Access (OA) system will have to account for the costs of disseminating scholarly information and of editing, publishing and distributing it. There has been less discussion of the fact that for an OA forum to succeed, it will have to be accepted and supported by authors. Author charges, a relative lack of prestige, and the required abdication of copyright are three characteristics of many currently emerging OA models that may pose significant barriers to author acceptance. These will have to be addressed if OA providers wish to be competitive with non-OA providers.     

Scholarly Communications Training: Professional Development for the Next Generation of Scholars

Abstract

Many campuses are seeing increased needs for support in scholarly communications areas such as open access, research identity management, scholarship metrics, and related topics. This article discusses a professional development program that addresses scholarly communications needs for online and in-person graduate students and faculty at UNC Greensboro (UNCG), through a collaborative, interdepartmental effort that brings together librarians from the departments of Research, Outreach, and Instruction (ROI) and Technical Services. The authors provide a brief overview of the literature related to scholarly communications needs and training in academic libraries and discuss the UNCG program’s inception, modules, format, assessment, and future directions.     

Open Access Mandates and Policies: The Basics

Abstract

Universities can afford to subscribe to only a small percentage of available scholarly journals. Consequently, researchers do not have access to all articles in journals pertinent to their fields of study. The Open Access (OA) movement began in response to wanting to find a solution to this “serials crisis” and the availability of the Internet to disseminate scholarly research in new and innovative ways to a larger, worldwide audience. OA mandates are policies adopted by research institutions, universities, or funders that require researchers to provide free, unrestricted access to their published research by publishing in OA journals, depositing their articles in an OA repository or both. This edition of “In Lay Terms” provides basic information about OA mandates and policies, gives an overview of university and funder OA mandates, discusses geographic differences in policies and compliance rates, and reviews United States federal funding agencies’ OA policies and Plan S.     

The eIFL.net Initiative: Access and Management of Electronic Resources by Library Consortia in Developing and Transition Countries

Abstract

eIFL.net is an umbrella organization of library consortia in fifty transition and developing countries. Its main purpose is to negotiate, encourage, and advocate for the wide availability of scholarly electronic information by library users from the education and research sectors, professional communities, governmental organizations, and civil society.

The paper presents the beginnings, goals, and development of eIFL.net in its five years of existence. The authors outline what it has achieved so far and provide an overview of the main challenges that developing countries face in accessing quality e-resources. Some success stories will demonstrate concrete accomplishments of the organization and its participating countries.     

Digital Age Discoverability: A Collaborative Organizational Approach

Abstract

The tumultuous changes in the scholarly communications ecosystem have disrupted traditional library assumptions and established new workflows and user expectations. In response, the Auraria Library at the University of Colorado Denver initiated a collaborative design (co-design) initiative to re-invent structures, processes, services, and roles throughout the entire organization. Fostered by appreciative inquiry, enabled by social learning, and furthered by shared leadership, redesign initiated sustainable information exchange, reflective dialog, and knowledge creation practices.

The case study highlights accomplishments of technical services staff members who successfully engaged co-workers in selection, implementation, and enhancement of a Web-scale discovery service. Continuing support of the full discovery layer lifecycle illustrates evolving information practices and workplace outcomes at the Auraria Library. Concluding reflections offer transferable insights to other organizations aspiring to co-design workplace environments that enliven creativity, discovery, and exploration.     

Barnwood

Abstract

Institutional repositories (IRs) have been developed and promoted primarily as a means to re-publish scholarly content previously published elsewhere—usually in journals, festschriften, or collections of articles. This essay discusses the use of IRs as the originating publisher of materials not previously published elsewhere and assesses their potential use as a viable “first resort” for scholarly publication and an already existing alternative to traditional commercial or university presses.     

Document Delivery as a Supplement or Replacement for Serial Subscriptions

Abstract

Increasing serials costs and shrinking budgets present challenges for academic libraries to continue providing sufficient access to scholarly articles. Rapid document delivery services can serve as an effective means to fill the gap caused by serials cancellations. This column examines several of the existing document delivery service providers and addresses issues involved in their implementation.