(22 Apr 2021) Closely aligned to IFLA Key Initiative 2.4 “Provide tools and infrastructure that support the work of libraries”, IFLA’s Library Publishing Special Interest Group (IFLA LibPub SIG) is focused on an identified trend which has emerged over the past decade: libraries taking on a visible role along the publishing continuum. This concerns not only scholarly materials by academic libraries (articles, reports, books, data), but also community content (stories, local histories, self-publishing support).
The IFLA LibPub SIG, sponsored by the IFLA Standing Committee on Acquisition and Collection Development, formally came into being in 2018. In the 2-year period 2019-2021, IFLA LibPub has already launched a number of ambitious programmes and activities, aimed at creating a lively and comprehensive community of IFLA participants engaged in the library publishing landscape.
IFLA LibPub presents the Global Library Publishing Map:
The first main action involved documenting library publishing activities among IFLA’s global membership.
In taking on this task, LibPub was inspired by the leadership of the US-based Library Publishing Coalition (LPC), which had begun documenting the library publishing activities of its core, heavily US-based, members and since 2014 has developed a robust process and structure for producing its annual Directory (print and electronic). The Global Publishing Map has been made possible by the LPC’s close collaboration with the IFLA LibPub SIG.
Ann Okerson, IFLA LibPub member and Senior Advisor on Electronic Strategies for the Center for Research Libraries, talked to us about the launch of the Global Library Publishing map:
We are excited to launch the Global Library Publishing Map. This simple search tool is the first-of-its-kind online database to accommodate the submitted and edited entries, drawn from the annual Directory of LPC. Users can search by name and filter per type of library, and also access an ongoing list of useful resources. This database with a strong visual component is a work in progress. It will continue to grow and evolve as digital work in perpetuity!
If anyone is interested in being indexed in the Directory of the Global Library Publishing Map, please contact IFLA LibPub.
IFLA LibPub partners with the Library Publishing Coalition on the 2021 Library Publishing Directory:
The US-based Library Publishing Coalition (LPC) illustrates the many ways in which libraries are actively transforming and advancing scholarly communications in partnership with scholars, students, university presses, and others.
The 2021 Library Publishing Directory reflects a pilot partnership with IFLA LibPub and includes international entries, translated by its members. LPC generously offered to collaborate with the SIG in the groups’ common goal of identifying libraries involved in publishing around the world. LPC has also joined IFLA as an institutional member.
Collaboration between the two groups began in January 2020, with IFLA LibPub members, Ann Okerson and Grace Liu participating in the Library Publishing Subcommittee and in LPC’s monthly planning meetings for the 8th edition of the LPC Directory.
IFLA LibPub’s monthly meetings with the LPC team produced valuable and practical outcomes. For example, the collaboration resulted in the addition of a streamlined template version to the LPC’s long-form directory template, to make it more manageable for global libraries to complete. Also, discussions were held on how to accommodate library submissions in a language other than English, since IFLA has seven official languages.
The LPC and IFLA teams have agreed to collaborate for the 9th edition. During the coming year, in addition to continuing with the Directory project, LibPub also aims to progress with another LPC collaboration: to develop a basic curriculum for the aspiring international library publishers.
More about the IFLA LibPub SIG: ifla.org/library-publishing
The original announcement is here.
