Managing relationships between libraries and publishers for greater impact

Ann Rossiter

doi:10.1629/uksg.312

Abstract

This article presents the central arguments made in a speech to the 39th UKSG Conference in April 2016, exploring how academic libraries and publishers can work together more effectively to deliver on our shared core mission – to foster access to the world’s knowledge across disciplinary, institutional and national boundaries for researchers, students and academics alike. It examines how some straightforward changes to publisher practices might enable simpler workflows within libraries, thereby generating significant efficiency gains. It also presents evidence for the impact of long-term trends in library spending, budgets and staffing to demonstrate why it is that university libraries, and their institutions, cannot afford to continue to pay above-inflation increases for ’big deal’ subscriptions, nor to pay twice for the same content in the form of hybrid journals. It argues that the publishers that embrace open access (OA), explore new business models and work with the higher education community to explore the transformative power of OA will reap long-term rewards.

Highlights

University libraries and academic publishers share a common mission: to foster access to the world’s knowledge across disciplinary, institutional and national boundaries for researchers, students and academics alike
‘our shared core mission should provide (OA), and argues that publishers that explore radically new business models will be in a position to flourish in the future
‘...hybrid open access (OA) articles are significantly more journals, author sensitivity to the expensive than their full OA counterparts and levels of article processing charges (APCs) has been working effectively in creating pressure to moderate the price of APCs.’[8] the price level is an important factor in inhibiting uptake of the hybrid option.’[9]

Summary

Introduction

University libraries and academic publishers share a common mission: to foster access to the world’s knowledge across disciplinary, institutional and national boundaries for researchers, students and academics alike. This article identifies three areas in which more effective collaboration could deliver substantive results It looks at how straightforward changes in publisher practice might yield significant rewards for their customers in the shape of improved workflows. It considers longterm trends in academic libraries in relation to their core mission and the ANN ROSSITER. Executive Director SCONUL cost of content, and looks at the requirement that this places on publishers to reconsider their own business models It looks at the scope for transformational change in academic publishing as a result of open access ‘our shared core mission should provide (OA), and argues that publishers that explore radically new business models will be in a position to flourish in the future

Delivering efficiencies through changes in publisher practice

Library trends and the big budget squeeze

New open access market

Findings

109 Conclusion