Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln

 

ORCID IDs

Paul Royster

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

12-2014

Citation

Royster, P. (2014). Library Publishing is Special: Selection and Eligibility in Library Publishing. Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication 2(4):eP1183. http://dx.doi.org/10.7710/2162-3309.1183

Comments

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

Traditional publishing is based on ownership, commerce, paid exchanges, and scholarship as a commodity, while library activities are based on a service model of sharing resources and free exchange. I believe library publishing should be based on those values and should not duplicate or emulate traditional publishing. University presses have mixed views of library publishing, and libraries should not adopt those attitudes. Library publishers are not gatekeepers; their mission is dissemination. Libraries need to publish because traditional publishing suffers from high rejection rates, required surrender of intellectual property, long production schedules, high cost of products, and limited dissemination. Nebraska’s Zea Books is a response to these needs. Miscellaneous advice for library publishers is offered and selection and eligibility criteria are outlined. A suggestion is made for a cooperative ebook distribution network.

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