You probably know that libraries are the right place to find content – the books, journals, and e-resources that students and researchers need to do their work. But did you know that many academic libraries are also doing the work to publish scholarly content in a way that’s free and accessible to all?

This week, library publishers from across the United States are gathering in Minneapolis for the 2018 Library Publishing Forum. The conference is sponsored by the Library Publishing Coalition and hosted this year by the University of Minnesota Libraries, a member of the coalition.

Monday’s day-long pre-conference session took place in Wilson Library. Attendees learned about new options in open source publishing software that could help streamline and improve the publishing work being done at their libraries.

“The library publishing community is grappling with some fundamental questions about how we do our work, and which technologies and platforms we should use to facilitate that work,” said Catherine Mitchell, Director of Publishing Services at the California Digital Library and current board president of the Library Publishing Coalition. “[The pre-conference] is a great opportunity for people to see a range of potential solutions.”

Photos by Karen Carmody-McIntosh

Small and large libraries represented at conference

Library publishers large and small are represented at this year’s event. Their needs vary, and because of those differences, a range of conversations are taking place about how best to serve the community.

“I’m interested in knowing what others are doing and thinking about future options,” said Kevin Hawkins, Assistant Dean for Scholarly Communication at the University of North Texas Libraries. “There’s a lot of innovative work and a lot of interest in finding ways for the community to coordinate our efforts. This event provides the space for those conversations to happen in a structured, productive way.”

The Library Publishing Forum conference continues through Wednesday, May 23. Portions of the conference will be available via livestream on the Library Publishing Coalition’s Twitter account. You can also follow the hashtag #LPForum18 on Twitter for conference news.

To find out more about Publishing Services at the University of Minnesota Libraries, visit the web page or read about their work.

—Karen Carmody-McIntosh