No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Increasing library involvement in journal hosting and publishing is an important topic for serialists and therefore this installment of "The Balance Point" column presents articles that offer descriptions and analysis of the current state of ideas and activities related to libraries as publishers. Featured authors discuss the publishing and journal hosting tasks libraries can perform, programs and activities related to journal hosting, titles hosted, challenges, next steps and the benefits or drawbacks foreseen in the current paths of the libraries they represent. IntroductionThe focus of this installment of "The Balance Point" is libraries as publishers. The column editor invited contributions from library staff whose libraries are involved, or becoming involved, in journal publishing and hosting. The contributors were invited to offer viewpoints and discuss their institutions' undertakings, ideas, activities and the reasoning behind choices made related to journal hosting and publishing. They were asked to examine progress to-date, next steps, and the benefits or drawbacks they envisioned for their institutions' current path. All of the contributors agree that libraries should be involved in journal hosting and publishing, but each of the libraries they represent is at a different stage in program development. Publishing programs and capabilities vary greatly amongst the libraries.Anali Maughan Perry (collections and scholarly communication librarian, Arizona State University Libraries) indicates that the library system at Arizona State is just putting the finishing touches on its institutional repository and beginning discussions of journal hosting and publishing services. Perry points out that publishing tasks can be broken down into smaller activities and that even if libraries and librarians may not be ready to offer an entire suite of publishing services, they can perform a multitude of services to aid in campus publishing activities.Carol Ann Borchert (coordinator for serials, University of South Florida Libraries) describes why and how the University of South Florida Libraries have become heavily involved in the publishing operations of several open access publications on campus. Borchert outlines some of the activities of the Libraries to support faculty research and to ensure that their work is available to the scholarly community. The author discusses challenges and next steps which include the creation and linking of a data portal.Timothy Deliyannides (director, Office of Scholarly Communication and Publishing and head, Information Technology, University Library System, University of Pittsburgh) discusses the rapid growth of e-journal publishing at the University of Pittsburgh Libraries. He outlines the program's evolution in light of the institution's commitment to open access and innovation in 1 scholarly communication, and its' desire to build collaborative partnerships to improve the production of and access to scholarly research. Deliyannides suggests that e-publishing activities are no...