Library publishing for an inclusive education

Abstract

Higher education, in the main, should be structured such that it addresses the issue of diversity and rejects all forms of hegemony, stereotypes and biases: both as a public and a common good it must provide equal opportunity for as many as possible in the interest of a more rights-based, egalitarian, and cohesive society. However, the cost of scholarly literature has spiralled out of control, making higher education unaffordable. In a post-colonial era, it is imperative that higher education be relevant and decolonised. Unfortunately, the quest for maximizing profits by large publishing houses have not supported the goal of an affordable and decolonised education. Academic libraries are attempting to bridge this divide by providing an open access and social justice driven 'library as a publisher' service. This service upholds the principles of inclusivity and diversity. Library publishing provides opportunity for an inclusive, affordable and decolonised higher education.

An authentic flip subscription model for Africa: library as publisher service

“…In an attempt to “eradicate” this ignorance and promote development, there has been a push from the global north to focus on improving the flow of information to the global south. What needs to be addressed in this one-directional flow of information is a facilitation process for the knowledge exchange of scholarship—for the flow of information in both directions (Raju, 2019).…”

“…The inequalities in publishing for and by marginalized voices are compounded by economic circumstances, that is, the inability of global south authors to pay exorbitant article processing charges (APCs) in an environment where there is a push via the openness movement for the free sharing of research output. Hence, any model, driven purely by financial imperatives exacerbate the current exclusionary publishing practises and entrenches the one-directional flow of global north knowledge (Raju, 2019).…”

“…In terms of researcher consumption, the uneven research landscape brings to the debate the whole issue of equitable access and discoverability. In terms of equitable access, what must be brought to the fore is equitable participation for the creation and sharing of new knowledge (Raju, 2019).…”

“…If the article is published in a closed journal, it will not be accessible to those for whom it is intended. If the author chooses to publish in an OA or a hybrid journal, the cost of APCs is prohibitive, negating the possibility of publication (Inefuku and Roh, 2016; Collyer, 2018; Poynder, 2019; Raju, 2019).…”