ARL Study Reveals Many Research Libraries Are Also Publishers

ARL has published the results of a study of publishing services by ARL member libraries. Karla Hahn's report, Research Library Publishing Services: New Options for University Publishing (pdf), is based on a survey of ARL member libraries with follow-up interviews. It finds that research libraries are rapidly developing publishing services. By late 2007, 44% of the 80 responding ARL member libraries reported they were delivering publishing services and another 21% were in the process of planning publishing service development. Only 36% of responding institutions were not active in this arena.

Among the 44 percent of respondents that reported publishing activities:

• 88 percent report publishing e-journals.
• 79 percent publish conference papers and proceedings.
• 71 percent publish monographs.

Although the aggregate number of journal titles reported to be published by research represents "a very thin slice of the scholarly publishing pie," Hahn wrote, publishing activities, enabled by "emerging capabilities of digital information and networks," is clearly increasing. Respondents reported working on 265 titles, 131 of which were "established"; 81 were new titles; and 53 were "under development."

Key findings include:

• Service development is being driven by campus demand, largely from authors and editors.
• Substantial investment in open source applications such as Open Journal Systems, Open Conference Systems, D-Pubs, and DSpace is facilitating service development.
• Library publishing services are part of a range of new kinds of services libraries have developed or are developing, such as repository and digitization services.
• The use of various forms of revenue generation is common for publishing services, but core support comes from library resources and in some cases new campus funding.

Academic Law Libraries as ePublishers. Cincinnati's Marx Law Library publishes the Securities Lawyer's Deskbook, a project I inherited in 2001. At the time, I didn't think our little library should be in the publishing business. There was (and still is) no funding or staff support from the College of Law. Twice the project was almost axed because of library budget cuts but we were lucky to negotiate a licensing agreement with a SOX compliance vendor to offset some costs while keeping access to the Deskbook available free of charge.

Initially, I was amazed by the number of large SEC law firms that could bill out Lexis-Westlaw search charges easily but used the Deskbook instead. Now, I take that for granted. The Deskbook is the highest visited destination in the College of Law domain -- no other College of Law subdomain covers close -- and it generates tons of Law Library goodwill from our alumni.

I wonder what other academic law libraries are doing these days. Elmer, time for a new CALI-sponsored survey? [JH]