SPARC-ACRL Forum on OA journal publishing models

[Jennifer McLennan <jennifer@arl.org>]

SPARC-ACRL FORUM TO EXPLORE PROGRESS OF OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL 
PUBLISHING MODELS

Popular ALA event will introduce leading open access publishing 
innovators and a conversation about successes and challenges to 
date

The topic of the upcoming SPARC-ACRL Forum on emerging issues in 
scholarly communication, to be held during the ALA Annual Meeting 
in Washington, DC, will be "Course check: A conversation with 
three open access publishers about the challenges of 
sustainability."

System-wide innovations that increase access to the results of 
research and scholarship are a key interest for the library 
community. Library support for these innovations, which ranges 
from being deeply engaged to dedicating scarce resources, is 
built upon the principle of open access - on evidence that open 
access accelerates the production, dissemination, and benefits of 
new knowledge, and on an understanding of the paths and business 
models that can deliver it. It is with this last point in mind 
that three of the most important and innovative leaders in 
scholarly publishing have been asked to speak at the next 
SPARC-ACRL Forum. Speakers will include:

Mark Patterson, Director of Publishing, Public Library of Science
Paul Peters, Head of Business Development, Hindawi Publishing 
Corporation
Bryan Vickery, Deputy Publisher, BioMed Central and Editorial 
Director, Chemistry Central
The session will be introduced and moderated by Alma Swan, 
Director, Key Perspectives Ltd.

This forum will form part of an ongoing conversation, a 
discussion about successes and challenges in business models for 
publishers that provide open access, and the partnerships and 
resources that have or will lead to success. Speakers will pay 
particular attention to:

What they have learned about the challenges in creating a 
business model that delivers open access and the major 
adjustments they have had to make. The role of print publishing 
in their open access efforts. The point at which their projects 
may or have become economically self-sustaining and the pertinent 
milestones along the way. The role and support of libraries in 
their future, including memberships, subscriptions to value-added 
services, alternative forms of library "acquisition" of their 
content, and other forms of support. The responses from the 
research community to their new publishing models. Their 
perceptions of the influence of open access journals on dynamics, 
interactions and roles and responsibilities between publishers, 
librarians and researchers.

Please join us for this important conversation. The SPARC-ACRL 
Forum will be held:

Saturday, June 23, 2007
4:00 - 5:30PM
Georgetown Room, Hilton Washington (1919 Connecticut Avenue NW)
Registration is NOT required

(The event will be also available via SPARC Podcast at a later 
date). The forum is followed by the ACRL Scholarly Communication 
Discussion Group, where there will be an open discussion of key 
issues that surface at the Forum. The Discussion Group will be 
held Sunday, June 24, from 4:00 - 5:30PM - also in the Hilton 
Washington, State Room.

For more information, visit the SPARC Web site at 
http://www.arl.org/sparc/forum.

##

SPARC
SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources 
Coalition), with SPARC Europe and SPARC Japan, is an 
international alliance of more than 800 academic and research 
libraries working to create a more open system of scholarly 
communication. SPARC's advocacy, educational, and publisher 
partnership programs encourage expanded dissemination of 
research. SPARC is on the Web at http://www.arl.org/sparc/.

ACRL
ACRL is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), 
representing more than 13,000 academic and research librarians 
and interested individuals. ACRL is the only individual 
membership organization in North America that develops programs, 
products and services to meet the unique needs of academic and 
research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education 
community to understand the role that academic libraries play in 
the teaching, learning and research environments.

-------------------------------------
Jennifer McLennan
Director of Communications
SPARC
jennifer@arl.org
(202) 296-2296 x121
Fax: (202) 872-0884
www.arl.org/sparc