Presentation given at the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals AGM, London, 13 November 2013.

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Brian Hole, Founder and CEO
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals AGM, 13 November 2013
Libraries and the future of publishing

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To return control of publishing to university presses, providing
them with the infrastructure and support to not only match but
to outcompete the legacy publishers.
About Ubiquity Press
Background
Mission
 Spun out of University College London in 2012
 Researcher-led
 40+ years publishing experience
(BioMed Central, PLoS, Elsevier)
 Current staff of 8, office in London
 Comprehensive approach: journals,
books, data

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• have broad subject knowledge
Libraries and publishing
Libraries and librarians
• are redefining their roles within research institutions
• are a trusted source of publishing advice
• have a strong interest in ensuring library funds are efficiently
allocated
• are well aligned with the values of open access and open
scholarship
• are focusing more and more on electronic resources and data

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Academic publishing is going to change
 The UK has mandated open access publishing for
all state funded research, EU and US to follow
 Academic societies want open access, but worry
about losing subscription income
 Legacy publishers are unwilling and unable to lower fees, so still
very expensive (average charge £2000 per article published)
 Universities want their own presses to make
publishing more affordable and for prestige
(although it is expensive and difficult to match
the legacy publishers’ systems)
Opportunity
Challenges

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Addressing the cost barrier

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Addressing the cost barrier

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Solving the problem for universities

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Solving the problem for universities

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For any questions, please contact
brian.hole@ubiquitypress.com
Ubiquity Press website: http://www.ubiquitypress.com
Koh, A. 2012. Open Access Ahoy! An Interview with Ubiquity Press. The Chronicle of
Higher Education. Available: http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/ubiquity/43312
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