News from the Field

David Free

SDSU acquires pulp collection

The San Diego State University (SDSU) Library has acquired a collection of original cover art from Mexican pulp science fiction and horror “mini-comics” to add to the collections of science fiction, pulp magazines, and comics and graphic art held in its Department of Special Collections and University Archives.

This collection of 89 gouache paintings, the majority accompanied by their corresponding publications, range from approximately 1969 to 1980, and includes work by Rodolfo Federico Antonio Fraga, Luis Perez, R. A. Dorantes, Antonio Luna, and Jorge A. Baduy.

The artistic styles represented in the collection are influenced by 20th-century American pulp magazines but with the bold imagery evocative of the “colonial Gothic” unique to Mexican pulp fiction. The collection complements the library’s existing strengths in speculative fiction and comic arts collections and will promote creative cross-border research in support of the university’s strategic goals as a research-intensive, Hispanic-Serving Institution.

The collection was acquired with the support of the library’s friends and donors and with the collaboration and support of Dean Monica J. Casper of the SDSU College of Arts & Letters, and William Nericcio, director of the M.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences program. For more information on this collection, visit https://bit.ly/3gq0JI7.

Michigan State University libraries, press merge

In a move that reflects both a national trend and a campus commitment to partnership, Michigan State University (MSU) Press merged with MSU Libraries in May 2021.

“We’re thrilled about this partnership, and we think it’s a natural way to support scholarly publication and strengthen our mutual commitment to learning,” MSU Dean of Libraries Joseph A. Salem Jr. said. “Like other academic libraries, MSU Libraries has taken an active role in scholarly publishing. And, like other academic libraries, we’ve always had an important relationship with our university press.”

Established in 1947 as the scholarly publishing arm of MSU, the press today has nearly 1,000 titles in print. Its mission has been to act as a catalyst for positive intellectual, social, and technological change through the publication of research and intellectual inquiry, making significant contributions to scholarship in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences. The press’s journals division publishes 15 award-winning academic journals, all available digitally, that span a wide variety of academic disciplines.

ACRL Academic Library Services for Graduate Students Interest Group Notable Works List

The ACRL Academic Library Services for Graduate Students Interest Group’s (ALSGS) Notable Works for Library Support of Graduate Students Working Group thanks everyone for their nominations to its inaugural annual Notable Works List.

ALSGS’s goal for the list is to recognize and showcase excellent professional contributions that inform the work of library colleagues who support graduate students. Submissions included projects and publications by library workers or by researchers in related fields who shed light on important elements of serving graduate students. With so many wonderful submissions, the group was able to identify both “Notable Works” and items that are “Also Noteworthy.” The lists are available on the interest group’s LibGuide at https://acrl.libguides.com/als4gsig/notable.

ProQuest to join Clarivate

Clarivate plc, a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, has announced a definitive agreement to acquire ProQuest from Cambridge Information Group, a family-owned investment firm, and other partners, including Atairos, for $5.3 billion, including refinancing of ProQuest debt. The consideration for the acquisition is approximately $4 billion in cash and $1.3 billion of equity. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, is expected to close during the third quarter of 2021. Read the full news release at https://about.proquest.com/go/proquestandclarivate.

Project MUSE receives Mellon Foundation grant to study “Subscribe to Open” model for journals

Project MUSE has received a $75,000 planning grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Public Knowledge Program to study the innovative business model for open access journal publishing known as “Subscribe to Open.” The grant, called “MUSE Open: S2O” and led by Project MUSE director Wendy Queen, will focus on developing a financially sustainable approach to open journal publishing in the humanities and social sciences that offers an alternative to “author-pays” models, thereby expanding both author and reader access and equity.

The S2O model aims to convert traditional gated subscriptions into annual payments that support making journals open access. S2O works by offering compelling incentives that allow participation based on the economic self-interest of subscribers. In that way, the journal remains financially sustainable, and engagement with, and use of, scholars’ work dramatically increases. Eliminating barriers around access is a major step forward and a foundational imperative to achieving an equitable, just, and inclusive world.

UNC-Chapel Hill University Libraries launches Reckoning Initiative

The University Libraries at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has launched a multifaceted program to advance racial equity, inclusion, and antiracism. Driving the program is the University Libraries’ “Reckoning Initiative Framework,” which will guide efforts in five broad areas: education and training opportunities for library staff, programmatic work, system analysis and change, integration of inclusion and antiracism into library work, and tracking and assessment.

To accelerate these efforts, the University Libraries recently announced an internal “IDEA Action” grant program, supporting employees in their efforts to implement inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility in library collections, services, and operations. Learn more at https://library.unc.edu/reckoning.