Preserving What We Publish: Findings from the Library Publishing Coalition Preservation Task Force

Abstract

Library publishing programs have the potential to be a critical component of the community-controlled infrastructure pushing the scholarly publishing landscape toward more open and equitable practices. However, multiple studies have demonstrated that long-term preservation is particularly problematic for open access publications,1 and the products of library publishing programs are unfortunately not immune. While preservation is a significant challenge for small publishing programs generally, in many ways library publishers are in a better position to meet it than their non-library-affiliated peers. Libraries have long been centers for preservation and have invested in individuals, tools, and partnerships that are at the forefront of the preservation effort. Yet the expertise available in libraries often seems disconnected from the library publishing practitioners who could benefit from it.