Processes, Opportunities, and Challenges Creating and Managing a Scholarly Open Access Journal

Abstract

A discussion and detailed understanding of the opportunities and challenges creating and managing a scholarly online open access journal lead to practical guidance for librarians who wish to become involved in this mode of scholarly communication. Academic libraries increasingly take the initiative, or are expected to take a leadership role, in advancing scholarly communication and promoting open access. As librarians understand opportunities available to the academy through scholarly open access journals, the library can position itself better to meet these growing expectations in higher education. The introduction profiles the growing emphasis in academic libraries on scholarly communication and open access then discusses the development of Collaborative Librarianship as an example. Matters related to building a team for a scholarly online journal, technical aspects of online journal publishing, and planning and managing content are also addressed. The conclusion identifies opportunities and challenges, and makes general recommendations.