The Chronicle has an article this week on the University of Michigan Press becoming a part of the Library. Scholarly publishing continues to change quickly in this economy.
“It removes the bottom line on a book-by-book basis,” he said. “Basically we will be judged for staying within a budget,” just as academic departments are. “In a sense, it will allow us to do more things that are consistent with university objectives, as opposed to commercial objectives.”
It’s an interesting fiscal move, and I wonder how it will bode for UMP in the long run. I also wonder whether most Library’s commitment to open access will mean yet another shift down the road for this and other university presses. I am encouraged by the Durham Statement, which our own Law Library hopes to pursue. If enough presses move under the Library, and if Law schools are able to convert to open publication systems, we will have gone a long way towards opening up the academy.
Postscript: It’s interesting to come across an article just a couple of hours after my original post, but the University of Michigan Library is hosting events on open access. While there’s no connection between these events and UMP folding into the organization of the Library, I wonder if the two subjects will be discussed someday.
