Authors : Ioana Liuta, Jennifer Zerkee
Introduction: Open course publications provide students with real-world experience of the scholarly publishing process, engaging students as information creators rather than consumers. Open course publications, an example of open pedagogy in action, can be journals or monographs created as an assignment in a credit bearing course. Supporting open assignments is one of the most impactful activities undertaken by Digital Publishing units in academic libraries, educating the next generation of scholars about the value of open access. This article describes Simon Fraser University Library’s approach to supporting in-class publication projects, focusing on in-class open monographs.
Description of the service: The Digital Publishing Librarian and Copyright Specialist collaborate with an instructor to plan support for their course publication. This includes working with the instructor to plan the project; providing an in-class workshop on key scholarly publishing topics, including an introduction to open access and Creative Commons licences; ongoing support as needed through the semester; and production and publication of the finalized monograph.
Next steps: The Library is currently addressing long-term sustainability needs for these publications. The authors are considering further opportunities for outreach to instructors beyond the humanities and social sciences, as well as potential connections to undergraduate research activities, while recognizing the capacity required to provide and expand this service.
URL : Library Publishing in Practice: A Case Study in Open Course Publications