NGLP awarded IMLS funding to move “from pilot to production”
The Educopia Institute, in partnership with Open Weave Consulting, Inc., Cast Iron Coding, California Digital Library, Stratos, and Janeway, has been awarded $249,999 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to expand digital infrastructure options for library publishing programs that are open source, community-led, and grounded in academic values.
The project, to be implemented with the University of Iowa Libraries, will advance existing Next Generation Library Publishing (NGLP) infrastructure and service models by delivering a production-ready version of its modular, open-source display layer, Meru, that rivals proprietary publishing solutions; migrating a pilot library publisher into the NGLP ecosystem; and producing a suite of replicable tools, resources, and workflows that will enable other library publishers to follow suit. The University of Iowa Libraries will collaborate with the NGLP team to build out a production-ready instance of Meru that showcases its full publication portfolio.
The University of Iowa Libraries is a member of the Library Initiatives of the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA), which is exploring the potential of consortial approaches to campus-based publishing that can help achieve economies of scale, increase visibility and impact of their members’ publications, and advance infrastructure for Diamond Open Access publishing.
Jack B. King University Librarian John Culshaw says, “The University of Iowa Libraries is proud to be taking a leading role on a project that will explore the potential benefits of an innovative publishing solution, not only for our campus, but for the BTAA's collective publishing efforts.”
Katherine Kim, Sarah Lippincott, Catherine Mitchell, and Kristen Ratan are the Co-Principal Investigators of this project, with Lippincott serving as Project Director.
Lippincott says, "This critical next phase for NGLP and the Meru software will help us make powerful, modular publishing technology accessible to library publishers and competitive with commercial alternatives. Funding from IMLS will help us transition from a promising proof of concept to a ready-to-implement solution."
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services LG-254921-OLS-23.
About Next Generation Library Publishing (NGLP)
NGLP launched in the fall of 2019 as a collaboration of Educopia, the California Digital Library (CDL), and Strategies for Open Science (Stratos) with funding from Arcadia, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin. The project takes a holistic approach to creating transformative change in scholarly communication: using academic values and principles as the basis for software development, governance and business modeling, and pilot implementation of library publishing solutions.
About IMLS
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About the University of Iowa Libraries
The University of Iowa Libraries are committed to supporting student success, high-impact research, and creative work as well as engaging with people and communities in Iowa and beyond. The UI Libraries comprise the state's largest library system, which includes the Main Library along with six other campus library locations. More than 250,000 rare books and miles of manuscript materials are stewarded among its extensive distinctive collections. To learn more, visit www.lib.uiowa.edu.
