University of Michigan Press Ebook Collection Debuts at the Charleston Conference

By: Kathryn Beaton | Date: November 1, 2018
University of Michigan Press Ebook Collection Debuts at the Charleston Conference

From our Director of Sales and Marketing, Lanell White:

 

Next week the Charleston Library Conference will welcome librarians, publishers, and vendor partners to Charleston, S. C. to discuss the key issues, topics, and innovations in scholarly communications. This year the theme of “Oh wind – if winter comes, can spring be far behind?” embodies a sense of anticipation around transitions not only between seasons, but also the sea change happening around ebook distribution models, namely that the academy is taking the lead in selling its content.

This year Michigan Publishing is excited to be a part of this transformation. The University of Michigan Press is launching its first scholarly ebook collection for sale directly to libraries via LYRASIS and it will debut at the Charleston Library Conference.

“The Charleston Conference is an ideal venue to dialog with librarians about innovative products and services," says Director of Sales and Marketing Lanell White. “We’re hopeful that libraries will be become early-adopters of the UMP EBC and invest in community-accountable infrastructure.”

The University of Michigan Press Ebook Collection (UMP EBC) offers three key advantages for libraries: it’s comprehensive, it’s library-friendly by adhering to the Charlotte Initiative Principles , and it provides an enriched user experience on Fulcrum , Michigan Publishing’s community-based, open source publishing platform for enriched ebooks and interactive scholarly works. Librarians are encouraged to learn more by visiting the UMP EBC landing page , which includes an overview sheet, title list, and University of Michigan Library-created MARC record downloads.

“When libraries invest in the UMP EBC, they are not only getting great value-for-money on high quality content,” notes Charles Watkinson, Associate University Librarian for Publishing at University of Michigan. “They are simultaneously investing in the development of Fulcrum -- open source, values-based, community-driven infrastructure that is providing a platform for an increasing number of other mission-driven publishers.”

The Michigan Publishing team will also be speaking on a variety of panels at the conference. Emma DiPasquale, Community Manager for Fulcrum, will speak on a panel on Thursday, November 8 to discuss accessibility and how libraries, publishers, and vendors can work together to ensure that all readers can access electronic books and texts. Charles Watkinson will speak on Thursday, November 8 and Friday, November 9 on timely topics such as transparency in peer-review, university press-led ebook collections, and frameworks for open access ebook usage.

The UMP EBC is built on an entirely not-for-profit and mission-driven platform, developed and supported by the scholarly and library communities. Combined with a collection that includes complete coverage of new and forthcoming University of Michigan Press scholarly ebook titles with perpetual access rights, it's a win-win for libraries.

“We are thrilled to host an ebook collection like the UMP EBC on Fulcrum,” says Fulcrum Community Manager Emma DiPasquale. “Our platform’s community-focused approach and commitment to our four values (durability, flexibility, discoverability, and accessibility) complement the goals of the UMP EBC and offers libraries a new way of experiencing scholarship. Fulcrum provides such a rich user experience, and we are excited to demonstrate that to librarians at Charleston.”

Michigan Publishing will be at Booth #139 at the Vendor Showcase, where Lanell White and Emma DiPasquale will be representing UMP EBC and the Fulcrum platform. LYRASIS, our sales partner for the UMP EBC, will be located at Booth #89 with more information on how to purchase the collection.

You can see sample open access titles at fulcrum.org/michigan . For more information about the UMP EBC, please email Lanell White at lejames@umich.edu . For questions about the Fulcrum platform, please email Emma DiPasquale at ejdip@umich.edu