Academic publishing is undergoing a major transition as some of its leaders are moving from a content-provision to a data analytics business followed by a change in the product mix that they are selling across academic institutions, which is expanding beyond journals and textbooks to include research assessment systems, productivity tools, on line learning management systems – complex infrastructure that is critical to conducting the end-to-end business of the university.
We are at a critical juncture where there is a pressing need for the academic community – individually and collectively – to make thoughtful and deliberate decisions about what and whom to support – and under what terms and conditions. These decisions will determine who ultimately controls the research and education process; and whether we meaningfully address inequities created by legacy players or simply recreate them. These decisions will shape libraries’ role in the scholarly enterprise, now and for the future.