News: Academic Publishing Weekly

Librarians comment on Clarivate’s subscription strategy, a look at standardized AI licensing, and the launch of the Green Book Awards.

Posted on February 28, 2025 in News

Library Futures Releases an Interoperable Ebooks Standards Statement and Librarians Respond to Clarivate’s Subscription Strategy

Advocacy group Library Futures is seeking signatories for its new Interoperable Ebooks Standards Statement. The statement “affirms the reading choices of all individuals and support[s] choice in the academic marketplace through the use of standards and best practices for academic publishing, library infrastructure and library lending.” Next, Kevin O’Donovan, Acquisitions Manager for the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Library, considered motivations for Clarivate’s new subscription strategy. In an opinion piece on the LSE Blog, O’Donovan acknowledged the workload associated with singular ebook purchases and print titles. O’Donovan also suggested that the ability for Clarivate to train AI models on its Ebook Central platform “likely offers them a strong future selling point for their new PQE package.” Next, Birkbeck, University of London librarian Siobhan Haimé also wrote an opinion piece on Clarivate’s strategy. Haimé’s piece centers on the strategy’s impact on “collection development, budgetary planning, and general business continuity.” In addition, Haimé comments on the timing of the announcement and how it could affect the open access movement.

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The Case for a Standardized AI Licensing Framework for Scholarly Publishing

Todd Carpenter, Executive Director of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), is making a case for creating an AI licensing framework for scholarly publishers. As Carpenter underscored, “A community initiative to support the development of model licenses for the use of scholarly content by AI developers could streamline negotiations, reduce costs, and encourage more responsible AI content-usage practices.” In particular, Carpenter suggested that publishers can build on lessons learned from developing licensing for libraries. Carpenter noted that utilizing a model license can confirm that “essential legal terms and conditions are agreed upon in principle at the outset,” ensuring fairer negotiations and increased efficiency. Licensing could further address author attribution, data usage guardrails, and ethical guidelines. [The Scholarly Kitchen]

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The Company of Biologists and UPLOpen Celebrate Milestones and Wiley Enters Agreement Under India’s ONOS Program

The Company of Biologists and the De Gruyter eBound Foundation’s UPLOpen are both celebrating new milestones. First up, the Company of Biologists revealed that its Read & Publish Open Access Initiative covers 1,000 institutions across 53 countries. The news comes amid The Company of Biologists’ 100th anniversary. Next, UPLOpen now includes 10,000 OA titles from over 50 publishers. EdTech Innovation Hub shared that UPLOpen has also improved its search functions, usage data, and inclusion in library cataloging databases. In other news, Wiley is entering a new three-year licensing agreement. The agreement is part of India’s One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) program and provides “access to nearly 2,000 journals, supporting approximately 18 million students, researchers, and faculty across more than 6,300 government higher-education institutes and research centers nationwide.”

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How Are Early-Career Researchers Faring Amid Recent Executive Orders?

According to Science, early-career researchers are bearing the brunt of the recent executive orders impacting research funding and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). One federal scientist even predicted that “There’s going to be a missing age class of researchers that will reverberate for years.” Early-career researchers were especially hit hard by DEI program cancellations, as Science explained that several programs “were meant to support the salaries and career development of trainees from underrepresented groups.” Science also reported that funding cuts could continue to negatively impact career opportunities for current students and postdocs. [Science]

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MSUP Distribution Update, the Green Book Awards, and New Titles to Close out February

Beginning April 14, Liverpool Distribution Services (LDS) will handle title distribution for Michigan State University Press (MSUP). LDS will be an “exclusive distribution partner for the UK and Europe, and non-exclusive partner for the rest of the world outside of the Americas.” Next, the communications agency For.Tomorrow and Sarah Arbuthnot, Chief Commercial and Operations Officer at the eCommerce platform Supadu, announced the Green Book Awards. The awards “recognize the individuals and organizations that are leading the way in ethical publishing, impactful storytelling, and sustainable design” and will be presented on November 18th. Categories include “The Visionary Publisher,” “The Emerging Voice,” and “The Sustainable Production & Logistics,” among others. Lastly, Literary Hub shared 26 new books to close out February. Fritz Breithaupt’s The Narrative Brain: The Stories Our Neurons Tell from Yale University Press graces the list. Two titles from New York University Press are also featured.

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