5 SPEC Kit 357: Libraries, Presses, and Publishing
importance and value as well as being financially viable, whereas the library publishes works that are of
scholarly import but that may not be financially viable.
Figure 3: Top Five Reasons for Library and Press Collaboration
Publishing Activities
The survey presented seven categories of publishing activities—project development, editorial,
design, image and permissions clearance, material production, printing and binding management, and
distribution and marketing—and asked whether the library, the institutional press, or the library press
provides any of them.
Project Development
This category includes project planning and management, peer review, developmental editing, editorial/
advisory board activities, and grant preparation. Thirty-eight of the 52 respondents to this question
have an institutional press. Nine of these have both an institutional and a library press. Overall, these
presses are highly engaged in all project development activities, particularly peer review, though only
half of the institutional presses and one library press do grant preparation. The majority of libraries at
these institutions also provide project planning services and a significant number do grants and serve on
editorial boards. Six respondents have no press, but most of those libraries manage projects and serve on
advisory boards.
Editorial
Editorial activities include ISBN/ISSN assignment, indexing, typesetting, copyediting, proofreading, and
copyright registration. As with project development, both institutional and library presses, unsurprisingly,
are highly engaged in all these activities. Only about half of the libraries are active in editorial work. They
are most likely to assist with ISBN/ISSN assignment and indexing.
Design, Permissions, Material Production, Printing Management
All but seven of the institutional presses and about half of the library presses provide design services,
such as cover art and layout. In all but one case, the same institutional presses that do design work also
do printing and binding management. Only four of the library presses and seven libraries are engaged in
these activities, and most of them overlap with the institutional press. Only 12 libraries report that they
do design work, and ten of them overlap with a press that does this, too. About half of the institutional
presses and a third of the libraries provide support for image and permissions clearance activities, but
importance and value as well as being financially viable, whereas the library publishes works that are of
scholarly import but that may not be financially viable.
Figure 3: Top Five Reasons for Library and Press Collaboration
Publishing Activities
The survey presented seven categories of publishing activities—project development, editorial,
design, image and permissions clearance, material production, printing and binding management, and
distribution and marketing—and asked whether the library, the institutional press, or the library press
provides any of them.
Project Development
This category includes project planning and management, peer review, developmental editing, editorial/
advisory board activities, and grant preparation. Thirty-eight of the 52 respondents to this question
have an institutional press. Nine of these have both an institutional and a library press. Overall, these
presses are highly engaged in all project development activities, particularly peer review, though only
half of the institutional presses and one library press do grant preparation. The majority of libraries at
these institutions also provide project planning services and a significant number do grants and serve on
editorial boards. Six respondents have no press, but most of those libraries manage projects and serve on
advisory boards.
Editorial
Editorial activities include ISBN/ISSN assignment, indexing, typesetting, copyediting, proofreading, and
copyright registration. As with project development, both institutional and library presses, unsurprisingly,
are highly engaged in all these activities. Only about half of the libraries are active in editorial work. They
are most likely to assist with ISBN/ISSN assignment and indexing.
Design, Permissions, Material Production, Printing Management
All but seven of the institutional presses and about half of the library presses provide design services,
such as cover art and layout. In all but one case, the same institutional presses that do design work also
do printing and binding management. Only four of the library presses and seven libraries are engaged in
these activities, and most of them overlap with the institutional press. Only 12 libraries report that they
do design work, and ten of them overlap with a press that does this, too. About half of the institutional
presses and a third of the libraries provide support for image and permissions clearance activities, but
