Introduction: The University Press Redux Conference 2024

Abstract

May 2024 saw the return of an in-person University Press Redux conference—the fifth of its kind (after its launch in Liverpool in 2016) and the first in-person event since 2018. It was wonderful to see so many of our University Press community—200 attendees in total—gathered in Edinburgh for 2 days of exciting, thought-provoking and inspirational sessions and conversations.

The conference theme, Connecting People and Ideas, spoke to what is unique about the University Press community: united by a mission to share trusted knowledge, we have a commitment to collaboration, communication, sharing ideas and learning from one another. The aim was for delegates to come away with a strong sense of practical lessons learnt and connections made, to be taken into their day-to-day working lives. Those ideas and ambitions came through strongly in all the sessions at the conference—which tackled pressing issues including accessibility, digital disruption, equity, diversity and inclusion, metadata, open access, sustainability and more—and are equally present in the articles, which make up this special issue.

Knowing how much we benefit from understanding our key stakeholders, we invited librarians and authors to participate in sessions focused on outlining what they want and need from publishers. And while many of our speakers were from the University Press world, we also heard from colleagues within the wider publishing industry who shared their expertise.

A recording of all the conference sessions, including inspirational opening and closing keynote speeches from Amina Shah, National Library of Scotland, on the role of libraries in connecting people and ideas, and from Jenny Garrett, OBE, on equality versus equity, can be found at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYB4k71cVIeWzoADvxo6Xi0UXakXLYrN5.

This special issue of Learned Publishing shares some of the highlights from this conference. It opens with Christie Henry (Director, Princeton University Press) exploring the creation of community in a hybrid world in her article ‘On Building Community on Scholarly Publishing: Modern ambitions and actions inspired by ancient wisdoms’. She asks how we can ensure that inclusivity triumphs over individualism and artificial (and anti) intelligence, and how we can enable engaged exchange to propel our futures. Bringing together ideas around community ecology, the critical importance of a people-centric approach, the role of books as community builders, and the vital work of leaders in building community, this article challenges and inspires in equal parts.

In ‘Open minds on open access’ Emily Poznanski (CEO, Sciendo) explores the benefits and drawbacks of emerging OA models with Ben Ashcroft (Chief Commercial Officer, De Gruyter Brill), Ben Denne (Director of Publishing, Academic Books, Cambridge University Press), Richard Gallagher (President and Editor-in-Chief, Annual Reviews) and Dhara Snowden (Textbook Programme Manager, UCL Press). They ask who is innovating in publishing today? Who are the main actors, what are the new models, and what are the incentives behind their creation? If we accept that there are inherent weaknesses in models such as APCs and Read & Publish deals, what can publishers do to challenge this, and to ensure a sustainable, equitable future for OA?

The focus of the conference turned to sustainability in an environmental context in a powerful session chaired by OIiver Gadsby (Chair of Zero Carbon Academy and President of the Independent Publishers Guild). This is summarized in the article ‘Three Sustainability Case Studies in the Scholarly Publishing Ecosystem’. Drawing on the expertise of Zoe Cokeliss Barsley (Sustainability Manager, Taylor & Francis Group), Scott Davidson (Head of Sustainability, University of Edinburgh) and Catherine Hodgson (Director of Sustainability, Oxford University Press), the article considers how an academic publisher can establish a pathway that is sustainable in the long term, and which meets its customers' expectations and regulatory demands. It presents case studies of three organizations' journey of change—including discussion of climate-friendly print and digital supply chains, and business models that allow the organization and the planet to thrive—and what remains to be done.

Simon Holt (Senior Product Manager, Content Accessibility, Elsevier) presents findings from a 2024 survey on disability inclusion within university presses in ‘Disability Inclusion in the Workplace: a conversation on equity for disabled employees within the university publishing sphere’. The results of the survey showed a gap in communication and awareness of disability policies and procedures between university press leadership and employees. In response, this article presents guidance and resources for both employers and employees to help facilitate the scholarly publishing workplace as an inclusive space. It also offers practical takeaways for university presses on issues such as hybrid working, positive conversations around disability at work, psychological safety, inclusive language, ableism and microaggressions, workplace adjustments and support in the recruitment process.

This special issue concludes with a bold provocation from Mandy Hill (Managing Director, Cambridge University Press), ‘From being disrupted to being a disruptor: how university presses are helping to drive positive change’. She argues that we should see digital disruption as an opportunity—and indeed, that publishing has always embraced technological innovations. Using Cambridge as a case study, she outlines the ways in which they have furthered their mission as a university press by actively engaging with and supporting open access. There is an acknowledgement that this engagement has not been plain sailing, but that radical change—more digital disruption—is almost certainly the answer.

We hope these articles will inspire and provoke, and will encourage an even greater attendance at the next Redux conference. Such is the growth of our University Press community, the conference is becoming an annual occasion from next year, and we are eagerly anticipating what will no doubt be a stimulating event hosted by Oxford University Press.

The authors have no conflict of interest relevant to this article.