The Authority File

COVID-19 forever altered the academic library. Classes moved online. Quick fixes like mailing services or web chat emerged. Librarians poured their budgets into digital resources—ebooks, audio content, streaming video—and even began to invest in textbooks to alleviate student costs. Now, libraries face a strange intermediacy; we aren’t past the pandemic, but students have returned to campus, mask policies have lifted, and in-person services have resumed. In response, librarians must meet the task of choosing which “pandemic policies” to discard and which to keep. How will library spaces, access, and resources be redefined moving forward?

In this four-part series, our guests look ahead to future institutional and acquisition policies. We bring together divergent perspectives—academic librarians, a university press worker, and a vendor—to reflect on the current and forthcoming environment. First, we have Tracy Holtman, Associate Director of Access & Collection Services at Tarleton State University, and Susanna Smith, Acquisitions Librarian at Georgia Highlands College, who each provide the context around their libraries’ innovative and mobile decision-making. For the university press perspective, Paige Clunie, Digital Partnerships Manager at Princeton University Press, offers insight into how the rise in digital impacts publishing practices. Last, Steven Rosato, General Manager at OverDrive Academic, shares his observations on academic market trends in recent years.

In this first episode, each guest describes how their respective institutions adjusted to the pandemic. For Tracy, she reflects on the surprising (but not unwelcome!) rise in enrollment at Tarleton, stressing the library not as a physical space, but as a service. Susanna describes the challenges her library faced in serving multiple campuses, and their AIM initiative—asynchronous, interactive learning modules that faculty can direct students to for questions on citation practices and information literacy skills. Next, Paige walks through current initiatives at the Press to better serve librarians, including updated metadata, multiuser ebook pricing, and textbook availability. Last, Steven surfaces the flexibility publishers offered to libraries in response to the pandemic, spotlighting in particular the benefits of perpetual access.

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Human activity has undoubtedly impacted our planet’s systems. With deforestation, air pollution, and plastic waste, can we still call the natural sciences “natural”? Or have humans changed the planet so much that the “natural” and “human” worlds are now indistinguishable? Could seeing ourselves as part of the earth’s systems help bring more urgency to the climate crisis?

In the final episode of this four-part series, Bob Brinkmann, author of Practical Sustainability: A Guide to a More Sustainable Life, discusses the dynamic field of earth sciences. As humans continue to impact the “natural” world, the earth science disciplines must come together to study major issues like climate change and sustainability—not get bogged down by the silos or traditions of higher education. In addition, Bob digs into how librarians can assist in sustainability research through the available data in special collections and frequent communication with scholars. Last, he emphasizes the importance of measurable outcomes in the sustainability movement, along with becoming an advocate and evangelist for this kind of lifelong work.

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From metal straws to veganism, our choices impact the environment. But when large corporations make environmentally-damning decisions, or members of Congress prioritize lobbyist interests over their own constituents, it can feel like our choices don’t matter. How can we take back control in our own lives by building greener habits? Further, how does environmental racism and classism act as barriers toward making the world a more environmentally sustainable place?

In this third episode, Bob Brinkmann, author of Practical Sustainability: A Guide to a More Sustainable Life, speaks to individual environmental responsibility in the face of corporate lobbying power, greenwashing, and generational apathy. Bob chats about the process and effectiveness of his Thirty-Day Sustainability Challenge, and the importance of representing sustainability as a “no judgement zone.” Last, Bob surfaces the national and global issues of environmental racism, and how communities can enact greater change through municipal appointments and local economic investments.

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Translating highly technical, precise, or conceptual research for the layperson is not an easy endeavor. When tackling the topic of environmental sustainability—and its many political, social, and existential undertones—the task nears impossible. However, Robert Brinkmann, Professor of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment at Northern Illinois University, worked his way up to his latest title Practical Sustainability: A Guide to a More Sustainable Life through his environmentally-focused blog On the Brink. By writing to the everyday web-goer, Bob learned how to transform environmental studies research into practical, bite-sized knowledge and tools for everyone to learn from and employ.

In this second episode, Bob explains his thought process in scaling down massive environmental issues into global, national, and local efforts, in addition to outlining individual and collective actions. Further, he discusses how to strike a balance between holding environmentally destructive companies accountable while also taking personal responsibility in cultivating a greener life. Last, Bob digs into the metamodernism of sustainability, the harm of greenwashing, and how the sustainability field developed out of the 1960s environmental movement.

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After years writing in the academic space, Robert Brinkmann, Professor of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment at Northern Illinois University, wanted to share his research with the general public. Specifically, he wanted to provide guidance and personal challenges to those asking: How much impact can one person have on the planet? What changes can the individual make for a cleaner, greener life? So, along came Practical Sustainability, a guide on living sustainably in your own life and within or outside your community.

In this four-part series, Bob discusses breaking down the complexity of sustainable living, the pitfalls of greenwashing, and why sustainability should be treated as a “no judgement zone.” In addition, Bob tackles complicated issues like corporate lobbying power and how income and race are inextricably linked to environmental policies.

In this first episode, Bob traces his path from diamond exploration as a geologist to his current work in urban sustainability. He explains how the environmental studies field and curricula has changed to its current emphasis on interdisciplinary work and human impact on the planet. Further, not only has the field transformed, but the students have too—Bob remarks on how researchers today care deeply about enacting meaningful environmental policy and engaging with local communities. Finally, our guest dives into why urban centers have more advanced energy systems and sustainable environmental policies than rural and suburban areas.

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In the final episode of this four-part series, Emily Farrell, Library Partnerships and Sales Lead at MIT Press, and Curtis Brundy, Associate University Librarian at Iowa State University, discuss where the burden lies in advancing open publishing—publishers need to innovate to fit institution needs, but libraries have to be intentional in their budget spending and actions. In addition, Emily shares Direct to Open’s future for the second half of 2022 and predictions on reaching the press’s goal of 100 percent support. Finally, Emily and Curtis reflect on the role consortia play in helping smaller institutions scale up, and why libraries need to look beyond cost-per-use metrics to gauge a collection’s value.

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In the final episode of this four-part series, Michelle Porter, author of Scratching River, explains how she incorporates Métis techniques, themes, and history into her writing. In particular, she talks of pulling from traditions of musical improvisation to develop her own unique writing structure, and finding the through line between her ancestry—the custom of travel, history of bison, folk-like storytelling—and the contemporary subjects of Scratching River. Last, Michelle discusses her complex relationship with bibliographies, and the importance of recognizing meaningful academic contributions that fall outside the scope of typical scholarly citations.

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When developing MIT Press’s library collective action model Direct to Open (D2O), the creators understood that a one-size-fits-all framework doesn’t work for university presses. Because of the breadth and diversity of the current publishing landscape, presses need open publishing options that they can mold to fit their own unique needs and circumstances. How can university presses use D2O as a jumping-off point to enact their own open publishing models? What are the market forces driving publishers to adopt open access policies in the first place?

In this third episode, Emily Farrell, Library Partnerships and Sales Lead at MIT Press, and Curtis Brundy, Associate University Librarian at Iowa State University, talk logistics. They dive into the key factors concerning publishers when considering open models—the decline of print sales, desire to progress knowledge-sharing, lack of OA options in the humanities and social sciences. In addition, Emily and Curtis surface the challenges publishers face when adopting an OA model—operating costs, front- and backlist sizes—and the importance of introducing new, innovative solutions into the marketplace.

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When writing her memoir Scratching River, Michelle Porter balanced not only her own voice, but the added layer of family interviews and newspaper accounts. As Michelle notes, this story of her and her brother could be told in many different ways—in a journalistic fashion, following a linear storyline—but she chose to weave these narrative elements with her Métis ancestry, oral histories, and research. In other words, she decided to “tell it all crooked,” resulting in a mix of poetics, primary documents, and emotional weight.

In this third episode, Michelle discusses her writing style, a blend of poetry, research, and truth—creative nonfiction. She explains the value in fusing these techniques together, especially when the subject matter concerns emotional or traumatic events. Finally, Michelle digs into the narrative voice of Scratching River and the decision to use her 14-year-old self as a guide—and the difficult editing process once she let that past self go.

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Since MIT Press’s Direct to Open (D2O) launched, 180 institutions (and counting!) have signed onto the library collective action model. Though based on a tiered structure—larger institutions pay a higher price and so on—the model has found more support and buy-in from larger libraries and consortia. What holds smaller institutions back from joining the project? Are there other major open access investment opportunities currently in the market? Overall, what is the institutional perspective when considering open models?

In this second episode, Emily Farrell, Library Partnerships and Sales Lead at MIT Press, and Curtis Brundy, Associate University Librarian at Iowa State University, reveal the institutional perspective gleaned from the past year of D2O. They discuss the hurdles smaller institutions face when choosing to participate in open publishing, as well as the solutions that consortial relationships offer in return. Last, Emily and Curtis dig into the growing connection between scholarly communication and collections, and the possibilities libraries and publishers create through collaboration and mission alignment.

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