Scholarly Communication Commons^™

How Journal Editors Are Addressing Challenges With No-Fee Open Access, Colleen Lyon, Christopher Hollister

All Things Open

No-fee or “diamond” open access embodies the principles of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, particularly openness, inclusivity, and collaboration. This model of publishing strengthens equitable access to knowledge, promotes multilingualism, and democratizes science.

Unique among open access models, no-fee open access eliminates both APCs and subscription fees, making it completely free for both authors and readers. This model is often funded by academic institutions, governments, or non-profit organizations, focusing on equity, inclusivity, and accessibility.

To investigate the efficacy of this model, the presenters administered a survey of North American no-fee journal editors to explore the challenges of managing no-fee …

Greenaissance? Zero-Embargo Funder Mandates And Green Open Access, Josh Cromwell

All Things Open

Recently, several funder-driven Open Access mandates, such as Plan S in Europe or the NIH Public Access Policy in the US, have indicated a desire to shift away from allocating funds for article processing charges (APCs) and have instead called for significantly reducing or eliminating embargo periods on accepted manuscripts (AMs) to make them a viable pathway to compliance for researchers.

This talk will address how these policies can significantly revitalize Green Open Access and open repositories, and will discuss strategies for researchers and librarians to use these new policy changes as an opportunity to share their research openly without …

Make It Make Cents: Creating A Rubric To Evaluate Potential Read-And-Publish Agreements, Olivia Chin, Luke Mcdonald

All Things Open

Negotiating read-and-publish agreements for institutions can be tricky! There are many different aspects to consider: cost, publisher ethics, publishing data, open access discounts, etc. How do you decide which agreements to choose? What are your dealbreakers? In the summer of 2025, the License Negotiation Team from the University of Tennessee Knoxville Libraries created a rubric to evaluate potential read-and-publish agreements with vendors. The rubric allowed us to prioritize our principled negotiations approach and standardize how we approach these decisions. This presentation will demonstrate how academic libraries can create and implement rubrics to address the publishing criteria most important within their …

Here Be Dragons (Or Treasure?): Navigating Complexities Of Oa Funding Options, Anna R. Craft

All Things Open

The wide availability of open access scholarship benefits authors, readers, and institutions. But it can be challenging to navigate OA funding options, especially in a climate of budget cuts and rising costs. In these conditions, how can institutions support authors who want--or need--to share their work via open access?

At UNC Greensboro, a mid-sized regional public university in central North Carolina, OA funding support options include APC waivers and discounts through read-and-publish agreements with certain publishers, as well as an OA subvention fund that offers limited awards to offset some APC costs. These options have supported many UNCG authors in …

Student Perspectives On Textbook Affordability, Ginelle Baskin, Mary Ann Jones, Suzanne Mangrum

All Things Open

Join us as we share findings from a recent campus-wide survey at a mid-size regional R2 university exploring the impact of course material costs on students. We asked students to provide answers on how textbook costs affect their learning experiences, choices, and successes. This session will highlight key data, student voices, and showcase opportunities for faculty to make their courses more affordable and equitable through the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) and other no-cost materials.

Jumping Into The Deep End: Lessons Learned From Editing A Book About Open Movements, Abbey K. Elder, Bryan T. Ricupero, Shannon M. Smith

All Things Open

In 2023, we had a great idea: let’s make an open access book about open movements! Little did we know, this experience would change us all as we learned and grew alongside the authors who contributed to our volume, Open Movements: Recognizing Challenges and Building Connections.

Open Movements is about a lot of things: it’s about the institutional initiatives that support open scholarship, the vendors and programs that connect practitioners to the ideals of openness, and the barriers we run into when we try to communicate all that “Open” can be. Despite coming from separate institutions with backgrounds spanning …

Free To Read, Free To Publish: Library Publishing And Global Scholarly Communication, Jonathan D. Grunert

All Things Open

Open access is a right exercised by scholars and their institutions, not a privilege granted by publishers. From this perspective, library publishing is not peripheral to the open access movement but a necessary extension, and when libraries take on publishing roles, they reclaim functions long outsourced to commercial actors and re-center scholarly communication within academic communities. The partnership among libraries, institutions, and researchers is foundational to the production, evaluation, and sharing of knowledge. Library publishing shows that open access can be sustainable and scholar-driven without reliance on paywalls, article processing charges, or exclusivity.

Since 2014, library publishing has evolved from …

The Southeastern Librarian 73(4) Winter 2026 (Full Issue)

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

Keeping The Chattahoochee: Reviving And Defending A Great Southern River, Melanie Vincent

The Southeastern Librarian

Sally Sierer Bethea

Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2025

ISBN: 9780820374512

210 pp. $20.95 (Pbk)

The Story Quilts Of Yvonne Wells, Tammera Race

The Southeastern Librarian

Stacy I. Morgan and Yvonne Thomas Wells

Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2024

ISBN: 9780817361389

360 pp. $60.00 (Pbk)

Sela News, Blake Denton

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

Advancing Research Appointments: Enhancing Patron Satisfaction Through Assessment, Kytt Everdeen Moore, Tera A. Ray, Laura B. Wright

The Southeastern Librarian

As research appointments continue to be a service offered across reference departments, it is important to regularly assess their effectiveness at meeting patrons’ needs and to seek improvement. To do this, patrons were surveyed after scheduling a research appointment to understand their reasons for scheduling an appointment, preferred formats, expectations, knowledge gained, and overall satisfaction. The findings revealed that most patrons were students, and the most common way to learn about appointments was from instructors. Patrons primarily scheduled appointments online, citing convenience and location as main reasons for their choice. Their main expectation was to learn effective search strategies. Recommendations …

Florida Springs: From Geography To Politics And Restoration, Linh Uong

The Southeastern Librarian

Christopher F. Meindl

Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2024

ISBN: 9780813079158

245 pp. $38.00 (Hbk)

Accessibility Services And Support In Small And Rural Academic Libraries, Robert M. Amerson, Deborah Tritt Harmon

The Southeastern Librarian

This exploratory study examines how small and rural academic libraries support students with disabilities. While grounded in a professional commitment to equitable service, these libraries often face challenges, such as limited staff, aging infrastructure, and stagnant funding. Survey results from 38 librarians reveal a strong dedication to accessibility, despite institutional constraints. Respondents identified barriers, such as insufficient training, inadequate resources, and minimal collaboration with campus disability offices. However, many also reported implementing personalized, student-centered services and cited the advantages of flexibility and close student relationships in small academic settings. The findings underscore the need for tailored support, increased training opportunities, …

Invisible Blackness: A Louisiana Family In The Age Of Racial Passing, Tim Dodge

The Southeastern Librarian

Katy Morlas Shannon

Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2025

ISBN: 9780807183823

184 pp. $29.95 (Hbk)

Employing The Marketing Mix Framework To Increase Usage Of Academic Libraries, Chantelle Swaren

The Southeastern Librarian

Academic libraries face a regular influx of new students, creating an ongoing need to increase awareness and usage. To accomplish this, many academic libraries rely on short-term outreach tactics that focus on only one element of the marketing mix: Promotion. This article introduces the complete marketing mix framework, including seven elements (7 Ps), and explains how they can be applied in academic libraries. Definitions and library-specific examples are provided for each element: Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process, and Physical Proof. The integrated approach of marketing mix theory and planning can be employed by academic libraries to increase patron awareness, …

Member Spotlight: Wanda Kay Brown, Blair Jones

The Southeastern Librarian

Member Spotlight no. 3 for the Winter 2026 issue of The Southeastern Librarian. The spotlight shines on Wanda Kay Brown, Director of Library Services at the C. G. O'Kelly Library at Winston-Salem State University, North Carolina.

The President's Column, Laura Slavin

The Southeastern Librarian

SELA President Laura Slavin's column for the Winter 2026 issue of The Southeastern Librarian

Government Documents For All: Occupational Outlook Handbook, Tim Dodge

The Southeastern Librarian

The Government Documents for All column for the Winter 2026 issue of The Southeastern Librarian

Breaking Glass Ceilings: Clara Stanton Jones And The Detroit Public Library, Ariana Baker

The Southeastern Librarian

Renate L. Chancellor

Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2024

ISBN: 9781538157015

114 pp. $90.00 (Hbk)

News From The States, Blake Denton

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

Editor's Notes: Winter 2026, John H. Barnett

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

Critical Connections: The University Of Tennessee And Oak Ridge From The Dawn Of The Atomic Age To The Present, Camille Mccutcheon

The Southeastern Librarian

Lee Riedinger, Al Ekkebus, Ray Smith, and William Bugg

Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2024

ISBN: 9781621906544

488 pp. $39.95 (Hbk)

Southeastern Librarian 73(3) Fall 2025 (Full Issue), John H. Barnett

The Southeastern Librarian

Complete issue of The Southeastern Librarian Volume 73 Number 3

Black Hibiscus: African Americans And The Florida Imaginary, Austina Jordan

The Southeastern Librarian

John Wharton Lowe, Ed.

Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2024

ISBN: 9781496848604

314 pp. $30.00 (Pbk)

Hell's Not Far Off: Bruce Crawford And The Appalachian Left, Loren Mixon

The Southeastern Librarian

Josh Howard

Morgantown: West Virginia University Press, 2024

ISBN: 9781959000105

208 pp. $26.99 (Pbk)

Mommy Goose's Appalachian Melodies, Kathelene Mccarty Smith

The Southeastern Librarian

Mike Norris

Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2024

ISBN: 9781985901155

64 pp. $24.95 (Hbk)

Nowville: The Untold History Of Nashville's Contemporary Art Scene, Sarah Grace Glover

The Southeastern Librarian

Joe Nolan

Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 2024

ISBN: 9780826507396

272 pp. $24.95 (Pbk)

Southerners Acting Southern: On Celebrities And Their Star Personas In The Imagined South, Chantelle Swaren

The Southeastern Librarian

Tison Pugh

Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2025

ISBN: 9780807184011

276 pp. $34.95 (Pbk)

This Southern Metropolis: Life In Antebellum Mobile, Kristine Stilwell

The Southeastern Librarian

Mike Bunn

Athens: NewSouth Books, 2024

ISBN: 9781588385246

162 pp. $27.95 (Pbk)