Open Scholarship and Bibliodiversity

“Bibliodiversity,” as it pertains to open scholarship, refers to the diversity of publishing models, platforms, and formats available for scholarly communication. It emphasizes the importance of a varied and inclusive ecosystem for acquiring academic knowledge and disseminating research. An important part of bibliodiversity is the inclusion and promotion of diverse scholarly voices. In February, I moderated a session at the NISO Plus1 conference, entitled “Open Scholarship and Bibliodiversity,” that included researchers and scholarly communication professionals from diverse backgrounds who represent varied open scholarship initiatives. Each of the panelists were asked to consider these key principles as they prepared their talks: Access to Diverse Perspectives Inclusivity and Equity Reducing Publishing Bias Encouraging Innovations Global Collaboration Although each presentation contained elements of each principle, I have related in this report each presentation to the principle that it most represented. 1. Access to Diverse Perspectives Bibliodiversity, which encompasses a diverse range of publishing models and platforms, allows for a broader representation of scholarly voices. Different publishing options, including open access journals, institutional repositories, and alternative publishing platforms, can cater to a variety of perspectives, research topics, and methodologies. Maureen P Walsh, Scholarly Sharing Strategist and Associate Professor at The Ohio State University,2 presented, “Investments in Open Scholarship Toward Bibliodiversity: The Role of a Large North American Research Library.” Her talk focused on transforming the scholarly publishing economy, particularly within a large North American research library, aiming to promote bibliodiversity through investments in open scholarship. Walsh emphasized that the initiative, ongoing since April 2019, represents […]