E-publishing in libraries: the [Digital] preservation imperative E-publishing in libraries: the [Digital] preservation imperative Heather Lea Moulaison and A.J. Million iSchool, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to, through an analysis of the current literature, explore the current state of the library e-publishing community and its approach to preservation. Libraries are increasingly proposingpublishingservicesaspartof theirworkwiththeircommunities,andrecently, therehasbeen a pronounced interest in providing electronic publishing (e-publishing) services. The library e-publishing community, however, has not systematically studied the need for the long-term preservation of the digital content they help create. Design/methodology/approach – Through a refective analysis of the literature, this paper explores the context and the evolution of e-publishing as a trend that aligns with public library missions; in doing so, it also explores implications for digital preservation in the context of these new services and identifes gaps in the literature. Findings – Digital preservation is an important and worthwhile activity for library e-publishers; preservation of community-based author content cannot, however, be an afterthought and should be planned fromthebeginning.Futurestudyshould take intoconsideration theneedsandexpectationsof community-basedauthors.Existingdigitalpreservationguidelinesalsoprovideapointof reference for the community and researchers. Originality/value – This paper addresses the understudied area of the importance of digital preservationto librarye-publishing. Indoingso, italso investigates theroleof the library insupporting community-based authors when e-publishing through the library. Keywords Public libraries, Library publishing, Digital preservation, Community-based authors, Library e-publishing Paper type Conceptual paper Introduction Librariesare increasinglyproposingpublishingservicesaspartof theirworkwiththeir communities.Recently, therehasalsobeenapronouncedinterest inprovidingelectronic publishing (e-publishing) services (LaRue, 2012). E-publishing has the potential to provide a valuable service to community-based authors, who, in turn, enrich the community through their work. By sponsoring e-publication services, libraries are not only being faithful to their missions but also working to provide access to valuable material that, whatever the content or approach, is an important and irreplaceable part of the cultural heritage of the community. This conceptual paper argues that the digital preservation of unique, community-based content is also part of the mission of the library due to its interest in providing democratic access to content. Yet, cultural heritage content available in digital formats isvulnerableand, for this reason,mustbeafocusofparticularattention. The library e-publishing community has not systematically addressed its role in the long-termpreservationofdigital content that ithelps tocreate.Thoroughananalysisof the current literature, this study demonstrates the need for refective and systematic The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/1065-075X.htm Accepted14March2014 consideration for digital preservation in library e-publishing initiatives. We begin by exploring thecontextand theevolutionof e-publishingasa trajectory for the library; in doing so, we also identify implications of these new services and gaps in the literature. Next,wedescribe thenecessityofdigitalpreservation,givingexamplesand identifying caveats.Afteradiscussionbasedontheliterature,werecommendbothfuturecoursesof action for libraries to take tosafeguarde-publishedcontentand futurestudy tosupport that work. The library and democratic access to information Libraries have a mission to provide access to information to their user communities. Since theemergenceof theWorldWideWeb, librarieshavebeenchallengedbythehigh prices publishers are charging for electronic materials. In academic libraries, an “increasing portion of a library collection […] is now comprised of licensed, not owned, electronicmaterials” (Fenton,2008,p.32).Onerecentwaytopromoteequitableaccessto a broad cross-section of content is for libraries to become publishers in an attempt to control costs and access. The 2013 Library Publishing Toolkit (Brown, 2013) provides a collectionof in-depthchapters for libraries interested inpublishing.Since the turnof the millennium,university librarieshaveprimarilyexpressedaninterest inself-publishing; public libraries, however, were frst interested in self-publishing as early as the 1970s (Perkins, 1978). Although vanity presses may have wielded the fatal blow to academic careers in the past (Savage, 2008), the broad value of self-publishing is increasingly being acknowledged. The evolution of self-publishing As an alternative to traditional publishing, self-publishing in the form of subsidy or vanity presses has been active for a number of years. Printing a run of books through vanity presses is an expensive proposition, however, and the Web now permits other, less-expensive models for self-publishing. Author services models, using print on demand,becamepopular in the early2000s (DilevkoandDali, 2006) andhaveprovided avenue forself-publishers toprint smaller runsofbookssuccessfully, allowingauthors to “dispense with publishers in the traditional sense and become their own publishers” (Jobson, 2003, p. 20). Even more economical up-front are services like Amazon’s Kindle DirectPublishing (https://kdp.amazon.com)wheree-booksarepublisheddirectly to the Amazon Kindle Store and authors retain 70 per cent of the royalties their books earn. These initiatives yield physical volumes that can be stored, under good conditions, for generations. Products of self-publishing have been generally considered to be inferior to traditionallypublishedworksdueto the lowqualityof thecontentandthenichesubject matter discussed (Dawson, 2008). The self-publishing model does not include some of the elements of traditional publishing, and, for example, would not necessarily support authors in the creation or editing of their work or in its subsequent marketing or distribution. Whereas traditional publishing vets authors, selecting only those with a proven trackrecordandwhosework is recognized tobeofhighquality, self-publishing has a low barrier to access. Huffman (2013) concedes that self-publishing may, under somecircumstances,be likebloggingorotherWeb-basedpublishing; thepurposeof the publication, according to him, is what makes the difference. In terms of the subject matter, concern about the value of self-published books has also been voiced: https://kdp.amazon.com services to individuals who are disillusioned with the publishing industry but still want to publish their work in some form. Ultimately, more research will need to be done in this area, but based on this article’s analysis, a series of recommendations, both theoretical and practical, can be made in support of public libraries wishing to explore an e-publishing service while also preserving content. Libraries are not alone in considering unpublished works for inclusion in their collections. Archives have been addressing related notions for centuries in their work with unique manuscripts. Although libraries are well-schooled in collection development, library-published e-books may not be as readily evaluated for selection as traditionally published materials. Accordingly, the archival notion of appraisal, a notion associated with managing records (Craig, 2004), is a useful and relevant concept to explore in the library e-publishing context. Appraisal is the: […] process of establishing the value of documents made or received in the course of the conduct of affairs, qualifying that value, and determining its duration. The primary objective of appraisal is to identify the documents to be continuously preserved for an unlimited period of time (Duranti, 1994, p. 329). The question of appraisal ties in to the assessment of content for digital preservation since not everything can or should be saved (Harvey, 2007). Selection, a related idea necessary for assessment, is “the process of deciding what items or resources will be added to a library’s collection” (Harvey, 2007, p. 31). Combined, appraisal and selection work will determine which content should be preserved for use by the repository’s end-user and for how long that content should be made available. Discussion: the preservation imperative This article contends that digital preservation needs to be planned up-front as library e-publishing initiatives are being explored. Digital preservation is an ongoing effort, not a one-time concern. For it to be effective into the future, there needs to be advance considerations for sustainability. Based on the review of the literature, two primary sustainability-related concerns are the following: (1) the required infrastructure in the library to manage the technology in terms of human resources and technological resources; and (2) the rights of community-based authors. We explore each below in turn, and then situate the importance of digital preservation of e-publications within the mission of the library. Digital preservation is complex, and a one-size-fts-all solution is not available due to the uniqueness of each organization, community of users, staff and technology. Although best practices have been developed around some of the routine aspects of digital preservation, including the selection of fle formats, other elements remain unexplored or understudied. As library e-publishers move forward, they will need to consider issues of sustainability that will drive both human resources and technological resources. Libraries will have to consider whether, for example, they will charge a fee for e-publishing initiatives. Fees could defray future preservation costs if the digital objects are selected to be maintained on-site, or could support outsourcing the digital preservation to a third-party vendor. Tennant, R. (2011), “The scam of edited collections”, TheDigital Shift, 19 December, available at: www.thedigitalshift.com/2011/12/roy-tennant-digital-libraries/the-scam-of-edited- collections/ (accessed 14 January 2014). Westney, L.C. (2007), “Intrinsic value and the permanent record: the preservation conundrum”, OCLCSystems&Services: InternationalDigitalLibraryPerspectives, Vol. 23 No. 1, pp. 5-12. Yakel, E. (2007), “Digital curation”, OCLC Systems & Services: International Digital Library Perspectives, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 335-340. Further reading Lefevre, J. and Huwe, T. (2013), “Digital publishing from the library: a new core competency”, Journal ofWebLibrarianship, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 190-214. Mid-Continent Public Library (2012), Mid-Continent Library Woodneath Campus: Campus Master Plan, available at: www.mymcpl.org/_uploaded_resources/Woodneath_Master_ Plan_-_Finala.pdf (accessed 14 January 2014). Corresponding author Heather Lea Moulaison can be contacted at: moulaisonhe@missouri.edu http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2011/12/roy-tennant-digital-libraries/the-scam-of-edited-collections/ http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2011/12/roy-tennant-digital-libraries/the-scam-of-edited-collections/ http://www.mymcpl.org/_uploaded_resources/Woodneath_Master_Plan_-_Finala.pdf http://www.mymcpl.org/_uploaded_resources/Woodneath_Master_Plan_-_Finala.pdf mailto:moulaisonhe@missouri.edu http://www.emeraldinsight.com/action/showLinks?system=10.1108%2F10650750710831466 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/action/showLinks?system=10.1108%2F10650750710720702 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/action/showLinks?crossref=10.1080%2F19322909.2013.780519 Introduction The library and democratic access to information The evolution of self-publishing Public library as e-publisher? Role of digital preservation Self-publishing author motives and expectations Library support of access Discussion: the preservation imperative Recommendations Future study Conclusion References Cit p_40:1: Cit p_40:2: Cit p_39:1: Cit p_41:1: