SSP’s 40th Annual Meeting, one of the premier forums for discussion amongst scholarly publishers, librarians and academics, is right around the corner. This year’s theme, “Scholarly Publishing at the Crossroads: What’s working, what’s holding us back, where do we go from here?” highlights both the uncertain nature of our industry’s future as well as the great opportunities that lie ahead for us.
You can find CCC at Booth #211, and catch our photo booth at the 40th Anniversary Celebration at the Navy Pier. My colleagues and I will be at the show and wanted to share some of our “can’t miss” sessions at this year’s conference:
Jen Goodrich, Director of Product Management
Session 4D – Making Metadata Work for Everyone: A Functional View of Metadata in the Scholarly Supply Chain (Thursday 31 May, 4:45PM)
My first session choice is an expert panel, led by Marianne Calilhanna from Cenveo Publisher Services, about the entire lifecycle of metadata throughout the publishing workflow. This topic couldn’t be more timely or relevant, as it’s becoming increasingly clear that scholarly publishing can only be as good as our data. I’m looking forward to hearing a detailed analysis how metadata flows—and sometimes gets caught—during the publishing workflow.
Sponsored Session: Diversity & Inclusion (Wednesday, May 30, 1:30PM)
My second pick is a sponsored session, moderated by my wonderful colleague, Rebecca Mcleod. She’ll be leading a very important discussion about the culture of the scholarly publishing community—specifically around efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive environment that welcomes people of all backgrounds. I’m really looking forward to this meaningful discussion and to hearing the panel’s thoughts on ways we can improve and grow together as a community.
Kurt Heisler, Sales Director
Plenary: Previews Session (Friday 1 June, 11:00AM)
The Previews Session is a roundup of the industry’s newest and most noteworthy products, platforms and content. I’m really looking forward to this one and think it’ll be a great synopsis of the most important recent developments in scholarly publishing; a definite “must-attend” on my calendar.
Session 2A – How Do We Move the Goal of Open Access from Concept to Reality? (Thursday 31 May, 2:00PM)
Moderated by ALPSP’s Audrey McCulloch, this session promises to be an informed and pragmatic analysis of the state of OA, including a rundown of some of the biggest challenges stakeholders are facing today. As the scholarly publishing industry begins to search for and uncover ways we can streamline the research workflow, I’m really looking forward to hearing the speakers offer their takes on ways we can improve.
Chuck Hemenway, Sales Director
Virtual Meeting Session 5A: Funders as Publishers—What does this mean for traditional publishers and the scholarly publishing industry as a whole…? (Friday 1 June, 11:00AM)
My first session pick, moderated by Sheridan PubFactory’s Tom Beyer, will take a look at the rise of publisher-funders like, Wellcome Trust. These firsts-of-their-kind are still finding their place within the market so I’m keen to hear the industry experts on this ticket offer their perspectives on how publisher-funders might find their place within—or perhaps disrupt—the scholarly publishing market.
Virtual Meeting Session 1D: The Gift That Keeps on Giving: Metadata & Persistent Identifiers Through the Research & Publication Cycle (Thursday 31 May, 10:30AM)
My second pick—and the session I’m most excited to attend—is this panel, lead by Ringgold’s Christine Orr, about metadata throughout the scholarly lifecycle. It’s becoming increasingly clear that we’re simply not doing enough with our metadata and that we’re missing opportunities to collect valuable information that would make the research workflow more seamless for everyone. I’m really looking forward to hearing what these industry heavyweights have to say about our current state and how we, as a community, can improve.
Darren Gillgrass, Business Development Director
Session 3F: (Don’t) Rage Against The Machine
My first session pick promises to be a forward-thinking discussion about why—and how—we should better incorporate computer-assisted mining activities into the scholarly, academic and research library communities. Moderated by DMedia’s David Myers, the panel’s experts are well-equipped to make the case for utilizing technology to better facilitate scientific progress. Looking forward to hearing their perspectives on how we can ensure the scholarly publishing community keeps pace with technology and benefits from its advances.
Session 2D: Unlimited Data Plans? Data Publication Charges (DPCs), DPC Sponsors, Data Availability Statements, and Licensing Options (Thursday 31 May, 2:00PM)
My next pick is a session about lesser-known article fees: data publication charges—or DPCs. Moderated by Anna Jester from eJournal Press, this session features four organizations which currently either require authors to deposit data or support authors in complying with data mandates. These data experts will explore what DPCs mean to scholarly publishing, from operational realities, to licensing, and beyond.
Which sessions are you looking forward to attending? Tell us in the comments section!
We hope to see you in Chicago. Follow along on social media with #SSP2018.