Anthem Press has tailored eight remarkable and latest articles that contribute to a round-up of the top news stories in the publishing industry.
1. New Library Design: Spaces that Connect, Cultivate, and Transform Communities
As libraries acquire more digital materials, they’re devoting less space to housing physical items. Instead, they’re creating flexible, multiuse spaces for people to gather, interact, and learn new skills. The modern library is a coffee house, a digital creation studio, a multigenerational meeting place, and much more. Libraries are also taking merchandising cues from retail stores to increase circulation and make borrowing more convenient. And they’re using outdoor spaces to enhance the patron experience. This trend existed before the pandemic, but COVID has underscored the value of including outdoor areas in the design of library facilities. Click on the link to know more Library Journal 
Picture courtesy: Grimm Parker/ Library Journal
2. Can University Presses Keep Up with the Times?
As University Press Week turns 10, leaders of the Association of University Presses ask its members to take stock. They recently spoke with a few individuals who became press directors during the past decade, seeking their insights on how university presses have been and will continue to be a force to “keep UP” with. Read the article here about what industry experts have to say on this.
3. Does the World Need an Academic Integrity Awareness Index? An Interview with Helen Zhang
Professor Yuehong (Helen) Zhang, Managing Editor of Bio-Design and Manufacturing was previously the Chief Editor of Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE, and Vice-President of the Society of China University Journals. Recently she was invited to write a paper on academic integrity by the journal Forensic Sciences Research. Read the interview here.
4. Aspen Institute Names Its 2022 Aspen Words Literary Prize Longlist
Now in its fifth award cycle, the $35,000 Aspen Words Literary Prize names 16 books to its 2022 longlist, with a shortlist to come on February 23. The 16 novels that comprise this year’s longlist explore questions of freedom and identity, exile and belonging, and are set against the ravages of colonialism, consumerism and classism. Click on the link for the detailed list Publishing Perspectives
Longlisted authors in the 2022 Aspen Words Literary Prize are, top row from left, Nawaaz Ahmed; Omar El Akkad (image: Kateshia Pendergrass); Hala Alyan; and Tahmina Anam. On the second row from left, Myrian JA Chancy; Peter Ho Davies; Linda Rui Feng; Kaitlyn Grennidge (image: Syreeta McFadden). On the third row from left, Jacob Guanzon; Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (image: Sydney Foster; Jason Mott; and Eric Nguyen (image: Tim Coburn). And on the bottom row, Richard Powers (image: Dean C. Dixon); Kirsten Valdez Quade (image: Holly Andres); Karen Tucker (image: Jared Lipo); and Dawnie Walton
5. The “Law of Libraries”: What is a “library” Under the Law and Why Does It Matter?
Kyle Courtney, Copyright Advisor, Harvard University said that understanding the laws relating to libraries is central. The laws generally fall into two categories: establishing and governing libraries, and defining the library’s mission, action, or power. Libraries predate many other institutions. With the advent of digital spaces, they have evolved beyond their physical locations. Read the entire article here.
6. Industry Must Innovate and Look Outside London, FutureBook Told
The industry must source talent in innovative ways and focus on hiring differently and looking outside London if any tangible progress is to be made on representation, The Bookseller’s FutureBook Conference suggested. Commenting on the continually untapped pool of creatives of colour, the panel urged the industry to utilise different methods of sourcing writers, including connecting with literary magazines, using social media and attending “off-radar events”. Read the article here.
7. Making Australian Research Free for Everyone to Read Sounds Ideal. But the Chief Scientist’s Open-Access Plan Isn’t Risk-Free
Chief Scientist Cathy Foley is leading an open access strategy for Australia. Inspired by the European Open-Access Initiative Plan S, Foley’s goal is to make all publicly funded Australian research publications free for the public to read. This is to be done through a sector-wide agreement between universities and publishers. Read the entire article here
8. Interrupting Bias in the Book Biz
There’s been a lot of ferment about racial equity in publishing, but will it yield concrete results? Much of the focus has been on announcing new imprints aimed at people of color, but that’s no substitute for changing the forces within publishing that create problems in the first place. This article discusses the five basic patterns of bias that occur in publishing, as well as some suggestions for bias interrupters—metrics-driven, evidence-based tools that are designed to surgically eliminate them. Read here to know more.