Making a difference Open Access publishing and effective African research dissemination Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

Global imbalances Knowledge resources dominated by powerful countries in the North Research policies and accreditation systems reinforce this dominance Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

The marginalisation of African knowledge Africa is perceived as a consumer of knowledge Knowledge dissemination through traditional outlets faces formidable barriers Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

Formidable barriers The difficulty of finding a toe-hold for products in profitable markets geared to dominant global products The cost of distributing printed books in scattered markets Transport costs and tariff barriers in inter-African trade Slow delivery caused by the vast distances to reach market Connectivity problems and lack of IT infrastructure. Eve Gray & AssociatesPublishing Institute for Southern Africa

Traditional publishing has failed Africa Publishing Institute for Southern Africa Eve Gray & Associates

Overseas publication favored over local Local journals limp along, under- supported and unable to compete with international rivals University presses have to ‘break even’ Publishing Institute for Southern Africa Eve Gray & Associates

Academic publishers face dangers from all sides these days - the public, taxpayers, profs, students, librarians, colleagues. There has emerged the idea among administrators and some academic publishers themselves, who seem to feel compelled to comply with unreasonable expectations, that university presses should be turned into ‘ profit centres ’ and contribute to the general budget of the university. Where did this idea come from? It ’ s bad. We have financial records of publishing in the West since Gutenberg, and it is clear that books are a losing proposition. Widgets have been, and always will be, a surer bet. And the idea of milking the university presses – the poorest of all publishers – for cash is the equivalent of making the church mice contribute to the upkeep of the church. Lindsay Waters, Enemies of Promise: publishing, perishing, and the eclipse of scholarship. Chicago, Prickly Paradigm Press

So how can our universities contribute effectively to information and knowledge for sustainable development? Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

Access vs Dissemination Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

The silver bullet - Open Access Knowledge is democratized Free digital delivery can overcome distribution barriers The universities sit on enormous knowledge resources that are currently locked up Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

But is it enough to create accessible stores of knowledge? Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

A problem The state feels that it is not getting adequate return on its investment in public higher education Governments reducing unconditional support for higher education institutions Looking for contribution to national development goals Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

The need The universities need to assert the importance of their independence, and the value of the knowledge commons as a seedbed of innovation ranging from product development to the design of effective public policies…they need to show how their work is responsive to the pressing needs of development Martin Hall, Freeing the Knowledge Resources of Public Universities. KM Africa conference, DBSA, March 2005

This often requires the translation of research knowledge to practical and accessible resources These resources then need to be actively marketed and effectively distributed Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

The answer Investment in publishing and active dissemination Strategic targeting of publishing activities to deliver institutional profile and national priorities Professional publishing skills for high quality products Promotion and product targeting to ensure research impact Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

The case study The HSRC Press Eve Gray & Associates

The consultancy Needed to find the right publishing strategy, copyright model and business pan to meet the institution's goals Identify the skills, structures and systems to deliver the new programme The right mix of delivery technologies Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

The recommendations An integrated market approach – publishing is part of the research function What is published and how it is published reflects organizational aspirations and national goals Financial rewards not from sales but in increased capacity to attract research funding and government support Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

The publishing model Dual stream - digital Open Access resources and print on demand Full text digital content of all publications available free of charge High quality print available at subsidized prices in SA and internationally Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

Professional skills Publishing – selecting and targeting the publications Appropriate and professional product design Active marketing and promotions Research impact is the measure Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

A range of products Not just the traditional books and scholarly monographs, but research reports, discussion documents, books, data resources…. Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

The results A highly effective publishing programme – increased impact, national and international reach More than 200 titles available online, free of charge A first stop for policy-makers, researchers, journalists Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

A nice irony Since the HSRC started to give its publications away free, sales of the print products have gone up nearly 300% Eve Gray & Associates Publishing Institute for Southern Africa

Eve Gray & Associates The Publishing Institute for Southern Africa