Premium
The need for change and the problems of change: Continuity and the ‘new normal’
Author(s) -
Ainsworth Megan
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
learned publishing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.06
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-4857
pISSN - 0953-1513
DOI - 10.1002/leap.1332
Subject(s) - discoverability , publishing , publication , general partnership , political science , business , library science , public relations , media studies , world wide web , computer science , sociology , law
As we slowly began to emerge from lockdown in the UK, Pippa Smart wrote in the July issue about resilience, innovation, and ‘embracing the new normal’ in the wake of extensive disruption to the scholarly publishing industry (Smart, 2020). Now, as the industry grows more accustomed to new ways of working, we are beginning to ask questions such as: How can we ensure continuity? What should stay and what can go? Many of us working in scholarly communications have been tested as we have attempted to manage business as usual during the lockdown. We have persevered with planned projects: from website migrations to launching new submissions systems, from flipping subscription journals to open access, to entering into new contracts with third party partners, the list goes on. So, how have we managed? Will the numerous changes companies have made internally, as well as industry-wide overhauls (e.g. the massively increased focus on online content and discoverability), survive long term?