The MIT Press and the Knowledge Futures Group — a collaboration between the press and the MIT Media Lab — invite the public to join as they illuminate new models for open access publishing and open source content platforms. During Open Access Week (Oct. 22-28), they are also showcasing how the MIT Press and its campus partners are responding to new demands for open access content.
As part of this effort, the MIT Press is releasing four podcasts designed to spark conversations about open access publishing and provide insight into MIT-led initiatives. In the first Open Access episode, project lead Travis Rich, co-founder of the open access PubPub platform, speaks with Edward Finn, founding director of the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University. They discuss "Frankenbook" — an open access digital version of the print edition of Mary Shelley’s masterpiece, "Frankenstein," published by the MIT Press in 2017 — and why it was important to make this book open access. They explore what challenges they faced and how a platform like PubPub lends itself to new ways of engaging with the story.
MIT Press has also announced that — in response to user feedback and increased demand for community publishing — an updated version of the PubPub platform has been launched with significant improvements to its user interface, administrative tools, analytics dashboard, and editing and user engagement functionalities. PubPub’s mission is to give research communities of all stripes and sizes a free and open alternative to existing publishing models and tools. Potential users are encouraged to create their own publishing community and contact the PubPub team with any questions or feedback.
Open Access Week, a global event now entering its 10th year, is an opportunity for the academic and research community to continue to learn about the potential benefits of open access, to share what they’ve learned with colleagues, and to help inspire wider participation in helping to make open access a new norm in scholarship and research.
The MIT Press is committed to reimagining and redefining the boundaries of scholarly publishing, and supports the work of the Knowledge Futures Group as it pursues a mission to transform research publishing from a closed, sequential process, into an open, community-driven one.
