About 30 participants from a dozen countries (Armenia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden) joined the international AEUP workshop on standards from May 4th-6th, 2018 in Riga (Latvia). The workshop was hosted by AEUP member RTU Press / Riga Technical University . We are very grateful to them for creating a prolific framework and making us feel very welcome. Among the participants were university presses as well as institutional publishers and experts from Numédif-Métopes, the PKP Knowledge Project and Ubiquity Press. Two new members were welcomed that turned out to be the presses with the longest and shortest tradition within the association – Vilnius University Press, tracing back its history till 1575, and the recently founded University of Groningen Press.
Participants agreed that the workshop was an important step towards unlocking the potential that lies within AEUP, and that the event was a highly productive one several aspects.
About the workshop
The workshop started with AEUP member presentations and some basic information about the AEUP organisation itself in consideration of the workshop’s main topics. First survey results concerning reviewing and quality control, production and dissemination sent in advance of the event provided basics of publishing and provided other important topics and stimulation for the following discussions.
AEUP survey shows that AEUP member presses want workshops and webinars by AEUP. Let’s do it together! #AEUP18 pic.twitter.com/KkXcdyUFY4
— AEUP (@AEUP_info) June 5, 2018
The event offered four different sessions with input by experts on the very different topics, followed by group break-out and discussions. The sessions dealt with standards in quality control and reviewing including input from Abigail Murdy from Ubiquity Press, standards in production including input from Dominique Roux and Edith Cannet from Numédif-Métopes, standards in publishing with PKP’s Bozana Bokan and standards in dissemination including input from board members.
Dominique Roux explaining Numédif-Métopes project – turning editorial content into publishing media #AEUP18 pic.twitter.com/V9pzuAWIHF
— AEUP (@AEUP_info) June 5, 2018
Knowledge exchange and networking was encouraged by group work after each session, bringing together publishers with different backgrounds and expectations which led to greater benefits for everyone due to new insights and new perspectives. The group feedback led to inspiring findings for all teh participants.
The awakening of new interests can be best illustrated by the fact that several participants, as well as the experts from Numédif-Métopes and PKP, promptly got together after the event for an ad hoc workshop in order to intensify exchange on Métopes’ integrated xml-based workflow.
Direct outcome for 2018: a workshop on integrated xml publishing
Due to the deep interest in this topic and as a result of the survey in preparation of this event (results will be published soon), there will be a three day xml workshop in Göttingen in December 2018 for AEUP members. Organised by AEUP, Métopes and HIRMEOS and mentored by AEUP patron member OPERAS, it will present productive ways of enabling a sustainable “high integration of monographs” in European open science knowledge networks (HIRMEOS).
Big event in 2019: 2nd AEUP Conference
The workshop in Riga closed with a great outlook: In June 2019, the 2nd AEUP Conference will take place in Brno (Czech Republic). It will be hosted by AEUP Member Masaryk University Press.
We are really looking forward to meeting you on this great occasion. Let’s come together and network!