Partnerships in Agricultural Publications: University of Florida's Marston Science Library and the Florida State Horticultural Society

A partnership forged between the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida and the Florida State Horticultural Society (FSHS) advances access to current and historical publications of the society and exemplifies an opportunity for agricultural librarians. The Public Knowledge Project's Open Journal System (OJS) was developed by librarians at Simon Fraser and Stanford universities to offer free, web-based publication software that promotes open access to journals and supports editorial workflow and publication needs. Collaborations among libraries and content creators that utilize open source tools like OJS are especially beneficial for agricultural organizations with limited financial and staffing resources. This paper examines the current state of library publishing partnerships with external organizations through analysis of survey data collected by the authors, and shares lessons learned from an example partnership. In this example librarians contributed their expertise in peer-review publishing, intellectual property rights, and institutional repositories to develop a customized online journal site using OJS for FSHS in a manner that reflects the publication workflow of the society. Customized features include branding, peer review, member subscription, full-text indexing, and access to archived issues. Trainings on OJS and digital publication service empower subject-area librarians to serve as points of contact for additional collaborations. Utilizing OJS in partnerships between libraries and content creators enhances the relevancy of the library and subject-area librarians while promoting greater access to agricultural information.