Exploring how library publishing services facilitate scholarly communication

Scholarly publishing plays a critical role in promotion, tenure, scholarly recognition, and certification of research quality at academic institutions. Given the importance of scholarly publishing, several libraries have launched library publishing services to support formal and informal scholarly communication. Despite the growing popularity and the benefits of library publishing services, few studies have explored the relationship between library publishing services and scholarly communication. This study aims to identify and examine the factors of library publishing services that facilitate scholarly communication. Based on Roosendaal and Geurts's (1997) four functions of scholarly communication, this study analyses and categorizes the library publishing services of eight research university libraries in North America. The registration function is reflected in publishing, intellectual property, and licensing services. The archiving function is reflected in digitization and repository services. The certification function is reflected in expert review and research support services. The awareness function is reflected in knowledge-sharing-platform and search aid services.