Public Knwledge Prject 2.0: The Value Prpsitin Academic libraries have begun t ffer their campuses a grwing range f schlarly cmmunicatins services in supprt f teaching and research. These libraries are prviding institutinal repsitries, nline jurnal and cnference hsting, digital cllectins, research data curatin, and electrnic theses and dissertatin systems. They are advcating fr pen access, authr rights; and academic freedm, as well as champining faculty publishing accmplishments. This is clearly an exciting time t be an academic librarian, and the Public Knwledge Prject (PKP) is prud t have cntributed ver the last decade t this library activism with its pen surce publishing platfrms: Open Jurnal Systems (OJS) and Open Cnference Systems (OCS), with Open Harvester Systems (OHS) used fr indexing the cntent in these and ther systems. With ver 10,000 installatins f OJS, OCS, and OHS sftware in use arund the wrld, PKP has prven that an pen-surce slutin develped by an academic-and-librarian team can be a game-changer in schlarly publishing: 1. Thusands f schlar-publishers are using PKP sftware t establish independent and public peer-reviewed jurnals that are prving t be an intellectual frce fr innvatin and academic freedm. 2. Thusands f jurnals frm develping cuntries are using PKP sftware t create a glbal presence, prviding students and faculty everywhere with a brader perspective n the wrld f knwledge. 3. Well ver a hundred research libraries are using PKP sftware t take greater cntrl ver the directin, cst, and wnership f schlarly cmmunicatin by ffering their faculty and students PKP sftware fr running their jurnals and cnferences. The PKP schlarly cmmunicatins initiative is als abut mre than develping pen surce sftware platfrms. The intent behind this initiative has always been t prvide interested readers and researchers arund the wrld with access t a grwing crpus f pen access peer-reviewed literature. A 2009 survey f almst 1000 OJS jurnals cnfirmed well ver 80 percent had adpted an pen access mdel, amunting t an enrmus and grwing bdy f wrk acrss all subject areas and regins f the wrld. 1 The value prpsitin f the Public Knwledge Prject prvides ways fr participants t expand the academic cmmunity s ability: t imprve the public and schlarly quality f research fr the benefit f the wrld; t prvide pwerful and effective pen surce sftware that supprts the full spectrum f schlarly publishing and disseminatin prcesses; t repatriate the wnership and cntrl f research and schlarship fr the benefit f the academic cmmunity, which prduces it; 1 Brian D. Edgar and Jhn Willinsky, Survey f Schlarly Jurnals Using Open Jurnal Systems, Schlarly and Research Cmmunicatin 1(2) http://jurnals.sfu.ca/src/index.php/src/article/view/24.
t supprt the access t and use f published knwledge fr everyne -- everywhere. T supprt PKP is, in a phrase, t invest in research as a public gd. Ging frward, PKP is intrducing a new sftware mdule, Open Mngraph Press (OMP), in 2012 which will rund ut the PKP schlarly cmmunicatin suite. OMP hlds cnsiderable prmise fr revitalizing schlarly mngraphs and schlarly editins, and interest frm university presses has been high. OMP will als signal the PKP s deplyment f a Web Applicatin Library that will prvide a cutting-edge framewrk with schlarly publishing mdules shared acrss all f its applicatins. The result will be much mre efficient upgrade cycles and systems integratin, creating ease f learning acrss systems fr implementers. OMP represents PKP s cmmitment t prvide cutting-edge sftware, secure in its design and develpment. PKP has a cre sftware develpment and supprt team, experienced in wrking clsely with an active user cmmunity. It has assembled a team f utstanding schlars, librarians, and sftware develpers led by Jhn Willinsky, Khsla Family Chair f Educatin at Stanfrd University and Distinguished University Prfessr (part-time) at the University f British Clumbia. This is a grup that knws schlarly cmmunicatin frm the inside and are dedicated t increasing access t knwledge fr schlars and the wrld at large. Over the last decade, PKP sftware has matured, demnstrating its stability, integrity, and security, winning alng the way awards frm Melln and ALA. Key t this success has been the careful design f the sftware by thse experienced in the editrial prcess s that it supprts first-time users wh are new t nline management systems and jurnal publishing, while cntributing thrugh its step-by-step wrk-flws t the rigr f peer-reviewed schlarly publishing and indexing practices. PKP has als intrduced a new paradigm fr pen access jurnal aggregatin using Open Harvester Systems which has prven itself with large cntinent-wide prjects like African Jurnals Online and Asian Jurnals Online that utilize PKP sftware fr managing jurnals thrugh a cmmn prtal with cntinent-wide indexing. PKP is prpsing t make this capability readily available with a simple flick-f-a-switch ptin t set-up a new OJS jurnal r OCS cnference, ready fr use by faculty and students. Fr any library supprting this sftware as part f their schlarly cmmunicatins services, yur lcal jurnals and cnferences will be included (if yu chse) in a prpsed PKP aggregatr service using OHS. Similarly, yu will als have access t the thusands f ther OJS jurnals and OCS cnferences arund the wrld fr easy integratin in yur lcal electrnic resurce cllectins. Mre imprtantly, as part f this new initiative fr PKP 2.0, we want t find ut abut yur requirements and innvative ideas fr PKP sftware in the future. PKP s spnsrship campaign is nt just abut financial sustainability. Frm the beginning, PKP has always fcused n building an active cmmunity t drive the prject frward with new ideas, translatins, and exchanges f cde in the spirit f bth Open Surce and Open Access. We wuld like t cntinue by establishing frmal channels t slidify and further build this exchange, giving members a sense f shared directin and wnership.
Public Knwledge Prject 2.0: Organizatin and Gvernance PKP has made a cnsiderable cntributin t schlarly cmmunicatin in its first 13 years, perating as a researcher-led prject within the parameters f research and grant funded supprt. It was initiated at the University f British Clumbia and nw cunts amng its institutinal partners bth Simn Fraser University and Stanfrd University. The wrldwide grwth in the adptin f PKP sftware and the crrespnding develpment f a significant user cmmunity during the past few years has made it increasingly apparent that PKP is n lnger just a prject, but has earned fr itself a lng-term cmmitment t sustaining this new channel f pen surce schlarly cmmunicatin. This calls fr a shift t a sustainable funding mdel frm grant and award funding. PKP has been seeking prfessinal cuncil frm a number f surces n hw best t structure this refrmulatin. The rganizatinal transfrmatin f PKP will be a phased and evlutinary ne with several imprtant interim steps ccurring in the cming year. PKP is prpsing t establish its sftware develpment and management cmpnent as a separate cst centre within SFU, while als addressing basic identity issues such as trademark prtectin. PKP research activities including related grant funding will als be clearly distinguished frm the PKP sftware develpment and prductin supprt. Cncurrently, PKP will als establish several cmmunity-based advisry cmmittees t assist in the rganizatinal transitin f PKP and t determine the mst apprpriate gvernance structure. The PKP cmmunity is a diverse ne that includes jurnals, editrs, publishers, libraries, schlarly scieties, researchers, nn-gvernmental rganizatins, and advcacy grups. Members are als gegraphically dispersed with the develping wrld significantly represented. PKP already has clse partnerships with many cmmunity members and grups, especially fr translatins and sftware cntributins. Clse wrking relatinships have als been established with pen surce sftware initiatives and ther grups active in the schlarly cmmunicatins envirnment. Achieving the mst apprpriate representative balance will be a challenge. We believe these inaugural PKP cmmittees will prvide the cllective energy and insight t help PKP evlve the best rganizatinal structure t invlve and supprt ur users, and t guide ur nging sftware develpment. PKP is embarking upn an rganizatinal jurney that will result in its evlutin frm a grant funded prject t a cmmunity-based rganizatin. The transitin t a distinct entity within SFU is an imprtant first step while als prviding the administrative supprt and security f a hme site. We als think it will prvide sufficient flexibility fr PKP s cntinued rganizatinal develpment. There are many exciting ptins fr PKP t cnsider -- jining a larger cllabrative entity cmprised f similar pen surce initiatives, r becming a cmpletely independent entity at sme pint. In the meantime, we want t ensure that ur user cmmunity participates in guiding PKP t the mst apprpriate ptins fr the future.
Public Knwledge Prject 2.0: The Operating Budget After eleven years f federal, fundatin and in-kind funding fr the develpment f what is nw the wrld s leading pen surce suite f schlarly publishing systems, the scale f this Public Knwledge Prject (PKP) initiative 9,000 jurnals using OJS, 3,000 users n PKP Frum, and 1,900 cnferences using OCS calls fr a new ecnmic mdel. The new mdel will be based n revenue frm a variety f surces, including hsting services, cmmunity supprt, and research and develpment grants. We prvide here the perating budget revenue and expenses behind this new mdel. The perating expenses fr sustaining, with cntinuing develpment, the current suite f sftware and supprt systems will be apprximately ne millin dllars annually. This figure is based n the cmplexity f the systems that we are maintaining, the glbal scale f the user cmmunity that we supprt, and the current and prjected needs fr further upgrading, develpment, and integratin f the sftware systems as necessary t cntinue t prvide systems that are cmparable, if nt superir in design, t thse cmmercially available. This budget draws n a decade f experience with a distributed, lw-verhead pen surce sftware develpment team using a virtual cllabratin mdel. Table 1. PKP s Five Revenue Streams, with Annual Revenue Targets, 2012 SFU Library Lead Institutin: $100,000 cash and in-kind cntributin. Spnsring Institutin Fees: $400,000 fr peratins, upgrades and develpment. Sftware Hsting and Custm Develpment Services: $200,000. Research Grants: $200,000 frm gvernment agencies and fundatins. Develping Cuntry Supprt: $100,000 frm dnr agencies Targeted Revenue Ttal: $1 millin Team members are independent cntractrs wrking in Canada, the United States, Suth America, and Eurpe. In-kind supprt will cntinue t be prvided by the principal institutins emplying the PKP leadership team, including Simn Fraser University, Stanfrd University, and University f British Clumbia. As well, the PKP Team wrks with a highly interactive cmmunity f ver 3,000 registered members, t reslve technical challenges, sftware bugs, and ptential security issues. This cmmunity has cntributed 30 language translatins, sftware plug-ins, and directly participated in majr sftware develpment and testing initiatives. Cultivating and maintaining an pen surce user cmmunity requires central c-rdinatin. Cmmunicatin venues and apprpriate cnsultatin and participatin mechanisms have t be established and maintained. The implementatin f an nging sustainability mdel with frmal relatinships with a much larger grup f spnsring partners increases the need fr a mre
practive apprach in this area. The prpsed budget addresses this requirement, and is presented in the interests f full disclsure and transparency fr yur review. PKP invites yur cmments and questins. Table 2. PKP Annual Operating Expenses Budget fr 2012 Budget Item FTE Cst FTE Required Cst Ntes Directr & Applicatin Expert $150,000.3 $45,000 Managing Directr $105,000.5 $52,500 Cmmunity Liaisn $75,000.5 $37,500 Lead Develper $90,000 1.0 $90,000 Develpers $65,000 4.0 $260,000 Supprt Specialists $75,000 2.5 $187,500 User Interface/Web Designer $90,000.5 $45,000 System Administratr $80,000.67 $53,600 Sub-Ttal 9.17 $771,100 13 full & part-time staff Infrastructure $35,000 Servers, strage, netwrk Admin. verhead & supprt $120,915 Estimated @ 15% Cmmunity supprt activities $75,000 Cnferences & wrkshps Ttal $1,002,015
Public Knwledge Prject 2.0: The Spnsrship Prgram Academic libraries are prviding a grwing range f schlarly cmmunicatins services in supprt f the teaching and research activities underway n their campuses. The Public Knwledge Prject (PKP) is prud t have cntributed t these activities with sftware like Open Jurnal Systems (OJS); Open Cnference Systems (OCS); and Open Harvester Systems (OHS) an OAI-cmpliant metadata harvester. In 2012, we will als be releasing Open Mngraph Press (OMP) t supprt the nline publicatin f schlarly mngraphs. PKP wuld like t establish mre frmal, nging relatinships with the PKP cmmunity, especially with academic libraries and similar agencies wh have already made significant cmmitments t the prvisin f supprt and services fr schlarly cmmunicatins at their institutins. This spnsrship prgram is nly ne f the prgrams f supprt fr PKP sftware. Hsting and custm develpment services, as well as research and develpment grants, will als be used t sustain PKP. We think this cmbinatin is the best way t ensure the cntinued develpment and supprt f the PKP sftware in the lng term. We ask fr yur supprt by becming a PKP Spnsring Partner at ne f the fllwing levels: Gld PKP Spnsr: Fee $10,000 annually Access t PKP s Spnsr Truble Ticket Service (up t 8 items annually) 10% discunt n any PKP hsting r custm develpment services Invitatin t participate in annual PKP Strategic Planning Frum Invitatin t participate in PKP Partners Frum at PKP cnference Yur institutin s lg and link n the PKP web site PKP Gld Spnsr lg fr yur use Silver PKP Spnsr: Fee $5,000 annually Access t PKP s Spnsr Truble Ticket Service (up t 4 items annually) 7.5% discunt n any PKP hsting r custm develpment services Invitatin t participate in PKP Partners Frum at PKP cnference Yur institutin s lg and link n the PKP web site PKP Silver Spnsr lg fr yur use Brnze PKP Spnsr: Fee $2,500 annually Access t PKP s Spnsr Truble Ticket Service (up t 2 items annually) 5% discunt n any PKP hsting r custm develpment services Invitatin t participate in PKP Partners Frum at PKP cnference Yur institutin listed n the PKP web site PKP Brnze Spnsr lg fr yur use
What are the benefits f becming a PKP Spnsring Partner? It will ensure that PKP can cntinue t develp and imprve the sftware that plays a majr rle in yur lcal schlarly cmmunicatin services. It will als prvide tangible benefits by including special, discunted access t PKP s hsting supprt and custm develpment services. Cllectively we will identify and develp the enhancements, new features, and ptentially new systems t nurture and supprt schlarly cmmunicatins lcally, natinally, and arund the wrld. Why des PKP need Spnsring Partners nw? We expect the number f OJS installatins t pass the 10,000 mark well befre the end f 2011. We are witnessing similar uptake n ther PKP sftware such as OCS and expect similar demands n OMP when it is released in early 2012. PKP has a respnsibility t ensure that ur sftware cntinues t be free and pen; in a cntinual state f imprvement and innvatin, AND supprted as prductin quality sftware. While present levels f institutinal supprt, partnerships, and especially grant funding have allwed us t reach the successes f tday, we als knw we must develp a mre sustainable mdel fr the lng term. Our future depends n strengthened ties and supprt frm thers cmmitted t supprting alternative mdels fr schlarly publishing. We realize that many PKP sftware users are perating with very limited budgets and that the Spnsring Partner prgram may be prhibitive. Any dnatin t PKP greater than $100 will be acknwledged n a Friends f PKP website page. PKP is als lking fr a select number f sites interested in becming Develpment Partners and able t make a significant financial and in-kind cmmitment at the same level as the SFU Library. This is a very majr cmmitment and will require partners with sufficient infrastructure capacity and sftware develpment resurces. The increasingly widespread reliance f s many users n the PKP sftware necessitates the establishment f a mre rbust and redundant develpment and supprt mdel that has nt just ne majr develpment site, but ideally 3 t 5 ther sites willing t perate at this level. Interested? Fr mre details cntact: Brian Owen <Brian_Owen@sfu.ca>.
Public Knwledge Prject 2.0: Hsting and Supprt Services Since 2005, PKP, the SFU Library, and the Canadian Centre fr Studies in Publishing Press have develped a very successful range f hsting and supprt services based arund the PKP sftware suite. Current service fferings include: OJS jurnal, OCS cnference, and OHS prtal hsting; custm PKP sftware develpment; new jurnal set-up and backfiles cnversin and migratin; training and systems cnsultatin. A 2011 ARL Reprt ffered the fllwing summary f ur hsting services: The nly prgram that appears t break even, and earn a surplus t invest in sftware upgrades and additinal services, is at Simn Fraser University, which bth maintains OJS (Open Jurnal Systems) and ffers fee-based hsting services. Its campus partner, Canadian Centre fr Studies in Publishing Press (CCSP Press), ffers à la carte publishing services, which cvers planning and rientatin, submissin and review management, editrial and prductin, and business management and marketing. In thery, this partnership culd scale well t supprt mre jurnals. 2 We are currently hsting ver 350 OJS-based jurnals fr a variety f custmers including several cmmercial and pen access publishers, and several cuntry prtals spnsred by the Internatinal Netwrk fr the Availability f Scientific Publicatins (INASP). Many f ur hsted jurnals are representative f the emerging class f independent schlar-publishers lking fr a prfessinal and affrdable hsting slutin. Prvisin f hsting services has been beneficial fr PKP and ur user cmmunity. It has prvided a surce f revenue that helps t supprt the nging develpment f all PKP sftware. Our experience with hsting a large number f jurnals has als prvided pprtunities t enhance the reliability and scalability f OJS fr use in a large prductin setting. PKP s custm sftware develpment services prvide an ptin fr ur custmers t have enhancements r new features develped fr their OJS jurnals. Whenever pssible, these sftware enhancements are als incrprated int subsequent PKP sftware releases s that the entire user cmmunity als benefits frm them. Feedback frm PKP s recent cmmunity cnsultatins identified strng interest in expanding ur hsting services. It was pinted ut they prvide an appealing sftware as a service alternative fr libraries and ther sites interested in ffering schlarly cmmunicatins services, but lacking lcal infrastructure and ther necessary technical resurces. Cnsequently, ur hsting and supprt services have been identified as a key part f PKP s sustainability strategy. We are actively wrking t prvide these services in a cst-effective, scalable, and reliable manner. The bjectives are twfld: t increase the revenues t supprt nging PKP sftware develpment and related activities while als imprving the range and quality f services t ur 2 Assciatin f Research Libraries. Publishing Supprt fr Small Print Based Publishers: Optins fr ARL Libraries, February 2011: p.11. http://www.arl.rg/bm~dc/pub-supprt_7mar11.pdf
custmers. PKP will be implementing a new pricing mdel fr ur OJS jurnal hsting services. The intent is t prvide a larger range f ptins that will allw custmers t select frm a range f supprt tiers alng with mix and match value-added ptins. Our riginal hsting ptin will still be available as ur Classic service tier. We will als be intrducing tw new tiers -- Prfessinal and Enterprise -- that prvide a mre cmprehensive range f service ptins. These new levels will prvide enhanced assistance frm the PKP supprt team and ffer additinal sftware and functinal ptins such as nline advertising and website analytics fr yur jurnal. And PKP will als be intrducing a new Basic hsting ptin fr sites with very limited budgets. This will prvide a lw-cst slutin while still retaining many f the cre systems features such as data backup, regular sftware upgrades, critical patches, etc. In the cming year we will be explring the prvisin f a PKP Schlarly Cmmunicatins package. PKP will wrk with yu t cnfigure and implement the full suite f PKP sftware alng with yur lk and feel and integrate it where pssible with ther lcal systems and services. The Schlarly Cmmunicatins package culd either be installed n yur system directly r maintained n ur hst servers. As part f this full service package, we can als prvide n-site cnsulting and training wrkshps fr lcal users f OJS and ther PKP sftware. We wuld be delighted t wrk with several sites as early adpters. Interested? Fr mre details cntact: Kevin Stranack <kstranac@sfu.ca>.