2016 Charleston Library Conference

Undergraduate and graduate students are increasingly being encouraged to work with faculty and researchers to generate traditional scholarship as well as other types of projects that feature original content. Through this process, students are more frequently taking on roles as researchers, authors, and publishers. Student scholarship and student-run publications are valuable to the scholarly record, representing the nascent activities of the next generation of scholars, but also serving as an academic playground for emergent forms of publishing and media. Furthermore, students who manage publications gain practical skills that transfer to a variety of careers in academia and private industry. However, student publications are often struggling and somewhat invisible. They face many of the same sustainability problems affecting the broader publishing industry and unique problems inherent in student publications. These groups frequently need (and often seek) a combination of professional mentorship and a forum for peer group interactions to advance their publishing goals.

At our respective institutions, we continue to be delighted and impressed by the variety and quality of student-generated media, ranging from traditional scholarly journals, to web-based peer-reviewed journals, newspapers, literary, cultural, and political magazines, and more. Libraries, library publishers, and university presses have the expertise and resources needed to help build a community of practice for student publications. Attendees will learn about models for student engagement and library-press collaboration as a librarian, two publishers, and a student editor share their recent experiences and future aspirations in working together to support the vibrant and diverse publications on their campuses.