Editorial

Embracing an Open Future

Rachel Scott and Michael Fernandez

As alluded to in our last few editorials, there are some exciting changes on the horizon for Library Resources & Technical Services, beginning with our move to being fully open access starting in 2023. A good deal of work has been happening behind the scenes to bring this move to fruition, both among the LRTS editors as well as in conjunction with the editors at our Core sister publications (Information Technology and Libraries and Library Leadership & Management) and the Core Executive Board. While there is still much work to be done at this stage, we hope to be able to share more information with our readers soon, so watch this space as well as other Core information channels such as ALA Connect. In anticipation of kicking off the next year as a fully open access publication, we are happy to devote this editorial to a call for papers devoted to the impacts of open access on technical services work.

The editors of Library Resources & Technical Services invite submissions on the topic of open access to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the journal moving to zero-embargo open access in January 2023. Submissions may deal with any aspect of open access relevant within the scope of LRTS to publish research focused in the areas of collections, scholarly communications, acquisitions, and cataloging. Welcome topics include, but are not limited to:

• Negotiation of transformative agreements
• Publisher and librarian open access collaborations 
• Role of the institutional repository in supporting open access
• Factoring open access into serials management
• Reimagining technical services workflows to support open access
• Acquisition models that support open access publishing
• Developing library or institutional open access principles and practices 
• Intersections of open access and DEI initiatives
• Open access as a mechanism to make scholarly communication more equitable
• Leveraging open access materials to diversify collections 
• Best practices for cataloging open access materials
• Optimizing the discovery of open access materials
• Partnerships outside of the library to support open access
• Advocacy for open access publishing options

Manuscripts should be prepared according to the author guidelines and submitted via the journal’s OJS system. Manuscripts received by July 7, 2023, will be considered for the special issue; those received after the deadline may be published in a later issue. All studies will undergo double anonymous peer-review. Essays, interviews, and shorter format submissions are welcome; editors reserve the right for these to be peer or editorially reviewed. Please email Rachel Scott (rescot2@ilstu.edu) and Michael Fernandez (michael.fernandez@yale.edu) with any questions. 

In this issue of LRTS:

• Sean P. Kennedy, Melanie J. McGurr, and Kevin R. Garewal share findings from a survey that investigates “Manager Perspectives on the Prevalence, Impact, and Management of Work-Related Burnout in Academic Library Technical Services Workers.” The authors highlight the negative impacts of burnout on both employees and organizations and offer research-supported practices that may mitigate and prevent work-related burnout.
• In “More Inclusive Collection Development: Considering the Information Needs of Researchers from Outside the Subject Area of Communication,” Lisa Romero demonstrates how librarians might consider the research needs of those outside of a given discipline or subject area via citation analysis. Romero makes the case for inclusive approaches given the increased interest in and practice of interdisciplinary research.
• Book reviews