New Directions in Open Access

SSP’s 2021 New Directions Seminar is a deep dive into the breakneck speed in which our industry is currently transitioning, transforming, and evolving, while also recognizing and highlighting the limits (and uncomfortable consequences) of moving too quickly. Topics covered in the seminar include new pressures on scholarship and science communication in a post-Covid world; new Open Access and funding models; the drive toward diversity and inclusion in workplaces and publications; the surge in preprints and the demand for accelerated publishing workflows; emerging metrics of impact; and the latest—and truly exciting—developments in tools, techniques, and technology that drive our industry forward. Speakers will examine these issues through the lens of the “need for speed” and how to find the right cadence or risk slamming on the breaks. Join us as we explore how we can respond quickly to changing conditions within the scholarly publishing industry and community, and work towards reaching a universal speed—hopefully, without breaking things.

Heather Staines is Senior Consultant at Delta Think and Director of Community Engagement for the OA Data Analytics Tool. She currently holds the record for human with the highest number of annotations. She is a frequent speaker and participant at industry events including the COUNTER Board of Directors, the Charleston Library Conference, the STM Futurelab, Society for Scholarly Publishing, Council of Science Editors. She has a Ph.D. in Military and Diplomatic History from Yale University.

Sara Rouhi is the new Director of Open Science and Publishing Innovation, reporting to Chief Publishing Officer, Penelope Lewis. Rouhi is charged with developing new publishing models and sustainable business strategies to accelerate AIPP’s mission to advance open, equitable research communication and empower researchers to accelerate global progress. Sara joins AIP Publishing from Public Library of Science (PLOS) where she was Regional Director, Publishing Development, The Americas. In this role she focused on engaging with high-level stakeholders, including funders, policymakers, and institutional leaders in local scholarly communication ecosystems. Before this role she built up PLOS’ institutional business models and partnership base as Director of Strategic Partnerships, launching three new, non-APC business models (including the 2021 ALPSP Innovation in Publishing award winner, Community Action Publishing) and implemented over 200+ partnerships globally. Sara is active in the scholarly communications community as a volunteer and thought leader, speaking frequently on open access, equity in publishing, and diversity in scholarly communications. She is was Board Member for the Society of Scholarly Publishing (SSP) from 2022-204 and was the recipient of SSP’s Emerging Leader award in 2015. She is active in the Washington DC improv comedy scene with her troupe Sistine Robot and she tweets/bleets @RouhiRoo and @RouhiRoo.bsky.social.

Susan Doerr is Associate Director of the University of Minnesota Press with experience in literary, corporate, and scholarly publishing and distribution. At the University of Minnesota Press, Susan led the development the digital publishing program, expanded of Minnesota’s journals program, and established systems that increased annual fundraising support. Susan has served on the AUPresses Board of Directors and is a past President of the Minnesota Book Publishers Roundtable. Susan is a co-founder of Manifold, a web-based platform for publishing scholarly works that was developed in collaboration with the Graduate Center Digital Scholarship Lab at the City University of New York and the digital development agency, Cast Iron Coding.