2026-2027
Committee Roster
Elizabeth Demers, Michigan State, Co-Chair (sherbur1 AT msu DOT edu)
Stacy Lavin, North Carolina, Co-Chair (stacy DOT lavin AT uncpress DOT org)
Eric Brandt, Virginia
Cosette Bruhns Alonso, Brown
Catherine Cocks, Syracuse
Chelsea Johnson, MIT
Jasmine Mulliken, Stanford
Sandra Shaw, Toronto
Wikus Van Zyl, UJ
Minlei Ye, CUHK
Vanessa de Beuger, Knowledge Unlatched, special advisor
Board Liaison
Brent Oberlin, MIT
Central Office Liaison
Brenna McLaughlin
Charge
General Objectives:
- Support the Association’s members as they respond to changes in the publishing environment as a result of Open Access (OA) publishing by developing and managing a resource center, strengthening external partnerships, and identifying viable options for ensuring the transition to open is equitable.
Specific Charges to the Open Access Committee:
- Implement plan for publication and ongoing curation of resource library.
- Develop appropriate programming throughout the year, including for the annual meeting.
- Seek ways to determine how Open Access publications—books and journals—are accounted for in member press’s businesses and operations; in particular, consult with program staff (and other committees, especially Business Operations) on whether any standardized OA program funding and operations numbers might be incorporated into Association statistical programs.
- Consider best practices for membership eligibility criteria regarding OA presses.
Common Charges to All Committees of the Association:
- Submit reports on Committee activities to the Association Board in time for its October, March, and June meetings. Interim reports are due on 12 October 2026, and 26 February 2027; final reports that recap all committee activities for the year and are shared with the membership are due 31 May 2027. Follow guidelines for preparing reports found in the Chair Handbook in the Committee and Task Force Chairs Group on UP Commons.
- Follow all guidelines and requirements published in the AUPresses Chair Handbook, including those regarding the use of UP Commons, inclusion of board and staff liaisons, scheduling webinars & hangouts, and any research or survey projects.
- Appoint a member of your committee, ideally not the chair or cochair, to serve as a liaison to the Equity, Justice, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee. This role provides updates on your committee’s efforts in support of equity and inclusion, seeks information, support, or guidance on EJIB matters as needed, and attends a Fall meeting for liaisons hosted by EJIB Committee.
- Prior to the deadline for the annual meeting Call for Proposals, suggest one or more panel or speaker ideas to the Annual Meeting Program Committee.
- Consider nominating a member of your committee, or a member of the community with whom your committee interacts, for the AUPresses Constituency Award when announced.
- Review your General Objective and Specific Tasks at the end of the service year and recommend changes for next year to the Executive Director.