[Eril-l] Register for the 5th Annual LyrOpen Fair (March 24-April 2)

Tue Mar 3 13:53:13 PST 2026

Dear colleagues:

Lyrasis is delighted to announce the *5th Annual LyrOpen Fair*
<https://lyrasis.org/lyropen-fair/>, which will be held virtually from
March 24 to April, 2026, with five webinars exploring the concept of Open
from an array of perspectives, both US-based and international.

*Everyone is welcome to attend, and all sessions are free.* Sessions will
be recorded for those unable to attend. Detailed information about each
session is provided below. *Please register
<https://lyrasis.org/lyropen-fair/>* for any or all of the sessions and
join us for this exciting annual event.

*SESSION #1: Planting Seeds for Sustainability*

*Description:* This webinar will bring together partners that support
publishers participating in Opening the Future to reflect on the role their
infrastructures play in the program’s success. Speakers will discuss how
established services underpin the discovery, distribution, and long term
sustainability of open access books, work that is often essential yet
largely invisible. The conversation will highlight how these partners,
operating alongside one another, support knowledge mobility and contribute
to sustainable approaches to open access book publishing across different
disciplinary communities and regions. We’ll also talk about ways in which
this community can be brought together to share knowledge and advocate
collaboratively in making OA books freely available to all, globally,
through Opening the Future.

   - *Date/Time:* Tuesday, March 24, 12:00-1:00 pm Eastern
   - *Registration: *
   *https://lyrasis.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Y0rncSVTTdmNtgvTchCcpw*
   <https://lyrasis.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Y0rncSVTTdmNtgvTchCcpw>
   - *Speakers: *
      - Jason Colman, Director of Publishing Services, Michigan Publishing
      - Philip Hearn, Publisher Relations Manager for Books, Project MUSE
      - Stephanie Kitchen, Co-director, African Books Collective
      - *Robin N. Sinn*, Interim Associate University Librarian and
      Director of Collections & Open Strategies, Iowa State University Library

*SESSION #2: Publishing for Change: The Value of Diamond Open Access
Journals *

   - *Description*: When investments in Diamond Open Access journals are
   considered in academic libraries, the deliberations often hinge on
   demonstrating the local return on investment. This is not an easy task
   given that go-to methods of assessing a journal’s value rely on the number
   of affiliated scholars engaging with the journal, proxies of prestige, and
   quantitative usage data. These criteria reinforce the dominance of
   long-running publications embedded within commercial research and
   publishing infrastructure that has been designed to track such metrics. How
   can we make our evaluation processes more open to innovative, experimental
   journals that are committed to changing the publishing status quo and
   giving back to their communities? In this webinar, editors of the Diamond
   Open Access journals *Global Social Challenges Journal* and *Language,
   Literature, and Interdisciplinary Studies* will encourage attendees to
   consider the values that underlie a journal when assessing its value. The
   speakers will provide specific examples of how they align their publishing
   practices with the values of their stakeholder communities. They will also
   speak to the transformative potential of community investment in Diamond
   Open Access and share how funding received through the Lyrasis Open Access
   Community Investment Program (OACIP) has helped sustain their journals.
   - *Date/Time*: Thursday, March 26, 10:00-11:00 am Eastern
   - *Registration: *
   *https://lyrasis.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3DW4r9bITc6WxJVbHdU-iw*
   <https://lyrasis.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3DW4r9bITc6WxJVbHdU-iw>
   - *Speakers*:
      - Katie Foxall, Senior Journals Development Editor, Bristol
      University Press
      - Nikita Goel, Editor, *Language, Literature, and Interdisciplinary
      Studies*

*SESSION #3: Understanding the Impact of Open: Library Experiences from the
Field *

   - *Description: *Join us for an engaging conversation with librarians
   who are at the forefront of advancing open scholarship from a research and
   scholarly impact perspective. This session will highlight the evolving work
   of librarians who support researchers, institutions, and communities in
   understanding and demonstrating the impact of open access, open
   infrastructure, and open science practices. Panelists will share practical
   insights into how they define, assess, and communicate the impact of open
   research across different contexts. This webinar offers an opportunity to
   learn from experienced practitioners, ask questions, and reflect on the
   role of openness in shaping the future of research.
   - *Date/Time: *Friday, March 27, 12:00-1:00 pm Eastern
   - *Registration: *
   *https://lyrasis.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fY_3SEpDRHWQsNk-ga76cg*
   <https://lyrasis.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fY_3SEpDRHWQsNk-ga76cg>
   - *Speakers:*
      - Sheila Craft-Morgan, Research Impact Librarian and Assistant
      Professor, The Ohio State University
      - Rachel Borchardt, Scholarly Communications Librarian, American
      University
      - Ameet Doshi, Head, Donald E. Stokes Library, Princeton University

*SESSION #4: AI & Open Access: Misconceptions, Opportunities, Risks *

   - *Description*: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) creates
   opportunities and risks for the scholarly communication ecosystem,
   especially in the context of open access publishing and platforms. In this
   webinar, a group of community experts will engage in a wide-ranging panel
   discussion about open access in the context of AI. Panelists will address
   common misconceptions about AI, explore ethical and human-centered
   applications of AI tools, and discuss key intersections between AI and OA
   in licensing, publishing, and libraries. This conversation will give
   attendees a deeper understanding of the ways AI might shape our
   increasingly Open future.
   - *Date/Time*: Tuesday, March 31, 2:00-3:00 pm Eastern
   - *Registration: *
   *https://lyrasis.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gwEi37HGRK6y7QqL18KTHw*
   <https://lyrasis.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gwEi37HGRK6y7QqL18KTHw>
   - *Speakers*:
      - Colleen Cressman, Librarian for Open Publishing, Harvard Library
      - Melanie Gainey, Director of Open Science & Data Collaborations
      Program, Carnegie Mellon University Libraries
      - Dave Hansen, Executive Director, Authors Alliance
      - Anna Wałek, Head of Technology, OAPEN Foundation

*SESSION #5: Open as an Institutional Asset: Advancing Shared Goals through
Cross-Campus Collaboration*

   - *Description:* “Open” practices (open access, open infrastructure,
   open science, and related initiatives) are increasingly central to how
   universities advance their core missions in research, teaching, and public
   service. While libraries are often leaders in the “open” space,
   cross-campus collaboration is essential to support openness as a shared
   institutional asset and a foundation for sustainable, impactful
   scholarship. This webinar will provide an overview of why “open” matters
   beyond the library, with perspectives from research administrators and
   librarians at three public universities. We’ll hear how universities are
   supporting institutional priorities, such as research integrity, scholarly
   impact, policy compliance, and trust, through partnerships on “open”
   initiatives.
   - *Date/Time: *Thursday, April 2, 1:00-2:00 pm Eastern
   - *Registration: *
   *https://lyrasis.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dmhcPvt3SfCVYF89s-qGBQ*
   <https://lyrasis.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dmhcPvt3SfCVYF89s-qGBQ>
   - *Speakers:*
      - Lori Schultz, Assistant Vice President for Research Administration,
      Colorado State University
      - Catherine Stollar-Peters, Director of Research Data and Strategy
      for the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development, State
      University of New York (SUNY) system
      - Jeremy Katz, Research Impact Librarian, Florida State University

Many thanks,

Michael Rodriguez, on behalf of the Lyrasis Content & Scholarly
Communication Initiatives team
<https://lyrasis.org/content-and-scholarly-communication-team/>
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