Digital-First Publishing with IU Libraries

Since its launch in 2023, IU Libraries Publishing has published three books. 

• Through the Looking Glass: I. Why Cross-Fertilize? (2024) by Curt Lively, Distinguished Professor, Biology, IU
• Afterthought: A Family Story(2024), by Heather Akou, Professor, Fashion Design, IU
• Making Indiana University: History, Landscape, and a Sense of Place(2026), by James Capshew, retired University Historian and professor emeritus in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine.

One area that IU Libraries Publishing supports is work related to Indiana University, Indiana, and the Midwest.  That made James Capshew’s Making Indiana University: History, Landscape, and a Sense of Place a particularly fitting publication for the program. Published in 2026 in both open access and paperback editions, Making Indiana University traces how IU’s identity has been shaped by its landscape, history, and cultural narratives. 

On Thursday, April 23, IU Libraries hosted Capshew for an IU-themed Q&A at the Wylie House Museum, the focus of Chapter 10.

The open access book includes 15 illustrations by local illustrator Joe Lee, commissioned by Capshew for the project. Taking advantage of the possibilities of digital publishing, it also includes an interactive map showing the university’s expansion over time. A many-times published author, this was Capshew’s first digital book. He has also published two print books through IU Press and the Indiana Historical Society.

At no charge to him, the manuscript went through copyediting, revisions, queries, and fact and reference checking. “That’s a huge benefit for an author,” Capshew said. He also noted that Mazel designed the cover of both the open access and paperback versions. “The library is doing this because people need help in getting their work out,” said Capshew. “I think it works very well.”

Capshew said his primary goal is to make the book widely available. “I’m not doing it for money, but to spread knowledge of the university,” he said. “I want this information available to the public.”

IU Libraries Publishing operates on a digital-first, open access model grounded in four key commitments: 

1. Access in multiple forms.
   • Books are free to read and free to publish, removing financial barriers for both readers and authors.
   • Authors retain copyright, retaining ownership of and control over their work.
   • Publications are designed for accessibility to support readers with disabilities. Publications may be in multiple languages to lower linguistic barriers.
   • Publications are in multiple formats (including HTML, EPUB, PDF, and paperback) so readers can read the book in their format of choice.
2. Digital-first publishing.  IU Libraries Publishing publishes digitally so authors can incorporate multimedia, interactive elements, and data-driven scholarship—and, when relevant, share the underlying code.
3. Expanded definitions of scholarship. In addition to monographs, the program publishes conference proceedings, reports, translations, and other long-form works that may not fit conventional publishing models but have clear intellectual or public value.
4. Broader audiences. The program encourages works that maintain scholarly rigor while also engaging readers beyond academia. 

Like traditional scholarly publishers, IU Libraries Publishing provides a full range of publishing services, including evaluation, copyediting, design and production, dissemination and discoverability, and archiving and preservation.

IU Libraries Publishing operates alongside Indiana University Press, as part of IU Libraries’ broader publishing ecosystem. These publishing initiatives are led by Associate Dean for Organizational Strategy and Scholarly Communication, Erin Ellis. 

She said,“IU Press is an essential and valuable part of the publishing ecosystem. As a nonprofit, academy-driven publisher, IU Press prioritizes the wide distribution of rigorous, peer-reviewed scholarship over generating profits. We need university presses as leaders and partners in advancing authoritative information and knowledge in service to the public good.” 

Ellis goes on to explain the need for IU Libraries Publishing. “Unfortunately, many nonprofit publishers have closed or have been acquired by for-profit, commercial publishers. A landscape with fewer academy- and scholar-driven publishers, and more profit-driven publishers, nearly guarantees that large amounts of scholarly work is costly to publish and access," she said.  "IU Libraries Publishing is one way we’re responding to rising costs of producing, disseminating, and accessing scholarship.” 

“We want to complement IU Press and work alongside our colleagues there,” Mazel said. “Our models differ—market-oriented and often print-first on one hand, and open access and digital-first on the other—but they can reinforce each other. Together they allow us to support a wider range of authors, projects, and audiences.” 

Authors are regularly asked to pay a publication fee or to provide funds to offset publishing costs in order for their work to be open access. “What we have is a system where IU authors produce their scholarly work and someone – the author, the library, or the university – has to either pay to get it published or pay to have it made accessible. In some cases, it’s both,” said Ellis. 

IU Press is an established scholarly publisher with a global reputation that remains a cornerstone of IU’s scholarly publishing enterprise. IU Libraries Publishing is a newer program for open access projects that may not fit traditional publishing frameworks. Together, with additional programs in Scholarly Communications, these programs form a coordinated publishing ecosystem that supports both open access and traditional publishing. 

IU Libraries Publishing is currently accepting proposals for books and other long-form works. 

The program is particularly interested in projects that: 

• Engage audiences beyond the academy
• Experiment with digital, multimedia, or other innovative forms of scholarly and creative expression
• Address local, regional, or institutional topics 

Proposals are reviewed for intellectual quality and impact by an advisory board that includes IU faculty, librarians, and IU Press staff.

“We’re interested in excellent work that might not otherwise find a home,” Mazel said. “That includes niche or experimental projects, as well as work intended for audiences beyond specialists.” 

“This is still a growing program,” Mazel said. “The proposals we receive will help shape what it becomes.”