C4DISC announces new opportunities for scholarly publishing professionals to demonstrate commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity

September 15, 2020 – The Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications (C4DISC) is pleased to announce that it is now accepting new members, partners, and volunteers. C4DISC was originally formed in 2017 by a small group of trade and professional associations, to discuss and address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the scholarly communications industry.

Since then, the founding members have met regularly to establish a joint statement of principles, and define the organization’s mission, vision, and values. Over the past year, with the generous support of Educopia, C4DISC engaged in the formal process of developing an operational model. Under this governance structure, two of the founding member organizations, the Society for Scholarly Publishing and the Association of University Presses, will serve as joint host organizations.

“We are pleased to be one of the founding members of this Coalition, working together towards inclusive practices within the scholarly communications ecosystem and in keeping with our Association’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity, and anti-racism,” said Peter Berkery, Executive Director, Association of University Presses.

The goal of C4DISC is to increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in scholarly communications while valuing differences, welcoming diverse perspectives, learning from different communities, making space for marginalized voices, and eliminating barriers. Supported by an expanded membership, C4DISC will be able to meaningfully engage in DEI work within the scholarly communication ecosystem.

There are several ways that individuals and organizations can participate in making our community more inclusive, equitable, diverse, and accessible. In an attempt to focus our efforts and achieve maximum impact, formal membership in C4DISC is limited to consortial members that represent the organizations and individuals who work in scholarly communications. Other organizations can get involved and have a voice in C4DISC initiatives directly as Partners.

Individuals and organizations can also contribute to the work of C4DISC by volunteering their time through working groups, making a donation, or joining the more than 40 organizations that have already expressed their support for improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in scholarly communications by adopting C4DISC’s Statement of Principles. Those interested can learn more at C4DISC.org.

“The MIT Press is committed to embracing and supporting all who seek to contribute to scholarly communications, especially historically marginalized and underrepresented groups,” said Amy Brand, director of the MIT Press. “We are proud to adopt the C4DISC Statement of Principles as we work to advance equity, inclusion, diversity and accessibility within the academic publishing ecosystem.”

C4DISC will create several working groups to engage in concrete actions that will improve DEI in scholarly communications. Two of these groups will continue the work started by the initiative, “Toolkits for Equity: Transforming Scholarly Publishing Communities,” whose first toolkit is available on the C4DISC website.

“The Library Publishing Coalition (LPC) is proud to be a founding member of C4DISC. While the LPC represents a robust and growing network of libraries, we are acutely aware that persons of color are significantly underrepresented in library publishing. By collaborating with other organizations to support C4DISC, the LPC hopes to change scholarly communications for the better”, said Scott Warren, LPC Board Member and Associate Dean for Research Excellence at the Syracuse University Libraries.

About C4DISC
C4DISC is a membership organization for industry and professional associations that addresses diversity and inclusion issues in scholarly communications. Its vision is a socially just community that welcomes, values, and celebrates all who seek to contribute to scholarly communications, and its mission is to work with organizations and individuals to build equity, inclusion, diversity, and accessibility in scholarly communications. C4DISC welcomes other scholarly communications organizations to join as members or partners and to adopt the Joint Statement of Principles C4DISC; please contact Melanie Dolechek at c4disc@gmail.com for more information.