CHR and George Mason Libraries present “Open Access Publishing and the Humanities: Mapping the Terrain"
A Panel with OA Publishers
Monday, March 23, 2026 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM EDT
HYBRID- Horizon Hall 6325 and Zoom
A new series for 2025-26!
George Mason Libraries and the Center for Humanities Research are collaborating on an event series entitled “Open Access Publishing and the Humanities: Mapping the Terrain.”
Please join us for our second discussion, “Models for Scholarly Articles," where we'll speak with leading OA publishers in the humanities. The event will be hybrid, with both an in-person and virtual audience, and with our speakers joining us virtually.
FOOD AND DRINK PROVIDED!
We’re gathering faculty, staff, and students who are invested in or curious about OA publishing to have a wide-ranging conversation with publishers about OA infrastructure in the humanities (what’s out there, how can we find/access it, where do we begin if we’re interested in publishing OA scholarship) and the promise of the OA enterprise (how can OA help bring scholars at under-resourced institutions into dialogue with the wider academic world, how can OA materials serve a bridge/conduit to wider audiences both within the academy and beyond, some of whom may view universities and scholarly work in the humanities with a good deal of skepticism). We are especially interested in thinking through possibilities of and models for OA journals and scholarly articles.
Organizers: Meg Meiman, Catherine Olien, Anne Osterman, Alok Yadav
Moderator: Meg Meiman is the Associate University Librarian for Learning, Research, and Engagement at George Mason University Libraries. Prior to coming to GMU, Meg was the Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources and Services at Georgetown University Library for three years, and the Head of Teaching and Learning at Indiana University Libraries for four years. She has also had the fantastically good fortune of working with motivated students at Smith College, the University of Delaware, and American University, and has written (via her dissertation) about the changing ways humanities scholars conduct research.
Speakers:
Stephanie Kaelin is Co‑Head of Library Sales, Americas at Cambridge University Press. With nearly 20 years of experience in academic publishing, she leads strategic initiatives and supports sales teams across Canada, the eastern United States, and Latin America. Her work includes developing collaborative, value‑driven approaches that support transparency and trust between libraries and publishers.
Sharla Lair is the Lead Strategist for Open Scholarship at Lyrasis, where she shapes programs that help libraries and scholarly communication communities move toward a more open, equitable, and sustainable future. She manages the Lyrasis Open Access Community Investment Program (OACIP), which supports community-driven funding models rooted in transparency and collaboration. Through her work with OACIP and service on several advisory boards in the global open access community, Sharla strengthens shared understanding of open scholarship and fosters broader participation in models that center community needs and values.
Rebecca Seger is the Vice President, Institutional Participation and Strategic Partnerships at ITHAKA, the not-for-profit that owns JSTOR, and is responsible for developing their global outreach strategy. Rebecca has worked with libraries throughout her 30-year publishing career. Prior to coming to ITHAKA in 2019, Rebecca worked for Oxford University Press. During her tenure there, she focused on product development, sales and marketing of ebooks, databases and journals, and building relationships with the library community. She was part of the teams that developed University Press Scholarship Online, Oxford Reference Online, and Oxford Scholarly Editions Online.
