Penn State University Press implemented Virtusales’ BiblioLIVE publishing management system and achieved a 69% year on year increase in output from 11 journals in 2011 to 64 in 2018.
The Challenge PSU Press were using lots of different standalone spreadsheets and systems that did not communicate with each other at all. This made overall management of the business and identifying key areas for efficiency and improvements very difficult, particularly with the increasing volume of journals that the organisation was taking on. It also led to inaccuracies throughout the journal management process, from website updates all the way to the final printed version of the journal. The Solution BiblioLIVE Bibliographic and Production "We were looking for a system that would primarily help improve our efficiency and productivity. We are a not-for-profit organisation, so minimising costs is essential and we could see that Biblio would allow us to achieve more in less time and with fewer errors." Diana Pesek, Journals Production Manager, PSU Press Selection Process Having looked at several systems, both book and journal publishing specific, PSU Press selected BiblioLIVE based on its functionality, scalability and cost-effectiveness. Diana Pesek, Journals Production Manager for PSU Press, explains, “We were looking for a system that would primarily help improve our efficiency and productivity. We are a not-for profit organisation, so minimising costs is essential and we could see that Biblio would allow us to achieve more in less time and with fewer errors.” PSU Press implemented Virtusales’ BiblioLIVE publishing management system to help resolve the issue of multiple data sources resulting in inaccurate published journals. BiblioLIVE allows PSU Press to keep all journal specific information, contacts, and schedules in one database and this allows everyone in the journals department to access, update and share accurate information. There is no longer a need for individuals to keep their own data on multiple, disparate spreadsheets.
Why Virtusales
Publishing-specific software provider
Single, centralised system greatly reduces chances of errors in published works
Cost-effective and fully scalable
Cloud-based software provides remote, 24/7 access for all users
Accurate Reporting
Diana Pesek says, “Creating meaningful, accurate reports is a key requirement for PSU Press and is something that we are working hard to develop with the help of Virtusales. We are learning to run reports that are very useful to us. We use a range of reports that help us reduce operational costs, save time and increase journal production within the organisation. We can also produce reports that allow us to accurately predict project costs for future years. These reports are particularly useful at budget time.” "We can also produce reports that allow us to accurately predict project costs for future years. These reports are particularly useful at budget time." Diana Pesek, Journals Production Manager, PSU Press
Increased Operational Capacity
Biblio has quickly become an essential part of the PSU Press operations, as Diana explains, “All of this work of sharing information between editors, journals and the website would have to be done manually or maybe not at all. It would be a laborious process that I’m not sure would be accomplished with the current number of positions in the journals department.” Diana Pesek concludes, “A big advantage of the system has been the scheduling and reporting capabilities for production. Using Biblio, we have established annual schedules for each journal in consultation with the editor and we provide an annual report showing the due dates for manuscripts. This has been essential in managing the editorial offices and outlining our expectations for receiving submissions and coordinating production with our vendors. We expect the increased efficiency and productivity provided by using Biblio will allow us to meet our objectives of continuing to acquire new journals.” All of this work of sharing information [...] would have to be done manually or maybe not at all. It would be a laborious process that I'm not sure would be accomplished with the current number of positions in the journals department. Diana Pesek, Journals Production Manager, PSU Press
Benefits of BiblioLIVE
69% year on year increase in output from 11 journals in 2011 to 64 in 2018, with one less staff member
Content managed at multiple levels including article, issue, volume and journal
Single system to manage product metadata, schedules and production costs
Achieving more in less time
Improved efficiency and productivity
Accurate project costs for years to come
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