University of Alberta Library’s Community Approach to Flipping a Journal
2026 Library Publishing Showcase Week: Cultivating the Commons
Journal of Aboriginal Economic Development (JAED)
Published by the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (Cando) and University of Alberta Library
The Journal of Aboriginal Economic Development (JAED) was established over 25 years ago with the support of Cando. The first journal on Indigenous economic development in Canada, JAED brings insights from communities, policy makers and academics to folks on the ground. Flipping JAED to an open access online publication extended the reach, impact, and accessibility of the journal.
Communities support journals
In It Takes a Village to Flip a Journal: Reflections from the 2024 CRKN Virtual Conference, Jessica Dallaire-Clark (Érudit), Katie Cuyler (University of Alberta Libraries), Jeanette Hatherill (Coalition Publica), and Wanda Wuttunee (University of Manitoba) describe the transformation of JAED from a subscription-based print publication to a fully digital, open access publication, publishing with the University of Alberta Library and the Érudit platform.
Why library publishing?
Publishing with the Library was a good fit because it allowed for the journal to move to fully digital dissemination at no cost to the journal. The Library, with expertise in preservation and access, was able to make all back issues openly available and discoverable. Partnering with Érudit has provided additional channels for indexing and dissemination, and membership in Coalition Publica provides financial support to the journal. These partnerships, which have strong connections in the Canadian Library Publishing community, help ensure the journal can continue their impactful work going forward.