Librarians are defending access, equity, and the right to knowledge—often while navigating shrinking budgets, rising costs, and an increasingly polarized environment. You shouldn’t have to face this alone.
Across the globe, higher education and libraries are under pressure unlike anything I’ve seen in my nearly 20 years in academic publishing. In the US, legislation is reshaping what can be taught, what books can be read, and even what ideas can be explored. In the UK, deepening cuts are undermining programs that support access and equity. Around the world, political and cultural divides are narrowing the space for inquiry and public dialogue.
Librarians stand at the front lines of this reality. You are defending access, equity, and the right to knowledge—often while navigating shrinking budgets, rising costs, and an increasingly polarized environment. At a time when misinformation spreads faster than ever, your role as a steward of truth and trusted information has never been more essential.
You shouldn’t have to face this alone. Universities now need more than content; they need transformation. And libraries need partners who can help uphold academic freedom, inclusion, and open inquiry.
For publishers, this moment calls for more than business as usual. It calls for solidarity. At Emerald Publishing, we believe that to create an equitable research and publishing environment where all voices are heard and represented, our role must stretch beyond publisher to partner.
This year, as pressures on intellectual freedom intensified, we chose to act. We became the first scholarly publisher to partner with the EveryLibrary Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to defending libraries and intellectual freedom. Together, we launched a webinar series designed for academic librarians navigating policy and funding threats at the state and federal levels, providing practical strategies and creating a space for shared learning.
We also became the first organization to sign the #DefendResearch declaration, a collective statement against censorship and in support of academic freedom. Before we knew how this would be received by our authors and customers, we knew we needed to resist censorship, promote open dialogue, and ensure that academic freedom remains a cornerstone of scholarly communication. Scholarship cannot thrive when voices are silenced or inquiry is controlled. Our responsibility as publishers must extend to protecting the conditions that make rigorous, open research possible.
How do we foster equity and impact in such a divided landscape? We return to the purpose that drove a group of practitioner-focused academics to found Emerald in 1967. We were built on the belief that research should not live only in elite circles but should drive change in classrooms, boardrooms, and communities.
That ethos continues to shape our work. We focus on mission-led research: studies that tackle real-world challenges, influence policy, and make measurable differences in people’s lives, such as eliminating hunger and tech trends in healthcare. Our latest mission asks, “should billionaires exist?” and our content continues to play a part in reshaping society, from systemic approaches to gender equity that have improved women’s health outcomes, to inclusive education models that have transformed classrooms. From studies of class segregation that have informed policy, research on carbon capture and 3D printing that advanced climate solutions, to fintech innovations that have expanded financial inclusion, these are some of the topics that our content has explored.
We see scholarship as a living tool for societal improvement. We firmly believe research should be a force for real change, driving progress in society. That is why we focus on impact, purpose, and collaboration.
For academic libraries, this mission is not abstract. It means offering your communities access to research that reflects global realities and diverse perspectives. Emerald’s authors come from more than 140 countries, ensuring that students and researchers can encounter ideas and evidence from across the world.
It also means ensuring you have a voice. Our extensive collection in library and information science (LIS)—including the oldest continuously published LIS journal, Information and Learning Sciences, and Internet Research, which published Tim Berners-Lee’s first paper on the World Wide Web—continues to evolve alongside your changing role. From data stewardship to digital literacy, our goal is to provide content that helps you anticipate, not just respond to, the shifts ahead.
In a fragmented world, silence is not an option. Librarians are among the last defenders of open inquiry, and we stand with you. That is why Emerald continues to choose collaboration over competition, mission over metrics, and impact over prestige.
We believe the future of publishing lies not in who owns the content, but in who stands up for it.
Together, we can ensure scholarship remains free to challenge power, dismantle inequality, and confront the crises of our time.
If you would like to hear more about Emerald’s mission and our work with the library community, I genuinely would love to chat directly. You can reach me at [email protected] where I would be happy to connect, or come chat with any of the team at an upcoming event.
Visit: https://www.emerald.com/publishing
Meet us at the Charleston Conference (Stand #87) or attend one of our Charleston sessions:
Attend our next webinar with The EveryLibrary Institute:
Register: https://www.everylibraryinstitute.org/accreditation_webinar_oct2025
10.1146/katina-102325-1
