Defining and achieving success in the movement to change scholarly communication

In the pursuit to change scholarly communication, libraries have undertaken a number of initiatives. These may include establishing a formal program, creating a committee, or taking other concerted actions at their institutions. While librarians have been engaged in targeted activities for some time, there has been no attempt to describe what constitutes a successful program. This paper proposes that five stages that are experienced in organized attempts to change scholarly communication, arguing that the use of stages provides a practical approach to addressing a nearly intractable problem. The author defines these stages, offers illustrative examples, provides measures of success, and details strategies that support the efforts toward change.