--- title: JMIR Publications Blog | Michael Byer, Institutional Partnerships Lead description: Blog posts, white papers and rich media content dedicated to researchers, authors, librarians, institutions, funders in academic and scholarly publishing --- [![JMIR-Publications\_logo\_2020\_blue](https://blog.jmir.org/hs-fs/hubfs/00%20Marketing/Logos/JMIR-Publications_logo_2020_blue.png?width=550&height=109&name=JMIR-Publications_logo_2020_blue.png "JMIR-Publications_logo_2020_blue")](http://www.jmirpublications.com) Open main menu Close main menu # JMIR Publications # Newsroom Select Category Aging Artificial Intelligence Digital Psychiatry Early Career Researcher Events Industry News JMIR News Libraries Open Access Peer Review Research News Women in Science Posts by: ## Michael Byer, Institutional Partnerships Lead ![Blog header featuring Mike Byer](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/Blog%20header%20(1).png) [Research News,](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/research-news) [Aging](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/aging) ### [Tech, Treks, and Towns: Top JMIR Insights for Empowering Aging Parents](https://blog.jmir.org/empowering-our-aging-parents-top-jmir-picks-on-fitness-wearables-and-urban-design) 29 June 2026 12:47 p.m. As someone with aging parents living on the other side of the country, I am constantly on the lookout for ways to help them maintain their independence, health, and happiness from afar. Fortunately, I work for a digital health publisher, so I have been reading some incredible research exploring potential solutions for their lives, specifically at the intersection of physical fitness, wearable technology, and urban design. [Michael Byer, Institutional Partnerships Lead](https://blog.jmir.org/author/michael-byer-institutional-partnerships-lead) [Read More](https://blog.jmir.org/empowering-our-aging-parents-top-jmir-picks-on-fitness-wearables-and-urban-design) ![Photo showing man sitting at an exhibit table for JMIR Publications](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/_2026%20ER%26L%20%20blog.png) [Events,](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/events) [Libraries](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/libraries) ### [What I Actually Learned at ER&L: Open Science, Funding, and the Librarian-Publisher Alliance](https://blog.jmir.org/what-i-actually-learned-at-erl-open-science-funding-and-the-librarian-publisher-alliance) 11 March 2026 4:18 p.m. I had a great time in Austin at the [ER&L Fest](https://electroniclibrarian.org/). The longer I’m in the position of Institutional Partnerships Lead at JMIR, the more I enjoy working with librarians. As a group, they are friendly, thoughtful, and ask great questions. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to me - my mother was a public librarian and I spent many, many hours among the book stacks of her workplaces. [Michael Byer, Institutional Partnerships Lead](https://blog.jmir.org/author/michael-byer-institutional-partnerships-lead) [Read More](https://blog.jmir.org/what-i-actually-learned-at-erl-open-science-funding-and-the-librarian-publisher-alliance) ![Banner for the upcoming ER&L 21st Annual Library Conference March 1 – 4, 2026 in Austin, Texas](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/Copy%20of%20APHA%202025%20Socials.png) [Open Access,](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/open-access) [Events,](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/events) [Libraries](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/libraries) ### [3 Conversations I Can’t Wait to Have at ER&L](https://blog.jmir.org/3-conversations-i-cant-wait-to-have-at-erl) 9 February 2026 7:24 p.m. As I am preparing for my trip to Austin for the [ER and L conference,](https://electroniclibrarian.org/) I am thinking a lot about the conversations I have had with librarians over the past year, especially at Charleston in November. [The consistent theme of each conversation was uncertainty](https://blog.jmir.org/beyond-the-big-deals-partnerships-for-equity-impact-in-open-access)—often budgetary, but also regulatory and administrative. Everywhere, libraries are under pressure to do more with less, leaving many to ask: how to manage library budget cuts while transitioning to open access? It’s clear that librarians are no longer just managing collections;  they’re navigating a total systemic shift. [Michael Byer, Institutional Partnerships Lead](https://blog.jmir.org/author/michael-byer-institutional-partnerships-lead) [Read More](https://blog.jmir.org/3-conversations-i-cant-wait-to-have-at-erl) ![Beyond the Big Deals: Institutional Partnerships for Equity and Impact in Open Access](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/Librarian%20content%20article%204%20(1).png) [Open Access,](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/open-access) [Libraries](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/libraries) ### [Beyond the Big Deals: Partnerships for Equity & Impact in Open Access](https://blog.jmir.org/beyond-the-big-deals-partnerships-for-equity-impact-in-open-access) 14 January 2026 2:25 p.m. If you were in Charleston this past November, you know what I mean when I say the air was thick with purpose, and a little bit of worry. [The Charleston Conference](https://www.charleston-hub.com/the-charleston-conference/) is always a place where librarians and publishers come together to discuss the tough questions facing our industry, and this year highlighted that scholarly communication is evolving against a backdrop of economic, technological, and policy-driven uncertainty. [Michael Byer, Institutional Partnerships Lead](https://blog.jmir.org/author/michael-byer-institutional-partnerships-lead) [Read More](https://blog.jmir.org/beyond-the-big-deals-partnerships-for-equity-impact-in-open-access) ![Librarian's Guide: Vetting Journals and Avoiding Predatory Publishers](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/Librarian%20content%20article%203.png) [Open Access,](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/open-access) [Libraries](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/libraries) ### [Librarian's Guide: Vetting Journals and Avoiding Predatory Publishers](https://blog.jmir.org/librarians-guide-vetting-journals-and-avoiding-predatory-publishers) 8 January 2026 8:20 a.m. The landscape of scholarly publishing has grown increasingly complex, and academic librarians managing collections face mounting pressure to navigate this complexity wisely. With library budgets stretched thin, multiple business models competing for resources, and the ever-present threat of predatory publishers exploiting the open access movement, the responsibility of vetting journals has never been more critical, or more challenging. [Michael Byer, Institutional Partnerships Lead](https://blog.jmir.org/author/michael-byer-institutional-partnerships-lead) [Read More](https://blog.jmir.org/librarians-guide-vetting-journals-and-avoiding-predatory-publishers) ![Supporting Researchers in Open Science: A Guide for Librarians](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/Librarian%20content%20article%201%20(1).png) [Open Access,](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/open-access) [Libraries](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/libraries) ### [Supporting Researchers in Open Science: A Guide for Librarians](https://blog.jmir.org/supporting-researchers-in-open-science-a-guide-for-librarians) 27 October 2025 6:47 p.m. Librarians play a critical role in supporting their institutional researchers. A critical area of support is with open science mandates, or practices that prioritize openness, transparency, and collaboration throughout the research cycle. Research that follows open science practices carries many benefits, including:  [Michael Byer, Institutional Partnerships Lead](https://blog.jmir.org/author/michael-byer-institutional-partnerships-lead) [Read More](https://blog.jmir.org/supporting-researchers-in-open-science-a-guide-for-librarians) ![Explore The Benefits of a JMIR Publications Institutional Partnership](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/IPF%20Blog%20post%20header%20v2.png) [Open Access,](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/open-access) [Libraries](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/libraries) ### [Explore the Benefits of an Institutional Partnership](https://blog.jmir.org/the-benefits-of-leveraging-an-institutional-partnership) 16 October 2025 10:39 a.m. At JMIR Publications, we believe in making open access (OA) publishing as seamless and accessible as possible. That's why we're proud to partner with institutions like ZB MED to implement transformative publishing agreements that benefit the entire research community. [Michael Byer, Institutional Partnerships Lead](https://blog.jmir.org/author/michael-byer-institutional-partnerships-lead) [Read More](https://blog.jmir.org/the-benefits-of-leveraging-an-institutional-partnership) ![ JMIR Publications, a leading open-access digital health research publisher, and Iowa State University are pleased to announce that they have modified their long-standing partnership from a multi-payor model to JMIR’s Flat-Fee Unlimited Open Access Publishing model.](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/00%20Business%20Development/Iowa%20State%20University/Iowa%20State%20Announcement%20(1).png) [Open Access,](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/open-access) [JMIR News,](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/jmir-news) [Libraries](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/libraries) ### [JMIR Publications and Iowa State University Partner for Unlimited OA Publishing](https://blog.jmir.org/jmir-publications-and-iowa-state-university-partner-for-unlimited-oa-publishing) 22 September 2025 5:34 p.m. (TORONTO, September 22, 2025) [JMIR Publications](https://jmirpublications.com/), a leading open-access digital health research publisher, and [Iowa State University](https://www.lib.iastate.edu/)are pleased to announce that they have modified their long-standing partnership from a multi-payor model to JMIR’s Flat-Fee Unlimited Open Access Publishing model. [Michael Byer, Institutional Partnerships Lead](https://blog.jmir.org/author/michael-byer-institutional-partnerships-lead) [Read More](https://blog.jmir.org/jmir-publications-and-iowa-state-university-partner-for-unlimited-oa-publishing) ![JMIR Publications Announces Expansion of Members Subscribed to Jisc Unlimited Open access Partnership, Empowering More UK Researchers](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/20250918%20Jisc%20expansion%20header%20(1).png) [Open Access,](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/open-access) [JMIR News,](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/jmir-news) [Libraries](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/libraries) ### [JMIR Publications Announces Expansion of Members Subscribed to Jisc](https://blog.jmir.org/jmir-publications-announces-expansion-of-members-subscribed-to-jisc) 19 September 2025 9:37 a.m. (Toronto, September 18, 2025) [JMIR Publications](https://jmirpublications.com/), a leading open-access digital health research publisher, and [Jisc](https://www.jisc.ac.uk/), the United Kingdom's not-for-profit organization providing digital services for research and education, are pleased to announce a significant expansion of their Flat-Fee Unlimited Open Access Partnership. Effective August 1, 2025, 6 new research institutions – the University of Manchester, University of Nottingham, Newcastle University, University of Leeds, University of Southampton, and University of Warwick – have joined this collaborative agreement. [Michael Byer, Institutional Partnerships Lead](https://blog.jmir.org/author/michael-byer-institutional-partnerships-lead) [Read More](https://blog.jmir.org/jmir-publications-announces-expansion-of-members-subscribed-to-jisc) ![JMIR Publications, the leading open-access digital health research publisher, and ZB Med, Germany’s national infrastructure and research hub for data and information in the life sciences, are pleased to announce that Witten/Herdecke University joined their Flat-Fee Unlimited Open Access Publishing Agreement](https://blog.jmir.org/hubfs/20250917%20WittenHerdecke%20header%20(1).png) [Open Access,](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/open-access) [JMIR News,](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/jmir-news) [Libraries](https://blog.jmir.org/tag/libraries) ### [JMIR & Witten/Herdecke University Partner for Open Access](https://blog.jmir.org/jmir-witten/herdecke-university-partner-for-open-access) 18 September 2025 10:14 a.m. **(Toronto, September 18, 2025)** [JMIR Publications](https://jmirpublications.com/), the leading open-access digital health research publisher, and [ZB Med](https://www.zbmed.de/en/), Germany’s national infrastructure and research hub for data and information in the life sciences, are pleased to announce that [Witten/Herdecke University](https://www.uni-wh.de/en/) joined their Flat-Fee Unlimited Open Access Publishing Agreement. The addition of Witten/Herdecke to the consortia agreement was facilitated by Ulrike Weichern of KGL Accucoms. [Michael Byer, Institutional Partnerships Lead](https://blog.jmir.org/author/michael-byer-institutional-partnerships-lead) [Read More](https://blog.jmir.org/jmir-witten/herdecke-university-partner-for-open-access) [1](https://blog.jmir.org/author/michael-byer-institutional-partnerships-lead) [2](https://blog.jmir.org/author/michael-byer-institutional-partnerships-lead/page/2) © 2026 JMIR Publications