Events

News from the World: The 2024 University Press Library Webinar (February 9, 2024)

Our inaugural 2024 Meet the Press webinar engages university presses from Canada and the United Kingdom. The world of scholarly publishing is a mosaic composed of presses from many nations with even more perspectives. We will explore the missions and values of these Commonwealth presses, whose combined new title production is more than 1,500 new titles each year. The speakers at our 2024 webinar include:

• Melissa Pitts, Director, University of British Columbia Press
• David Larsen, Director, University of Manchester Press
• Antje King, Group Sales and Marketing Director, Boydell & Brewer
• Simon Ross, CEO, Manchester University Press
• Michael Zeoli, Director of Publisher Partner Program, Paradigm Publishing Services

In 2023, De Gruyter expanded the range of its University Press Library (UPL) collections, establishing important relationships with more than 20 scholarly publishers across Canada and the UK. Directors and representatives from these publishers will join us in a live webinar to discuss the focus of their publishing, the challenges they face in our shared scholarly community, and future directions. What makes them unique? What perspectives do they bring to the global scholarly community? What connections do they have with the scholarly communities on your campus?

Over a decade ago, the Association of Canadian University Presses (ACUP, 17 university presses) and the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN, 85 institutional members) partnered to offer the ACUP collections to Canadian academic libraries. In 2023, ACUP joined the De Gruyter UPL. An important goal of this partnership is to increase the visibility of Canadian University Press publishing beyond Canada.

EmpowerHer Publishing: Commemorating Women’s History Month in Scholarly Pursuits

In the landscape of scholarly publishing, once dominated by men, the narratives of these incredible women unfold as powerful examples. They have forged a path to success, founding renowned publishing houses and pioneering innovative business models. Their stories inspire, demonstrating that talent, resilience, and sometimes breaking the rules, can break barriers and shape a more inclusive furture for women in scholarly publishing. Led by early career professional women who graduated from Emerson College, this meeting features an esteemed panel of influential women in academic publishing: 

• Marion Berghahn, Founder and Publisher, Berghahn Books 
• Jessica Mosher, President and Chief Executive, University of Toronto Press 
• Frances Pinter, Executive Chair, Central European University Press 
• Lynne Rienner, Founder and Publisher, Lynne Rienner Publishers 
• Alison Shaw, Chief Executive and Founder, Bristol University Press and Policy Press

The panelists tackled key themes such as overcoming historical hurdles, fostering innovation in publishing, championing diversity and inclusion, and shaping women's careers in the industry. The meeting was followed by a Q&A by Emerson College students and early academic professionals.