Happy University Press Week! Help us celebrate university presses November 13-17. Since 2012, members of the Association of University Presses have participated in an annual celebration of University Presses. Following the example of the first University Press week, proclaimed by US President Jimmy Carter in the summer of 1978, this event recognizes the impact that a global community of university presses has on every one of us.

This year’s theme for UP Week is “Speak UP.” This is meant to provide an opportunity for presses and their supporters to shout to the rooftops about the value of the essential work of university presses: giving voice to the scholarship and ideas that shape conversations around the world.

The #UPweek blog tour today features “WHAT does #SpeakUP mean to your press?” Posts on today’s topic, giving examples of when fellow university presses have spoken up on issues of local, national, and international significance, come from Yale University Press, University of Notre Dame Press, Columbia University Press, Leuven University Press, University of Chicago Press, McGill-Queen’s University Press, University of Amsterdam Press, Purdue University Press, University of Toronto Press, Harvard Education Press, Bristol University Press, University Press of Kentucky, John Hopkins University Press, The University of the West Indies Press, Cornell University Press and SUNY Press.

For our contribution, Director Jane Ferreyra, will be discussing what #SpeakUP means to us at UNP.

“Speaking UP” is about collaboration

As a press, our mission revolves around amplifying authors’ work and extending its reach to diverse communities around the world. But this work is not something we can do alone. Our mission is only realized through collaborative efforts with a network of booksellers, libraries, and scholarly societies. When we #SpeakUP together, we create a far-reaching ecosystem that connects authors with readers, researchers, and enthusiasts across the globe. To us, #SpeakUP means collaboration.

At the heart of that collaboration are booksellers who serve as gatekeepers between the press and readers. They curate selections, recommend books to customers, and host events like author signings and readings, bridging the gap between creators and readers. Survivors of the Hyatt Regency collapse in 1981 can find their way to each other through an author’s work, or a young woman in the crowd of a book reading can hear an excerpt on fear and feel seen. These interactions do not happen out of nowhere–they are a product of our living collaboration with those who buy and sell books.

Libraries, too, are vital partners in the dissemination of scholarly works and literature. Through programs like JSTOR’s Path to Open, libraries can acquire UNP titles and make them accessible to students, researchers, and the public. Three years after publication, those titles will be openly released to the world. This fall, the latest research in Environmental history, Women and Gender Studies, food studies and more from UNP will be available, eliminating previous barriers.

Sharing the same ecosystem with university presses are scholarly societies. Presses and societies work together to advance scholarly publishing and communication, discussing trends in the industry, new ideas, and furthering professional development and discourse. For example, the Society for Scholarly Publishing and its popular blog, The Scholarly Kitchen, is a key resource that is regularly referenced.

By #SpeakingUP with our partners, we ensure that the press’s publications are accessible, engaging, and relevant to diverse audiences. This collaborative effort not only connects authors with their readers but also contributes to the enrichment of education, culture, and scholarship on a global scale.