UP Week: Future of Scholarly Communication

Thirty-seven presses will unite for the Association of American University Presses annual University Press Week blog tour, which runs November 11-15. Individual presses will blog on a different theme each day, including profiles of university press staff members, the future of scholarly communication, subject area spotlights, the importance of regional publishing, and the global reach of university presses.   Nov. 12, Future of Scholarly Communication  "Scholars at every level have unprecedented access to materials they once would have needed time and resources to consult. Remembering the days of waiting for a book or article that wasn’t in my university’s library, … Continue reading UP Week: Future of Scholarly Communication

Hanukkah Sale

Now through November 27, enter promo code 6CH13 to recieve 25% off select titles, just in time to celebrate Hanukkah.______________________________________________________________________________________ Seasons of Our JoyA Modern Guide to the Jewish HolidaysRabbi Arthur O. Waskow “Seasons of Our Joy brings reverent renewal to ancient practices. And it presents new understanding and approaches that we are invited to sanctify. This book will heighten your awareness of the eternal religious power of the Jewish calendar.”—Rabbi Gordon Tucker, former dean, Jewish Theological Seminary______________________________________________________________________________________A full list of titles eligible for the sale can be found on our website. Happy Hanukkah! Continue reading Hanukkah Sale

Get spooked in time for Halloween with UNP’s Science Fiction and Fantasy book sale

Now through October 31, enter promo code 6SFF3 to recieve 25% off Science Fiction and Fantasy titles including: The Secret of Wilhelm Storitz:   Written by Jules Verne | Translated and edited by Peter Schulman Set in Europe in the 1800s, a spurned scientist uses an invisibility potion to terrorize his would-be lover, her family, and the town, and thus win her back for himself. But it might be too late to turn back what's already set in motion. Read an excerpt _______________________________________________________________________________________                                The Last Man (Second Edition) Written by Mary Shelley | With an Introduction by Judith Tarr Taken from an ancient text … Continue reading Get spooked in time for Halloween with UNP’s Science Fiction and Fantasy book sale

The Director’s Dish

This season’s Director’s “Dish” might in fact be a pie plate . . . I never thought I’d come to know as many people who grew up on farms as I now do. Until moving to Lincoln almost five years ago, I’m pretty sure I had known no more than one or two people with farming backgrounds. But Nebraska—like so many midwestern and great plains states—was built on farming. As Evelyn Funda points out so beautifully in her wonderful memoir/cultural history book Weeds, due out this month from the Press, 90 percent of Americans worked on family farms in the … Continue reading The Director’s Dish

Doc Martyn’s Soul: Why now?

Last week I took a step into
modernity and issued my first personal tweet.

Beeny_First Tweet

I’ve
used the descriptor because there is an important clarification to be made
between my relatively early-adopter use of Twitter and my newly acquired status
on the social media platform.

I jumped on the Twitter bandwagon
in early 2008 through my previous job. All tweets crafted were the opinions of
that company rather than mine alone. In other words, I acted purely as the
mouthpiece on Twitter of that company, penning tweets that promoted the good
work being done. I had never, until this week, acted on Twitter as my own
agent. So, why now? Since moving to the University of Nebraska Press I have
been toying with the idea that I should really have my own voice, albeit one
intimately tied to what I do as marketing manager for the Press, on this
fascinating platform. Now, I’ve finally taken the plunge.

The delay between first tweeting
for work and finally tweeting as an individual is an oddity in some ways. I
don’t have a good reason other than I simply didn’t do it. And yet, I believe
that Twitter is a powerful tool for learning about any subject in which you
have an interest or a stake. Twitter, perhaps more than other social media,
allows for more immediate sharing, browsing of ideas and thoughts from others
in your industry, and creation of conversations that may or may not continue in
other environments. It seems to me that businesses and organizations can use
Twitter in a very natural way. The network serves as the old town crier did,
letting the world (or those interested, at least) know what the organization is
thinking and doing. Such groups have become much more savvy about how they do
this on Twitter, moving away from selling to informing and conversing, and I
think we have all benefited as a result.  

Towncrier2

Continue reading “Doc Martyn’s Soul: Why now?”

Doc Martyn’s Soul: Does end of the world start with a book?

Polluted waterways, a damaged (beyond repair?) ecosystem, the unnecessary death of humans and animals alike. These notions are, unfortunately, relatively commonplace in the modern media and our modern way of life. They are part of what we know and believe and understand about what we are doing to our planet. Yet, these same notions came from the mind of a man writing in 1971. It is not unusual for science fiction writers (often harbingers of doom) to be prescient or before their time. There are many fine examples—Arthur C. Clarke being an obvious one—but I have just finished reading an … Continue reading Doc Martyn’s Soul: Does end of the world start with a book?