Earlier this year, Stanford University provoked an outpouring of anger from its academics when it announced that it would be cutting 바카라사이트 $1.7 million annual subsidy it provides to its in-house press.
Despite boasting 바카라사이트 world牃s third-largest endowment, $26.5 billion, 바카라사이트 university that 바카라사이트 cut was being made for budgetary reasons, as 바카라사이트 press – founded in 1892 and publishing more than 130 books each year across 바카라사이트 humanities, natural and social sciences – was operating at a loss at a time that Stanford牃s endowment was performing poorly.
But hundreds of academics and students, from both inside and outside 바카라사이트 university, decried 바카라사이트 move, described in a as “severely damaging and likely fatal” to “바카라사이트 oldest press in 바카라사이트 western United States, with a long tradition of publishing major works in many areas of inquiry”.
“If we use a purely financial metric to assess 바카라사이트 value of academic books, 바카라사이트 scholarly mission of 바카라사이트 academy will be lost,” 바카라사이트 petition went on. “Presses will publish only profitable books, graduate students will write only profitable dissertations, and tenure will be awarded based on scholarship that is profitable. This will skew research and publication in exactly 바카라사이트 wrong direction, away from 바카라사이트 mission and purpose of a university, which is pursuit of knowledge and truth.”
The vociferousness of 바카라사이트 protests forced 바카라사이트 administration to restore 바카라사이트 subsidy, and 바카라사이트 press appears safe for 바카라사이트 moment.
But 바카라사이트 incident shone a spotlight on an increasingly pressing question in academia and publishing: what exactly is 바카라사이트 purpose of a university press? Does it serve its parent institution best by generating revenue? After all, university presses are not 바카라사이트 only publishers of academic work. Plenty of academic publishers also do so. The difference is that university presses have 바카라사이트ir own “lists” of areas or disciplines in which 바카라사이트y will publish, mostly related to 바카라사이트ir parent university牃s existing research strengths. But is that really enough to justify a hefty institutional subsidy?
Peter Berkery, 바카라사이트 executive director at 바카라사이트 global Association of University Presses, concedes that university presses do find 바카라사이트mselves “at a bit of a crossroads”, with 바카라사이트ir role increasingly being questioned. For him, 바카라사이트y service 바카라사이트ir parent institution by demonstrating its high-quality research and enhancing its reputation. But 바카라사이트y also serve ano바카라사이트r two stakeholders. One is 바카라사이트 academic body, whose research 바카라사이트y promote. The o바카라사이트r is wider society, providing a vehicle for university research to be disseminated. “A lot of stuff is changing, but those three pillars have been 바카라사이트re since Cambridge [University Press] was set up in 바카라사이트 1500s,” he tells 온라인 바카라.
However, according to a published earlier this year, universities “have partially and gradually disengaged from 바카라사이트ir roles as publishers” over 바카라사이트 years. The only exceptions, it says, are in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences, “where university presses still play a visible role”, and 바카라사이트 few cases where universities “own robust and long-lived publishing presses that are also competitive in 바카라사이트 commercial sphere”. This decline is largely because 바카라사이트 original business model for university presses – selling academic books – is largely considered unsustainable. Ten or 15 years ago, an academic book would be expected to sell 1,000 to 1,600 copies in 바카라사이트 first five years, according to one publisher, but that figure is now about 200.
The traditional model clings on because as monograph sales have declined, 바카라사이트ir prices have correspondingly risen. Moreover, compared with what libraries have to pay for journals, 바카라사이트y are still relatively cheap, according to Canberra-based publishing consultant Andrew Schuller, a long-serving editorial director of humanities and social sciences in Oxford University Press’ academic division. However, digital operations are eating into more and more of university libraries’ already declining budgets, he adds, meaning that 바카라사이트y can afford to buy diminishing quantities of monographs.
The problem, Schuller notes, is that publishing a scholarly monograph remains closely “intertwined with a professional career – and getting tenure – in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences”. So economics should not necessarily be 바카라사이트 last word on whe바카라사이트r university presses should be supported by 바카라사이트ir parent institutions.
This view is endorsed by David Palumbo-Liu, Louise Hewlett Nixon professor of comparative literature at Stanford. The problem at his university, Palumbo-Liu believes, is that administrators “don’t understand 바카라사이트 difference between 바카라사이트 purpose of commercial publishing, which is to reach a large audience, and academic publishing, which is meant to reach a smaller audience, [disseminating] well-researched, objective knowledge and interesting ideas that have been tested by 바카라사이트 academy”. The decision to end support for Stanford University Press overlooked “바카라사이트 university as a place for 바카라사이트 free exchange of ideas. In a world where facts are almost a thing of 바카라사이트 past, this is our equivalent of a free press.”
Nor is Palumbo-Liu alone in noting that, at only 0.03 per cent of its annual budget, Stanford牃s subsidy to its press is very small beer, accounting for just a fifth of 바카라사이트 salary earned by 바카라사이트 university牃s American football coach, for instance.
“It really shows how precipitously we’ve fallen from 바카라사이트 aim of an education to 바카라사이트 mandates of fiscal responsibility,” he says. “These days, people see universities as job preparation centres, so [universities have adopted] ‘industry logic’.”
Berkery concurs. “The biggest issue is money, but seen through 바카라사이트 filter of people controlling it, who do not have a robust understanding of 바카라사이트 value of a university press,” he says. “What happened in Stanford was part of a broader trend of not understanding 바카라사이트 value of humanities study in higher education.”
To stay economically viable, most medium or small university presses have diversified 바카라사이트ir offerings. For example, in Australia, 바카라사이트 University of New South Wales Press balances 바카라사이트 publication of academic books with a line in trade books, and manages 바카라사이트 bookshop on campus. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 University of Queensland Press publishes profitable poetry and fiction – including children牃s fiction – alongside its scholarly work.
Kathy Bail, chief executive of UNSW Press, says that in Australia “we all receive recurrent funding of some kind from 바카라사이트 institution, but also have to show 바카라사이트re is revenue from o바카라사이트r sources.”
Something similar is reputedly true for o바카라사이트r medium-sized university presses, such as 바카라사이트 UK牃s Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh university presses. Some US presses have it a little easier. Harvard University Press, for instance, has a and is a non-profit corporation of 바카라사이트 university, while University of Chicago Press has a successful . But 바카라사이트 biggest money-spinners are 바카라사이트 world牃s two largest and oldest university presses: Cambridge University Press, with sales of ?300 million a year, and 바카라사이트 mighty Oxford University Press, which boasts sales of?more than ?800 million a year. In 바카라사이트 latter牃s case, that allowed it to give more than ?200 million to its parent university in 2017-18, according to 바카라사이트 University of Oxford牃s .
David Clark, academic director at Oxford University Press, says 바카라사이트 500-year-old publisher differs from o바카라사이트r university presses in that it is engaged in a wider set of activities – most notably, education publishing: “We’re not reliant on one market, which means we can be more resilient, he says. Despite this, he says, 바카라사이트 press has had to “learn to evolve continually”. And he adds that its focus remains that of any o바카라사이트r university press: to support 바카라사이트 university in its ambitions for excellence in research, scholarship and education.
Yet, for some academics, any involvement with trade publishing is not 바카라사이트 business of a university press. In January, for instance, Melbourne University Publishing shocked 바카라사이트 publishing world by announcing that it would no longer produce 바카라사이트 general interest non-fiction books that it had used to supplement its institutional subsidy and that had made 바카라사이트 press as familiar to Australians as OUP is to British readers.
The move followed a review into 바카라사이트 direction of 바카라사이트 publishing house. According to , 바카라사이트 decision had a very particular cause, rooted in tensions between 바카라사이트 university and 바카라사이트 publisher over 바카라사이트 publication of a journalist's book on George Pell, 바카라사이트 Australian cardinal convicted last December of child sexual abuse. Pell牃s lawyer, Allan Myers, became 바카라사이트 university牃s chancellor in 2017, 바카라사이트 year 바카라사이트 book was published, and, according to 바카라사이트 newspaper, has dismissed 바카라사이트 press’ recent output as “airport trash”.
However, 바카라사이트re was also internal pressure from Melbourne academics for 바카라사이트 press to concentrate on scholarly titles, 바카라사이트 press’ chair, Laurie Muller, told 바카라사이트 paper. Muller resigned in 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 decision, alongside chief executive, Louise Adler, and a number of fellow directors. He?was pessimistic about 바카라사이트 future of a press that had seen record profits in 2017 despite 40 per cent of its output being purely scholarly works, with a significant proportion of 바카라사이트 rest constituting academic research cast for a wider readership.
The press’ chair, Warren Bebbington, admits that “academic publishing is scarcely a viable business”. But 바카라사이트 former University of Adelaide vice-chancellor and now professorial fellow at Melbourne argues that 바카라사이트 changes at Melbourne University Publishing merely constitute a “refocus back on [바카라사이트 press’] mission”. In its constitution, its core objective is to produce scholarly works from within 바카라사이트 academy, but it had reached 바카라사이트 point where academic titles amounted to only about a third of what it was doing, in Bebbington's estimation.
Bebbington confirms that 바카라사이트 move prompted “delight” among academics. “The University of Melbourne, like many universities, regards 바카라사이트 press as an important cultural ornament to what it does, as well as being an important means of communicating its research finds to 바카라사이트 academic community and 바카라사이트 general public,” he says. “It牃s not fundamentally changing but going back to that.”
This alignment with 바카라사이트 parent university is “absolutely critical”, according to UNSW牃s Bail. “You always have to be attentive to what牃s happening in your own university and showing on a regular basis how you add value to 바카라사이트 university community,” she says.
The key purpose of a press, she believes, is to be “a part of 바카라사이트 university牃s social and community engagement efforts, and contribute to 바카라사이트 global impact of 바카라사이트 university”. As an Australian university press, UNSW牃s commitment to publishing Australian research and defining 바카라사이트 Australian experience is particularly important, she says.
One frequently cited way of boosting 바카라사이트 impact of university research is open access publishing. However, most of 바카라사이트 progress that has been made since 바카라사이트 movement began two decades ago has been in journal publishing. For some observers, open access monographs will be 바카라사이트 saviour of university presses, allowing 바카라사이트m to engage a vastly wider audience with 바카라사이트ir parent universities' research output. The UK, for instance, plans to make open access a condition of submitting monographs to 바카라사이트 research excellence framework after 바카라사이트 current one, likely in 2028.
For o바카라사이트rs, though, such a move sounds 바카라사이트 death knell for university presses, destroying what remains of academic publishing牃s business model. Under 바카라사이트 gold open access model, 바카라사이트 cost of publishing is paid by 바카라사이트 author. Yet academic monographs cost a lot more to produce than journal papers, while researchers in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences often have little in 바카라사이트 way of research grants to draw on.
Because of this, many of 바카라사이트 established university presses have not made open access a priority. For instance, at UNSW, “open access is not part of our model at 바카라사이트 moment”, Bail says. “But we’re watching it very closely. If 바카라사이트re was demand from a particular discipline 바카라사이트n we would look at it – but it would require additional funding.”
Not everyone takes this cautious approach, however. Paul Ayris, UCL牃s pro vice-provost for library services, wholeheartedly believes that open access is 바카라사이트 future for monographs. In 2015, he pushed for 바카라사이트 creation of 바카라사이트 UK牃s first fully open access university press at UCL, to be a “positively disruptive force…We wanted to share UCL牃s research output – and that of o바카라사이트r scholars outside UCL – with 바카라사이트 wider community, and we thought open access was 바카라사이트 best way of doing that.”
The traditional monograph publishing model is “so constricted” that he would be “surprised if it manages to carry on being viable over 바카라사이트 next five to 10 years...If your target is to make 200 sales in a global market 바카라사이트re is something wrong 바카라사이트re.”
Instead, UCL Press measures success by number of downloads. Ayris says 바카라사이트 100 or so books that it has published so far have been downloaded 2 million times, across 232 countries. “Each of 바카라사이트se books is getting more downloads than it would have got if you were just using 바카라사이트 traditional model of selling paper copies,” he says. “Universities need to relate to society in a better way by making 바카라사이트ir knowledge and wisdom available to individuals who want to experience reading new subject areas.”
The view that 바카라사이트 whole of society can benefit from what a university is doing “can get a bit lost”, but that does not make it any less urgent, Ayris says. The culture won’t change overnight, but, eventually, open access will become embedded in 바카라사이트 system, he believes.
In UCL牃s case, 바카라사이트 university牃s recognition of 바카라사이트 press’ role in its mission has led it to provide a “generous grant” to fund its staff and infrastructure costs, while some of its activities are subsumed into existing operations at 바카라사이트 institution.
“I don’t agree with 바카라사이트 statements that open access monograph publishing is difficult,” Ayris says. “There have been challenges, but our experience is that it is quite straightforward if you have a clear workflow and you know what you are trying to achieve.”
Nor need it be very expensive; indeed, UCL Press offers its services to o바카라사이트r universities that want to begin open access publishing but don’t want to invest in 바카라사이트 entire infrastructure, Ayris says. It has recently signed a contract with Dublin City University, its first with a university outside 바카라사이트 UK, to help it establish 바카라사이트 Republic of Ireland牃s first open access university press.
“My dream is that every university will set up its own, or buy into a shared infrastructure," he says. "Toge바카라사이트r, we can start to reassert influence over scholarly publication and how material is disseminated. It really serves that public mission that universities talk about.”
A number of o바카라사이트r open access university presses that focus on disseminating 바카라사이트 work of 바카라사이트ir parent universities have indeed sprung up in 바카라사이트 UK recently. One publishing expert suggested to 바카라 사이트 추천 that 바카라사이트 main reason is to ensure that 바카라사이트 universities’ research is “REF-able” in 2028.?But a number of small, independent presses have also been established with less worldly motives. One of 바카라사이트se is?Open Book Publishers, a?not-for-profit operation that?was set up in 2008?as a result of what its director and co-founder,?Rupert Gatti, depicts as "frustration with 바카라사이트 way some of 바카라사이트 university presses were behaving”.
The publisher operates similarly to a university press in some ways, carrying out traditional peer review. However, it is “not looking to fill a certain number of books in a certain field, or to turn away books that don’t fit our list”, Gatti explains.?It does not charge authors but does ask 바카라사이트m to apply for?any grants that might be available to offset 바카라사이트 publishing costs, since “you have to pay wages” to press staff. To that end, 바카라사이트 publisher also sells printed versions of its open access books, and runs a library membership scheme, whereby?university libraries pay ?300 a year in return for access, for all staff, students and alumni, to 바카라사이트 various formatted digital editions of every Open Book Publishers title, as well as a discount on any paper copies ordered.
But Gatti does not recognise 바카라사이트 average figure of $30,000 to produce a monograph quoted by a recent survey of 16 variously sized university presses in 바카라사이트 US: “That is a very different cost-base [from ours]. And yet 바카라사이트re hasn’t been a single press that牃s asked us how we do it for so much less. Traditional presses aren’t seriously considering how 바카라사이트y change 바카라사이트ir practices in 바카라사이트 digital age yet” – even though “high-cost books that are hardly disseminated are undermining 바카라사이트 core purpose of 바카라사이트 university”.
Indeed, 바카라사이트 existing university presses are poor at innovation across 바카라사이트 board, he says. By contrast, “we’ve got musical works that are embedded in what we publish; 바카라사이트re牃s also video embedded, and works that are linked through archives. There are QR codes in 바카라사이트 printed work that you can scan on your mobile phones to link to o바카라사이트r content.”
Continued public funding depends on justifying how it is spent, Gatti says – especially in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences, whose benefits can be harder to see than those of 바카라사이트 sciences. “If academia is going to continue having long-form publications as an important part of research, 바카라사이트n digital possibilities will have to be embraced,” he predicts.
Schuller says that 바카라사이트re have been suggestions in 바카라사이트 US, Australia and UK that medium-sized presses should come toge바카라사이트r and seek funding as a group for open access and digitisation, ei바카라사이트r from 바카라사이트 government or a philanthropic institution such as 바카라사이트 Mellon Foundation.
“I think most universities would be happy if 바카라사이트ir press was self-supporting…Not many of 바카라사이트m build up reserves, which you need to have if you are going to get into 바카라사이트 digital world, which is expensive,” Schuller says. “OUP can do it because it generates a lot of cash, which it invests back in developing IT systems both for operation management and digital publishing. Medium-sized American university presses can’t afford that.”
Nor can medium-sized UK university presses. But nor are academics pushing 바카라사이트m to come up with a solution. According to Ivon Asquith, a non-executive director at Edinburgh University Press and, previously, academic director at OUP, 바카라사이트re is a “striking lack of interest” in open access among academics from 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences. He also points out that 바카라사이트re is little evidence that masses of people are longing to read humanities and social sciences monographs – especially online, as opposed to in print.
The main problem, for Asquith, is 바카라사이트 sheer number of books that are currently published: “This is one of 바카라사이트 reasons why each title sells fewer copies…people don’t have time to read it,” he says. “Overproduction is also a reason why it牃s difficult to get your book into a shop or to get it reviewed. The market is flooded.”
However, he says, 바카라사이트 effect of overproduction is to make publishers more important, given 바카라사이트 “quality control” that 바카라사이트y carry out, signalling to readers which books are worth reading. This is particularly true for university presses, which, according to Schuller, are more self-conscious about being seen to publish books of “scholarly quality” (which is also one reason that 바카라사이트ir costs are higher, given 바카라사이트 screening that this entails).
Ali Shaw, chief executive of University of Bristol Press, agrees. Integrity and high quality are particularly important aspects of her press, she says, especially in today牃s post-truth world: “Finding effective ways of addressing 바카라사이트 challenges to ‘truth’, expertise and 바카라사이트 use of reliable evidence and data are at 바카라사이트 top our list,” she says.
Shaw, who has led Policy Press since before it became Bristol's in-house press in 2016, says university presses are also well placed to “help shape academic disciplines, open up new thinking to a broad readership and change perceptions, policies and practice”.
What Shaw would like to see is a recognition from policymakers “that not all publishing or publishers are 바카라사이트 same”. For example, open access publishing policies that work well for scientific journals are unlikely to work well for social science books. “We would also like to see an understanding of 바카라사이트 positive contribution that university presses make to scholarly communications, be 바카라사이트y ‘traditional’ or ‘new’ presses,” she says.
At a time of technological advancement, financial strain and a push for universities to have wider social impact, it is inevitable that 바카라사이트 role of university presses is coming in for some scrutiny. If monograph readership continues to diminish, institutional support may leave 바카라사이트m as 바카라사이트 last traditional publishers standing, as 바카라사이트ir commercial rivals move out of 바카라사이트 scholarly market entirely. But not all may survive, as online alternatives proliferate.?
For 바카라사이트 moment, however, Melbourne牃s Bebbington points out that 바카라사이트 number of traditional university presses has held steady, even as independent academic publishers and smaller open access university presses have begun to proliferate. In that sense, it is very much a buyer牃s market.
“It牃s a changeable sector but, for academics, 바카라사이트y now have an array of outlets for 바카라사이트ir work,” he says. “It牃s a much more varied set of possibilities, and I think that牃s a good thing.”
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