It is my honor to provide this twelfth annual report as executive director of the Association of University Presses (AUPresses), covering fiscal year 2023-24. In recent years, exigencies such as the pandemic, and immediate threats to our Core Values afforded me a clear through-line in summarizing the state of UP’dom. Generalizations are a bit more elusive this time around. Across our membership, I see a bit of a bell curve—some members concluding strong years, some struggling financially. But the majority are in the midst of navigating the gradual shift from a reality in which success is measured by sales to one in which we seek infrastructure and support to appropriately measure impact in other ways. Organizationally, I want to describe the year as “stable,” while acknowledging that our metaphorical seismic sensors remain on high alert.
All that said, the AUPresses community did add to its membership during FY24; as of this writing the Association’s membership stands at 160 presses. During the period, we welcomed four new members. Additionally, two Introductory members converted to permanent membership. As I’ve noted previously, interest in joining AUPresses is expanding globally, reflecting the increasingly global nature of scholarly communications.
Through the efforts of more than 160 volunteer committee members, supported by an exceptional Central Office staff, the Association works to implement the strategic direction set by the Board of Directors. Significantly, our board completed a refresh of the Association’s Strategic Plan early in the review period. This refresh sets a course for the committees and the staff for the next three years.
Reflecting on the past twelve months, I remain in awe of the collegiality and dedication of my Central Office colleagues. Moreover, I am pleased to report that the addition of two new staff colleagues have alleviated stresses and increased our bench strength considerably. In July 2023 we welcomed McKenzi Thi Murphy as Membership Coordinator and Trevor Nau as Administrative Coordinator to the Central Office team. Last year I pointed to this need as a key short-term priority, and I’m pleased to report it’s been addressed most successfully.
On the financial side of the house, we closed the fiscal year with an operating deficit larger than budgeted; investment income more than covered this shortfall, and the Association’s financial position remains solid. The year ended with a net operating loss of $186k, against a budgeted -$41k. (In reality, the loss was $161k; due to the vicissitudes of our chart of accounts, the expenses for the Directors Summit hit above the NOL line, but the income was recognized below that line.) Our overall financial health is best reflected in our Balance Sheet, which reflects a $191k increase in Total Equity over the prior period. I will note that FY24 is the second consecutive year in which we’ve relied on investment income to help fund operations. Our member presses fortunate enough to have their own endowments will find this unremarkable, but I will ensure our board remains prudent and vigilant in monitoring this new trend. As always, I refer you to the Treasurer’s Report and the Operating Statement and Balance Sheet for complete details of our financial performance.
Over the past year I have represented AUPresses at meetings of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), NISO, the Society of Scholarly Publishers (SSP), the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP), UKSG, the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), the Charleston Conference, the London and Frankfurt Book Fairs, and the Research to Reader Conference. I participate in BISG’s Association Advisory Council and serve on the Steering Group of the Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications (C4DISC) and the Participating Organization Council for Humanities Commons (HC). Speaking engagements included FILUNI and The George Washington University Publishing Program. I serve on the board of Directors of the National Humanities Alliance and as Treasurer for the Seminary Co-op Bookstores. You’ll find details of other service to partners in the larger publishing and scholarly communities in the Peer Organizations and Global Community sections of this report.
On the programming front, it’s always a happy challenge having to decide which of a year’s accomplishments to draw to your attention in this report. I’ve already noted the refresh of our Strategic Plan, but there is no shortage of other programs to highlight.
High on my list would be our involvement in the incubation of a soon-to-be-announced initiative aimed at fostering university-based publishing futures. Working jointly with our colleagues at ARL and the Library Publishing Coalition (LPC), we devoted 18 months to community consultation and collaborative drafting on a statement that will serve as a community formation document, meant to map out common ground among university-based publishers and provide a foundation for future collaborative work. The guiding premise behind the initiative is that the academy should own the infrastructure and outputs of its scholarly communications. Our board approved the final statement in March 2024 and we look forward to sharing more information soon.
As accessibility mandates flourish globally, and as member presses increasingly have come to view improving the accessibility of their content as a critical component of our common commitment to Equity, Justice, Inclusion, and Belonging, the Association recognized the need for expert guidance. We were fortunate to engage the expertise of Bill Kasdorf to create both a members-only resource guide and webinar on the topic. We will continue to pursue opportunities to bring expertise to our community on critical issues as they arise.
Again this year, the Association has been aggressive in defending our core value of intellectual freedom as well as related principles of freedom to read and freedom to publish. Read more about our activities in the Voicing Our Values section of the Annual Report.
I discussed last year the return of our two residency programs, the Week in Residence and the Directors Residency, but I do want to note here that the reports from participants in our first post-pandemic cohort were gratifying; you can read them here (Weeks in Residence) and (Directors Residencies).
The Association continues to pursue responsible expansion of its Collective Stand program at book fairs and conferences. In FY24 the Charleston Conference joined FILUNI and the London Book Fair in our rotation. And we’ve added UKSG for FY25. While the program is open to all members on a first-come, first-served basis (there are of course capacity limits) the various collective stands have proven a particularly useful benefit to our non-North American members. I encourage you to consider joining your colleagues in a collective stand, and welcome your suggestions for possible further expansion.
The Association is constantly seeking appropriate ways to include in the life of the community the people and companies that provide the products and services that help us perform our essential work. I’m pleased to report that in early 2024 we revised and expanded our Partners Program, looking to increase the value proposition to participants. The changes appear to have resonated, as participation in the program has increased materially. We look forward to working with these colleagues in the months and years ahead.
It is my practice to include in each year’s report a reminder that the Central Office stands ready to support and assist any member facing institutional adversity; I hope all of you continue to keep this essential member benefit in mind should you find yourself facing such headwinds.
All best,
Peter Berkery
Executive Director, AUPresses