University officials announced on Thursday that they will be closing the school’s press after more than 50 years of service. The press publishes about 30 books each year, from topics such as World history to political science. A total of 2,000 books have been published by the University of Missouri press.
The phasing out will begin in July and is expected to affect 10 employees, none of whom knew about the closure until the meeting on Thursday afternoon. The school has been on this path for a few years, as have many other universities and in 2009 cut seven press positions.
School officials say the closure is a result of the school’s efforts to direct the money used to fund the press to fund other academic programs. It has been in operation since 1958.
Provost Brian Foster said; “Technological changes have turned media up on their head, and that’s turning scholarly communication on its head,” he said. “It’s more than publishing a book; it’s a much broader change.”
$400,000 was given to the school’s press in 2009 and officials believe that the money could be used for better uses in other departments. A further 14 titles will be added to the Spring/Summer catalog.
