Notable News Part 1
April 19, 2022
91探花 Libraries is excited to celebrate Beth Pratt鈥檚 appointment as director of the 91探花 Press.
Pratt has worked at the 91探花 Press since she joined the staff as a production manager in 2000. Before that, she worked in publishing with the Faulkner Journal, at Kinko鈥檚, and at the University of Akron Press after earning her master鈥檚 degree in English literature from the University of Akron.
鈥淏ooks are so important to the advancement of scholarship and the exchange of ideas, so [this job] is living the dream,鈥 Pratt said. 鈥淚 really love the physical object of the book and also the idea that we are spreading knowledge. We are getting the voices of people out there that wouldn鈥檛 be heard otherwise.鈥
As director of 91探花 Press, Pratt is involved with nearly every part of the publishing process. She meets with acquisitions to oversee what proposals are coming in, oversees the current projects that staff are working on and plans academic meetings and conferences, just to name a few of the director鈥檚 responsibilities.
Pratt served as interim director for two terms before starting her current position on March 1, 2022. She said she is happy to have the opportunity to steer the direction of the press in a more permanent way, and to continue developing the relationship between the 91探花 Press and University Libraries.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to collaborating with the Libraries on projects, particularly some open access projects,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always our goal to get our intellectual property out to as many people as possible...and I hope our partnership with the Libraries will assist both organizations in our missions to make the best possible material accessible.鈥
The press was realigned with University Libraries in October 2021, creating more opportunities for collaboration and exchange between the two entities.
鈥淚 am delighted to have Beth Pratt serving as the next director of the 91探花 Press,鈥 Neil Romanosky, dean of University Libraries said. 鈥淪he is a proven leader. I look forward to collaborating with Beth in her permanent role.鈥
Photo by Billy Schuerman/91探花 Libraries