In 2018, the University of Illinois Press will mark its 100th anniversary with numerous events in Champaign-Urbana, Chicago and Springfield. A founding member of the Association of American University Presses in 1937, the UIP has published more than 4,500 books in its first century.
The UIP is a leading publisher in American history and culture, with pioneering lists in African-American studies; women, gender and sexuality studies; women’s history; film and media; music history; labor history; American ethnic studies; disability history; sports history and foodways – the intersection of food in culture, traditions and history.
The UIP currently publishes 38 journals and more than 90 books a year that are distributed worldwide. Its programs demonstrate a deep commitment to supporting diverse and marginalized voices and topics in the academy. The UIP also serves a regional readership by providing engaging books on Illinois and the Midwest.
“Initially serving the University of Illinois as a printer and publisher of faculty work, the UIP has become the publisher of choice in a number of key fields,” said Laurie Matheson, the director of the UIP. “Our second century offers new opportunities to cultivate and disseminate the kind of deeply informed, critically historicized scholarship that our troubled times require. This commitment to rigorous, informative, accessible work underpins all of our publications as well as our partnerships and outreach activities.”
Throughout 2018, the UIP will host and participate in a variety of events affiliated with the three campuses, including:
- Little Free Library: Launched in October 2017, the UIP-sponsored library at the Illini Union will be stocked regularly with books and journals.
- University of Illinois Library Exhibit: During February, the UIP will have a public history display in the north-south corridor at the Main Library on the Urbana campus that features highlights from the UIP’s first 100 years. The exhibit will move to Spurlock Museum in the summer and the Daley Library at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the fall.
- 100 ebooks iPad giveaway: The UIP will sponsor an online giveaway contest for three iPads preloaded with 100 UIP books.
- Director’s Panel: On Feb. 14, Matheson will participate in a panel discussion with previous UIP directors Willis Regier and Richard Wentworth about the UIP’s commitment to supporting scholarship on social justice. College of Education Dean James D. Anderson will serve as the moderator.
- Jane Addams symposium: In spring, a two-day symposium on The Jane Addams Papers project will take place at the Hull House Museum and the Newberry Library at UIC.
- “Chicago Food Encyclopedia” event: In March, an event celebrating the encyclopedia and diversity through food will occur at the Richard Daley Library at UIC.
- 100 Years of Publishing Lincoln: During the 2018 Conference on Illinois History in Springfield, the UIP will have a panel at the Abraham Lincoln Library.
