University Press of Mississippi (a proposal to support salary costs and create new humanities positions)

FAIN: ZRE-283204-22

University Press of Mississippi (Jackson, MS 39211-6453)
Craig Gill (Project Director: May 2021 to September 2023)

An important university publisher to maintain three existing jobs and create four new positions.

University Press of Mississippi (UPM) is a nonprofit humanities publisher of ground-breaking scholarly books in African American studies, folklore, gender studies, history, literary studies, and popular culture. UPM succeeded during the pandemic due to demand for certain product lines, especially ebooks, institutional electronic access for libraries and universities, and online sales via print-on-demand vendors. UPM met this demand thanks to investments in technology and a talented staff that quickly transitioned to remote work and a digital workflow. This transition and the new work created by shifts in the market placed unsustainable stress on the staff and systems. To maintain output and create future growth, UPM needs additional staff to transform the emergency response into a long-term digital structure. UPM seeks funds from the NEH to create four new humanities positions. NEH funds will ensure the future of UPM as a successful and sustainable humanities organization.