Professor Norman Etherington (AM, FASSA, FRHS, FRGS), former Chair of History at UWA and President of the Australian Historical Association
I was present during two previous misconceived attempts to kill UWA Press, the first 30years ago in 1990. Both were killed off by a concerted defence mounted by Academic Board and the Senate. Let us hope that those bodies retain sufficient spine to stand up to this latest madness. Four reasons to retain the press stand out for me. The first is that without UWA press there will be no platform left for quality academic writing about Western Australia. I have lost count of the times that I have seen outstanding manuscripts on WA history knocked back by national and even international presses on the grounds that there is nothing to interest people in Melbourne or Sydney. The second is that it has never been cheaper to run a university press. Short print runs, on-demand printing and online availability make costs much lower than 30 years ago. In South Australia, the University of Adelaide, which never previously had a press, launched one specialising in online work. The Wakefield Press, heir to the government printer, continues to be almost the sole outlet for print books on South Australian topics. Their preferred strategy is a short initial print run of 100 copies to test the market, followed by printing on demand. The third is that only a properly run university press can provide the kind of peer review that secures full credit in publication audits. Fourth is the intangible but priceless asset of tradition, which sets UWA apart from its competitors in WA, and inspires graduates on whom we depend for future resources. Sincerely, Norman Professor Norman Etherington AM, FASSA,FRHS,FRGS *** *** Support UWAP by signing the petition at Change.org Comments are closed.
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