Old Traditions and New Technologies: Creating Concordia University Press

Abstract

Scholarly publishing has long been integral to the mission of the modern research university. Since 2013 Concordia University in Montreal has been working to create a new library-based scholarly press. Concordia University Press has a dual publishing model: electronic books will be made freely available without any restrictions (i.e., open access). Print versions, depending on the project, will also be available for sale to individual readers, libraries, and vendors. This article describes the work that has been done to establish the press, as well as the challenges and opportunities that it and other North American university presses face in an evolving scholarly communications landscape.