Like much of the rest of the world, everyone here at University of Manitoba Press is now working from home. Although our physical offices are closed, all of the intriguing and careful work of book publishing continues. Our editorial and production staff are as busy as ever preparing new books, and our marketing team is working hard so that our books remain available to readers throughout the world. Our Fall 2020 catalogue will be released very soon, giving you full details on the many exciting books we’re working on now.
We will miss seeing many of you at the annual conferences and book fairs that have now been cancelled. We have also had to cancel our book launches scheduled for this spring. These are always special events for us, where the world of books and ideas are celebrated and we catch up with old friends and meet new ones. Although we won’t see each other in person this spring, you can still keep in touch with us. We’ll be posting regular updates and blogs here on our website and other social media. We may even have some special book promotions to bolster your social isolation reading list. And, of course, we’d like to hear from you and learn how you are navigating these unusual times.
While many bookstores are now temporarily closed, there are still many ways for our books to reach you. You can still order e-books and physical books directly from our website. Physical books will be shipped from Toronto, while downloads of e-book purchases take place the same day. Our distributors, University of Toronto Press in Canada, Longleaf Services in the United States, and Eurospan for international orders, remain open and can deliver books to all of our customers.
In these difficult times, we also encourage you to support Canada’s bookstores. Many independent bookstores are able to deliver books or provide curbside pick-up. Here’s a map of where you can find the bookstore closest to you:
In particular, our friends at McNally Robinson Booksellers always have an excellent stock of our titles, including our brand new Spring titles. If you are in Winnipeg or Saskatoon, you can take advantage of McNally’s curbside pickup service. They also deliver books across the country. You can get more details here.
Many of our books are also used by university and college students, all of whom are now struggling to complete classes under unique circumstances. To help students have access to University of Manitoba Press books that they will need to complete their studies, we have removed most access restrictions on our e-books held in university and college libraries until the end of June.
None of us knows what kind of world we will be living in in a few months. But what we are all going through now makes us appreciate even more the values at the heart of the book world and especially the people who embody those ideals. It takes an intricate network of dedicated people to make the world of books possible and to keep it healthy. In the spring of 2020, as this whole network is under terrible stress, we’re thinking of our many colleagues in bookstores, libraries, and book warehouses, as well as editors, designers, printers, and delivery drivers, all of whom are working under difficult conditions so that books will continue to get to readers.
We’re also thinking of our authors, many of whom are now dealing with the demands of classrooms that have suddenly moved online and research facilities that are now closed. In the last few weeks, we’ve been reminded again of the vital importance of independent and critical thought. In the months to come, we will need your scholarship and vision even more.
We hope you all stay healthy and well.
See previously:
Posted by U of M Press
April 9, 2020
Categorized as News
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