The History Monograph and Electronic Publishing

Kenneth T. Jackson

No one knows what the world of scholarly publishing will look like a dozen years from now. We do know, however, that publishers and booksellers have already invested hundreds of millions of dollars to lay the groundwork for creating and selling digital books. IBM and Xerox are already selling "print on demand" equipment that can produce with efficiency as few as a half dozen volumes of a particular title in a matter of minutes. What is more, individual scholars and university and high school libraries have not been buying as many traditional history books as they did a quarter century ago. Academic publishers are having a hard time financially, especially with hardcover books on narrow topics. As a result, aspiring scholars are having a hard time finding presses willing to take a chance on their work. And so far, electronic books have not been finding much of a market either.

The Organization of American Historians is anxious to insure that, whatever happens, researchers can find an audience for solid work on important themes. To that end, we are currently participating in an electronic publishing effort that could revolutionize the way historians bring their research to interested readers. Funded by a $3 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and organized by the American Council of Learned Societies, the ACLS History E-Book Project, as it is known, aims to publish eighty-five completely new electronic monographs in the next five years. The expectation is that most of these "books" will have the kinds of appendices, charts, and data sources that will make use of emerging technologies. In addition, the project will convert from traditional to electronic format approximately 500 previously published titles that have major importance to historians and are frequently cited in the literature.

The aim of this effort is not to undermine traditional books. Most of us will continue to read printed paper between bound covers for decades to come. But the Organization of American Historians and the profession as a whole must be alert to the intellectual possibilities of new technologies, and we need to assure the continued viability of the history monograph--the foundation of our profession--in a publishing environment that is changing every year.

The History E-Book Project collection, which is supported by four other learned societies in addition to the OAH, will be launched in June of this year. The objective is to produce electronic books that meet the same rigorous standards already common in the scholarly publishing world and that will be regarded as equal to traditional volumes when departments make hiring and promotion decisions.

If you have a manuscript or idea that might be appropriate for this electronic publishing effort please investigate the website at http://www.historyEbook.org. You should also make plans to attend a special session at the OAH annual convention in Los Angeles where Eileen Gardiner and Ronald Musto of the ACLS History E-Book Project will make a brief presentation on the plan and respond to your questions. The workshop will be held on Thursday, 26 April 2001 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.