In an effort to open up new opportunities for the American Historical Review and its subscribers, the Association will shift publishing operations to Oxford University Press next summer. In the short term we do not expect members will note a substantial difference. Editorial responsibilities will remain with the Association, and the journal will continue to be delivered five times a year. But over the longer run, we expect this will offer a number of exciting new opportunities to make the journal more useful and accessible to our members.

According to Executive Director James Grossman, “The AHA is especially attracted to OUP’s online publishing resources and vision for the digital future”. He observed that “It was a very difficult choice, given our positive experience with our previous publisher,” but added that “Oxford University Press shares our vision and commitment to the scholarly community and is the ideal collaborator as we consider new ways to deliver the AHR to individual historians and the wide variety of institutions interested in historical scholarship.”

At Oxford, the AHR will join a substantial list of distinguished history journals, which includes The Journal of American History, Past and Present,  Environmental History, and The Journal of Social History.  “Oxford’s reputation among historians here and abroad is very high” noted Robert Schneider, Editor of the AHR.  “We are especially eager to work with the press to improve our access to libraries and subscribers outside North America. The AHR also wants to maintain its position at the leading edge of digital publishing in the Humanities. With its impressive in-house technological expertise and its broad experience in this area, OUP offers us the means to move forward in an ever-changing environment of digital publishing.”

Niko Pfund, President of Oxford University Press, Inc., added that, “We could scarcely be more pleased and honored to be chosen as the publishers of the American Historical Review.  History is both one of the press’s greatest strengths and one of its primary strategic priorities going forward, and this alliance, with one of the most influential journals in the world is all the more exciting for the directions in which the AHA wishes to take the journal.”

In the spring of 2012 we will be announcing the first round of offerings from the partnership of the American Historical Review and Oxford University Press.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.