Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Aug 7

Did you know that when you order a print book or journal from us, your order will be hand packed by one of our dedicated staff, and then given a wee hug before being put in the mail?
You'll also get your very own AUP bookmark, sure to be this season's hottest accessory?

A lady with short, brown hair wearing clear glasses gently hugs a padded brown envelope

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Jul 23

As the Tall Ships make their way on to Norway we consider the other side of the Age of Sail, and how British Naval superiority allowed for human exploitation at unprecedented scale.
Our scholars grappled with these issues in an issue of JISS on slavery and North-East Scotland abdn.site/JISS112

Image of the plan of a ship for transporting enslaved people, labelled 'Stowage of the slave ship Brooks under the Regulated Slave Trade act of 1788', image is public domain via Wikimedia Commons

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Jul 18

Who's excited for the Tall Ships Races this weekend? 🙋‍♀️

You can learn more about the shipwrights and coopers of Aberdeen, whose work helped make the Age of Sail possible, in our latest publication: The Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen, available here abdn.site/7Trade

A graphic reading 'University of Aberdeen a proud sponsor of the tall ships races Aberdeen 2025' with a cartoon of a skipper looking through a telescope on the right side

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Jul 11

We're extremely proud to have published @bydreamphd.bsky.social 's award winning article, and pleased to see this recognition of her excellent work. Congratulations for this award!🎉

Read the article here: doi.org/10.57132/jis...

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Jul 8

📢 🎊We're pleased to announce our latest book is now available!
This work was years in the making and documents the storied history of one of Aberdeen's most significant trade organisations. Order your copy of The Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen today!
www.abdn.ac.uk/aup/books/hi...

Book cover with an image of a building at night, it has brightly lit coloured stain glass windows, each window lit in a different color, teal, green, yellow, pink, and purple. It says 'The Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen'

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Jun 19

We had at great time sharing a table at #SCURL2025 with our new (formal) partner (but actually we've been benefiting from their advice and encouragement the whole time).

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Jun 19

Happy Juneteenth! Today we celebrate the end of chattel slavery in the United States, and the final end of the Atlantic Slave Trade, begun by Europeans in the 15th Century. You can learn more about Scotland's role in the slave trade in the current issue of JISS, available OA here abdn.site/196

A black woman with braided hair is dancing in the foreground. She wears a red t-shirt with green and yellow letters reading: Juneteenth: Breaking Every Chain Since 1865, image provided by the US Army Garrison - Humphreys, via Flickr, under a CC BY license

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Jun 12

We were pleased to be able to attend this excellent webinar from @academiclibsnorth.bsky.social
There are a lot of challenges for scholars publishing monographs Open Access, but we're ready to support you at whatever stage you are on your journey 🥰

Copim @copim.bsky.social · Jun 10

Last chance to register @academiclibsnorth.bsky.social webinar 12 June (10am)

👉 Supporting & encouraging authors to publish #OpenAccess #Monographs with no #REF2029 mandate

Join @kjsanders.bsky.social @scholtom.bsky.social as they propose solutions & share success stories

🔗 buff.ly/U7Tjcrr

Promotional graphic for an event titled 'Supporting and Encouraging Authors to Publish Open Access With No REF2029 Mandate,' scheduled for Thursday, 12 June with Academic Libraries North. Speakers include Tom Grady (Opening the Future) and Kevin Sanders (Open Book Collective). Logos for Copim Opening the Future, and Open Book Collective are displayed. On the right, an illustration shows a person carrying a large boulder labelled 'open access for books.'

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Jun 9

Are you visiting for #Ceangal/Connect? Stop by the Sir Duncan Rice Library and pick up some bookmarks, book cords, or other info from our little display, and learn more about Clò Oilthigh Obar Dheathain!

A posterboard with posters and flyers advertising AUP publications, with a table in front full of bookmarks, flyers, and book cards for people to take

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Jun 3

Happy Pride Month! It's a great time to read books about the LGBT+ experience, so we have compiled a list of Open Access books from scholarly presses: abdn.site/OAPride
Unfortunately AUP has not published any LGBT+ studies, YET! Submissions are open aberdeenunipress.org

A black dog wearing a rainbow feather boa collar. Photo by Rosemary Ketchum via: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-dog-wearing-fur-decor-2306831/

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · May 16

We're pleased to announce the release of the latest issue of the Journal of Scottish Thought, available #OpenAccess at jst.aberdeenunipress.org/issue/37/info/
This issue focuses on the Scottish Presbyterian minister and thinker, and American Founding Father, John Witherspoon

A 2001 verdigris bronze sculpture of former Princeton president John Witherspoon, by Alexander Stoddart, outside East Pyne Hall. By Joe Shlabotnik via Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · May 15

If you'd like to learn more about creating accessible open access resources, our friends at @copim.bsky.social have created a very thorough and useful report here, by @jofitz.bsky.social
copim.pubpub.org/pub/global-a...

Global Accessibility Barriers

Joanne Fitzpatrick of the Accessibility work package provides an examination of legislative requirements and standards across multiple countries, and reflects on how publishers can measure compliance ...

copim.pubpub.org

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · May 15

Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, a day to raise understanding and awareness about digital access and inclusion.
At AUP we believe that you can't have real Open Access without accessibility, so all our new ebooks are WCAG AA compliant.

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · May 12

Our JISS colleagues might want us to note that limericks have nothing in particular to do with Irish city.

Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · May 12

If we may add a happy ending to this Limerick, with our own origin story:

So those funny old scholars from ‘Deen
who thought commercial publishers profits obscene
so they made a free OA press
with quality no less
But with work that by all can be seen

Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · May 12

It's #NationalLimerickDay, so we've written a verse about open access (some rhymes are a little more slant):

There once were some scholars exploited
they wrote and they edited for no pence
They thought to themselves
why should we work like hell
Just so publishers can get richer than Croesus?

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Reposted by Aberdeen University Press

Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · May 1

Happy May Day! For a little seasonal reading, may we suggest our special issue of the Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies on the place of the strike in Irish and Scottish History
jiss.aberdeenunipress.org/issue/23/info/

This bronze statue of James Connolly be sculptor Eamonn O'Doherty is to be found at Beresford Place across the street Liberty Hall. Behind "the statue is the Starry plough and the flag of the Irish Citizen Army which was founded as a workers' defence force. Engraved in the memorial is his quote - "The cause of Labour is the cause of Ireland - the cause of Ireland is the cause of Labour"." Via Flickr, by William Murphy. CC BY-SA

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · May 1

Happy May Day! For a little seasonal reading, may we suggest our special issue of the Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies on the place of the strike in Irish and Scottish History
jiss.aberdeenunipress.org/issue/23/info/

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Apr 23

Exciting to see! We'll be presenting a lightning talk on how #DiamondOpenAccess can help lower barriers for Early Career Researchers. See you all in Edinburgh!

Open Book Collective @openbookcollective.bsky.social · Apr 22

We are delighted that the 2025 Edinburgh Open Research Conference programme is live: library.ed.ac.uk/research-sup...

EORC: 2025 Programme

On the 4th of June we are coming together to ask the question, "What's stopping us?" We are asking what barriers we face, the challenges slowing progress, and searching for strategies to overcome them...

library.ed.ac.uk

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Apr 9

Happy Absolute Unit Day to all who celebrate!
The MERL is a brilliant museum on all things related to English Rural life, but if you've ever wanted to learn more about rural life in our own Aberdeenshire, may we suggest our #OpenAccessBook 'Footloose in the Farm Service'
doi.org/10.57132/boo...

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Reposted by Aberdeen University Press

Open Institutional Publishing Association @oipassoc.bsky.social · Apr 1

Wonderful to celebrate the launch of the @ojcollective.bsky.social at @uksg.bsky.social!

Swing by the OIPA stall (78) and grab a postcard.

Find out more here: blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Apr 1

Another sunny day in Brighton at #UKSG2025 and @abdnunipress.bsky.social colleague @varinajr.bsky.social has dropped by the @oipassoc.bsky.social stand to say hello. Our promotional book cards and our Adam Ferguson book (doi.org/10.57132/boo...) are on display there!

Table at Open Institutional Publishing Association (OIPA) stand at UKSG conference 2025 - Background features AUP book on Adam Ferguson with AUP promotional book cards in foreground alongside flyers from Open Journals Collective, Open Book Publishers and LSE Press

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Reposted by Aberdeen University Press

Copim @copim.bsky.social · Mar 31

Turns out @scholtom.bsky.social is an influencer ... in slide design

Following his presentation at last year's event, #cats #pets featuring heavily in the #UKSG2025 presentation about #rightsretention at @aberdeenunilib.bsky.social

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Mar 31

Great to see @michiganpublishing.bsky.social at #UKSG2025 - @abdnunipress.bsky.social's publishing partner 📘📖

Michigan Publishing Services stand at UKSG 2025, showing recent publications and Fulcrum pen merch

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Mar 27

Today is #WorldTheatreDay and to celebrate all things theatrical, we would like to recommend, from the Journal of Scottish Studies, a conversation with David Greig, dramaturg and playwright for the National Theatre of Scotland @ntsonline.bsky.social

jiss.aberdeenunipress.org/article/id/1...

View of his Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen, byMichal Lewi, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

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Aberdeen University Press @abdnunipress.bsky.social · Mar 21

Happy #WorldPoetryDay! We have a number of great reads on Poetry, but for this year it seems only right to recognize the book by Scotland's current Makar, Peter Mackay//Pàdraig MacAoidh, written about the eminent Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean//Somhairle MacGill-Eain
abdn.site/WPD

Sorley MacLean

Sorley MacLean (1911-1996) was the greatest Gaelic poet of the 20th Century and one of the leading figures in the Scottish literary Renaissance. He is best known for his love poetry, for poems written...

abdn.site

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