Category Archives: News

We’re currently aware of an issue affecting downloads from UCL Discovery, which means some readers may be having difficulty accessing UCL Press books. UCL Press journals are unaffected by this issue.

Our technical team is actively looking into the problem and working to restore normal service as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, all UCL Press books remain freely and immediately available to download via our partner platforms:

• JSTOR Open Access
• OAPEN Library

Both sites host our full open access catalogue, so you should still be able to access any title you need without interruption.

We know how important reliable access is for readers, authors and librarians alike, and we’re sorry for any frustration this may cause. Thank you for your patience while we resolve the issue.

We’ll share a further update as soon as downloads via UCL Discovery are back to normal.

We are delighted to announce that New Sensory Approaches to the Past: Applied Methods in Sensory Heritage and Archaeology, edited by Pamela Jordan, Sara Mura and Sue Hamilton, has been shortlisted for the 2026 European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) Book Prize.

Awarded annually, the EAA Book Prize recognises exceptional recent publications by EAA members. This year’s prize attracted a highly competitive field, with a selection of seven titles shortlisted.

The winner will be announced at the Opening Ceremony of the 32nd Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists, which will take place in Athens later this year.

Shortlisting for the prize reflects the originality, scholarly quality and wider contribution of New Sensory Approaches to the Past. Bringing together an international range of contributors, the volume explores how people in the past experienced their worlds through the senses, offering innovative approaches that challenge the predominantly visual focus of traditional archaeological research.

Through case studies spanning diverse periods and geographies, the book demonstrates how attention to sound, smell, movement and embodied experience can open up new perspectives on cultural environments and lived experience. Its interdisciplinary scope highlights the value of integrating methods and insights from across archaeology and beyond.

Published open access by UCL Press, the book is freely available to read online, ensuring its research can reach and inform readers across the world.

We warmly congratulate the editors and contributors on this well-deserved recognition and look forward to the announcement of the 2026 prize winner in Athens.

We are delighted to share that Shelley with Benjamin: A Critical Mosaic by Mathelinda Nabugodi has been shortlisted for the British Association of Romantic Studies (BARS) First Book Prize 2026.

The shortlisting recognises an outstanding first monograph in Romantic Studies and places Nabugodi’s book among an impressive and highly competitive field. Published by UCL Press in 2023, Shelley with Benjamin offers a bold and innovative critical reading of Percy Bysshe Shelley through the philosophical lens of Walter Benjamin, reframing Romanticism as a dynamic, fragmentary mode of thought and interpretation.

This year’s judging panel received a large number of high‑quality nominations, making the selection process particularly challenging. The final shortlist reflects the breadth and vitality of current scholarship in Romantic Studies, and includes works published by major academic presses from the UK, Europe, and North America.

The 2026 shortlist is chaired by Professor Ross Wilson (University of Cambridge), with judges Dr Susan Civale (Canterbury Christ Church University), Professor Daisy Hay (University of Exeter), Dr Andrew McInnes (Edge Hill University), Dr Cleo O’Callaghan Yeoman (University of Glasgow), Dr Emily Paterson-Morgan (The Byron Society), and Dr Amy Wilcockson (Queen Mary University of London).

The winner of the BARS First Book Prize will be announced at the BARS International Conference 2026, Romantic Retrospections, which will take place at the University of Birmingham from Wednesday 29 to Friday 31 July

The UCL Press team will be away for a Spring break from 5.30pm on Wednesday 1 April 2026 to 9.00am on Wednesday 8 April 2026.

Our team will be offline during this period and will respond to all messages once we return. Thank you for your patience and for bearing with us while we take this short break.

All UCL Press books and journals will remain freely available throughout the closure. You can continue to browse, read and download our open access titles via:

• The UCL Press website
• JSTOR
• OAPEN
• Google Books

We hope you enjoy exploring our collections while we are away. We will be back online from Wednesday 8 April 2026.

UCL Press is proud to announce the launch of Advances in Perioperative Care (APOC), a new Diamond Open Access journal created to support the growing field of perioperative care.

As part of our commitment to widening access to research, the journal is free to read and free to publish in, ensuring that high quality educational content is available to all who support patients through the surgical journey.

APOC publishes case reports and narrative articles that translate evidence into practical guidance for the multidisciplinary teams working in perioperative care. Each article is built around a clear clinical scenario and learning objective, offering insight that readers can apply directly in practice. The journal provides a welcoming and supportive editorial environment where authors receive constructive feedback throughout peer review.

Developed by clinicians and academics at the UCL Centre for Perioperative Medicine, the journal is led by Editor in Chief Professor David Walker and an experienced editorial board representing a range of perioperative disciplines. Together, they aim to build a global community of contributors who share a commitment to improving the experience and outcomes of surgical patients.

APOC invites submissions from healthcare professionals worldwide. The journal welcomes contributions on any area of perioperative care, including clinical management, pharmacy interventions, nursing innovations, digital and data driven approaches and therapies that support recovery and wellbeing. Articles that explore a focused clinical challenge or offer learning from a compelling case study are particularly encouraged.

Find out more at journals.uclpress.co.uk/apoc

On 17th March, more than 100 colleagues, friends and members of the academic community gathered  to celebrate the life and work of Dr Paul Ayris, and to mark the launch of his open access book, Thomas Cranmer’s Register, which was the result of more than 40 years of extraordinary academic endeavour.

Speakers reflected on Paul’s significant contributions to UCL and to the wider scholarly community:

• Professor Jennifer Hudson, Vice-Provost (Faculties) reflected on her work with Paul during the past two years, and his leadership of LCCOS (Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science) at UCL
• Professor Emeritus David Price, former Vice-Provost (Research) at UCL, who shared warm recollections of working closely with Paul and spoke about their long-standing friendship.
• Professor Richard Rex, Professor of Reformation History at the University of Cambridge, who placed Paul’s pioneering research on Thomas Cranmer’s Register in its wider scholarly context and reflected on their academic collaboration.
• Dr Michael Spence, President and Provost of UCL, who led the audience in a moment of remembrance.

Paul was founder, CEO and a champion of UCL Press, and dedicated most of his career to UCL. He joined in 1997 as Deputy Librarian and later became Director of UCL Library Services, where he strengthened the university’s commitment to openness and public engagement. In 2018, he was appointed Pro-Vice-Provost of LCCOS (Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science) with an expanded portfolio, and his leadership in Open Science helped shape practice across the sector. His influence played a key role in establishing UCL Press as a global leader in open access publishing.

Paul also volunteered his time to a range of organisations across the sector in service of his vision of an open, accessible and publicly engaged higher education ecosystem, including as President of LIBER, the Association of European Research Libraries, and as Chair of League of European Research Universities’ Working Groups on Roadmaps for Open Access, Research Data and Open Science. He was latterly proud to serve as Chair of the LERU Group for Open Science Ambassadors.

Paul’s impact is felt across UCL, within the international library and scholarly communications communities, and among all who had the privilege of working with him. 

Find out more about Paul Ayris’ life and work: https://uclpress.co.uk/in-memoriam-dr-paul-ayris-ba-phd-frhist/

Read and download Thomas Cranmer’s Register: https://uclpress.co.uk/book/thomas-cranmers-register/

UCL Press is pleased to note the recent coverage of University College London: The Bloomsbury Campus in the Daily Telegraph. Writing in the paper, Christopher Howse described the volume as ‘a magnificent new architectural history of UCL’s Bloomsbury campus’, recognising the significance of this landmark publication for the university’s bicentenary.

Published as part of a trio of books marking UCL’s two hundredth year, the volume offers the most comprehensive study to date of the buildings, landscapes and planning decisions that have shaped UCL’s central London home. It is the nineteenth volume in the long running Survey of London series and the first to be published by UCL Press, where it is available in full as open access.

The authors trace the evolution of the Bloomsbury estate from UCL’s radical beginnings in 1826 to its position today as a global university committed to openness, innovation and public purpose. Through extensive archival research and newly commissioned photography, the book brings to light the architectural character of the campus and the ideas that have guided its development over two centuries.

Links

• Read the article (££).
• Read and download the open access book

We are delighted to share that Morning Star has reviewed Walter Benjamin’s Ark: a departure in biography by John Schad.

The reviewer draws attention to the book’s striking and unconventional approach to Benjamin’s life. Rather than following a traditional biographical path, the book traces the experiences of Benjamin’s son, Stefan, and uses this perspective to illuminate new dimensions of Benjamin’s story.

The review highlights the vivid and unsettling quality of the narrative. The chapters that follow Stefan’s journey aboard the Dunera are described as possessing the intensity of a magic realist novel. This captures something essential about the book: its willingness to blend archival insight with creative energy in order to reveal the emotional complexity surrounding Benjamin’s legacy.

It is great to see the book’s originality and emotional depth recognised. If you are interested in new approaches to life writing or want to discover a different perspective on Benjamin, this is a powerful place to start.

Read the review: https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/walter-benjamin-not-you-know-him
Download the book free: https://uclpress.co.uk/book/walter-benjamins-ark/

UCL Press has been awarded a gold rated 100% ASPIRE score for its accessibility statement, recognising the Press’s commitment to delivering the highest standard of accessible digital publishing.

The ASPIRE project is an industry wide initiative that evaluates the clarity, transparency and usability of accessibility information provided by scholarly publishers and content platforms. A 100% score is the project’s highest rating and reflects best practice in communicating accessibility support to readers, librarians and disability services teams.

Achieving the gold rating follows a sustained programme of work at UCL Press to improve the accessibility of its open access books and journals. This has included updating accessibility documentation, enhancing workflows for EPUB and PDF formats, and strengthening guidance for authors and editors on inclusive publishing.

Jaimee Biggins, Production Manager at UCL Press, welcomed the result and highlighted its value for the research community. She noted that a clear and comprehensive accessibility statement helps all readers understand how they can use and engage with content and demonstrates the Press’s commitment to meeting diverse needs.

The rating also reflects UCL’s institutional commitment to equitable access to knowledge. As the UK’s first fully open access university press, UCL Press aims to ensure that removing paywalls goes hand in hand with removing barriers created by format, technology or disability.

With great sadness, we announce the death of Dr Paul Ayris, Pro-Vice-Provost (LCCOS: Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science) and CEO of UCL Press.

Paul dedicated the majority of his career to UCL, joining in 1997 as Deputy Librarian and quickly becoming Director of UCL Library Services. Under his leadership, Library Services went from strength to strength, developing the focus on openness and outreach that was his hallmark and implementing a major programme of investment in services that went on to include the creation of the UCL Student Centre in Bloomsbury and the UCL East Library. In 2018 he became Pro-Vice-Provost with an expanded portfolio, and his championing of Open Science in particular has been instrumental in changing approaches across the sector. It is in large part thanks to him that UCL Press is leading the way in open access publishing.

Paul was not only CEO and a champion of UCL Press, but also an author of one of its forthcoming publications. He was dedicated to the study of the English reformation church, having written his doctoral thesis on the work of the reformation archbishop Thomas Cranmer, and was looking forward to the publication of his book, Thomas Cranmer’s Register, in January.

He pursued his academic work in parallel to his role at UCL, the high standard of which was reflected in his election as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 2019.

Paul also volunteered his time to a range of organisations across the sector in service of his vision of an open, accessible and publicly engaged higher education ecosystem, including as President of LIBER, the Association of European Research Libraries, and as Chair of League of European Research Universities’ Working Groups on Roadmaps for Open Access, Research Data and Open Science. He was latterly proud to serve as Chair of the LERU Group for Open Science Ambassadors.

He led a huge portfolio bringing together UCL’s libraries, museums and collections, public engagement and open science activities with great energy and enthusiasm and will be enormously missed by colleagues at UCL and globally.