The North Dakota State University Press, also known as NDSU Press, is a historical publishing institute located at North Dakota State University.
NDSU Press is a division of the North Dakota State University Libraries and serves a regional service area that encompasses the entire state of North Dakota and 18 counties in Minnesota within a 100 mile radius of Fargo.
About Us
North Dakota State University Press is a part of the Institute for Regional Studies, an academic unit within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Its mission is to research, document, and archive the stories of our region, preserving its heritage for future generations.
The Institute’s research collections are housed in the NDSU Libraries, and its publications are published by the NDSU Press. The Institute’s mission is a key part of the land-grant mission at NDSU, engaging with the state and its people through research and outreach.
In 1950, the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education approved the creation of the Institute for Regional Studies, which began collecting archival materials and publishing works that pertain to the state. Today, the Institute and NDSU Press continue that legacy by advancing scholarly regional scholarship throughout the Red River Valley, North Dakota and the North American plains.
Currently, the Press publishes six to ten books per year. It is a member of the Association of University Presses and receives manuscripts through a peer review process that involves experts in the field of study.
It has a new leader in Suzzanne Kelley, who set out to make NDSU Press one of the country’s top university presses and is making good progress. She is expanding the number of books it publishes, and has made it a teaching press.
Students in the publishing classes Kelley teaches have a hands-on experience in editing, producing and publishing books selected by the Press. A recent class worked on a book of poems by North Dakota Poet Laureate Larry Woiwode, and another class assembled and printed a book of poetry by North Dakota Associate Poet Laureate Denise K. Lajimodiere, which was also assembled and printed at the Braddock Letterpress Print Museum in Fargo.
The Press is part of the Institute for Regional Studies, which was founded in 1950 and consists of four major areas: collections, publications, outreach, and social research. It is a major source of public university education in North Dakota and is home to a highly diverse student body, ranging from 40 states to 80 countries.
Publications
The University Press publishes books relating to the history and culture of North Dakota, its people and places. NDSU Press averages six to ten books published per year, focusing on aiding an understanding of the Red River Valley, the state of North Dakota and the northern plains and prairies.
NDSU Press has a long tradition of publishing scholarly books and works of art in the fields of art, history, and literature. In addition to the traditional book form, we publish digital products.
Our current publications include the award-winning Poetry of the Plains & Prairies (POPP) chapbook, "Prairie Madness" by Katherine Hoerth. The collection was selected from more than one hundred local, regional, and national poets by a jury of poets, academics, and publishers.
This book carries an ecofeminist thread through its exploration of women's lives in the context of history and mythologies. It challenges patriarchal norms about women and the feminine and asks questions about our collective representation of women and the environment in North Dakota.
Each copy of this book is hand-numbered and printed on turn-of-the-century letterpress equipment located in West Fargo, North Dakota, and Braddock, North Dakota, by students enrolled in NDSU's Certificate in Publishing. Each cover is ornamented with pressed flowers, complementing the letterpress interiors divided by a slate blue vellum tissue.
NDSU Press also publishes non-book products that enhance and expand the understanding of North Dakota's history, culture and landscapes. These products range from scholarly books to maps, images, and audio and video media.
These products are available in our catalog and in bookstores. We also offer a variety of educational and outreach programs through the Press.
Many of these activities are free or low-cost and encourage community participation. Others are supported by private contributions that help to fund NDSU's instructional, research and public service objectives.
NDSU Press also offers an experiential learning course that prepares students for a career in the publishing industry. The course covers acquisitions, production, marketing and distribution of scholarly and literary work. It includes field trips to a publishing house and other companies that are in the business of distributing books, as well as hands-on experience with a decades-old publication house and the use of a contemporary production system.
Catalog
North Dakota State University Press publishes a variety of books, including scholarly monographs, textbooks, and collections of poetry. We also offer digital publications that are available for free or low-cost. Our catalog features books in the areas of archaeology, petroculture and energy, and politics, public history, and humanities.
In addition to our own publications, NDSU Press also works in partnership with other publishers to bring a broad range of books to North Dakota students. These partners include the North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies, the South Dakota Historical Society, and a variety of other institutions.
NDSU Press is located on the NDSU campus, and its staff are proud to support the university's mission of teaching and research. In addition to the main campus, NDSU has many research extension centers throughout North Dakota and across the country that serve as hubs for academic research.
The campus is home to historic buildings, beautiful gardens, and scenic sites like the Babbling Brook in the Minard-South Engineering quad. Other iconic NDSU locations on campus include Old Main, Minard Hall, Ceres Hall, Putnam Hall, and Shepperd Arena. The Quentin Burdick Building (QBB formerly IACC) is the technology powerhouse on campus and houses hundreds of computers and server systems used by a variety of departments.
Courses offered by the Department of English at NDSU are a great way to learn about writing and editing. The Introduction to Publishing course teaches about the history, business, and practice of small press publishing while also providing hands-on experience in the process of publishing a chapbook manuscript for the NDSU Press.
Practicum in Publishing is an advanced course that combines the knowledge and background gained during the Introduction to Publishing course with experiential learning in the process of producing an NDSU Press book. This class enables students to work with a decades-old publishing house, applying current methods and customs of scholarly and literary publishing while meeting real-time production deadlines and schedules in preparation for national distribution of all NDSU Press books, including the annual POPP Award chapbooks.
The POPP Awards, which are the oldest competitions in the United States for poets, were created to honor and promote emerging and established North Dakota poetry. Currently, the NDSU Press is proud to publish the most recent POPP Award winner, "Prairie Madness" by Katherine Hoerth.
Contact Us
NDSU Press publishes books about North Dakota and the region, as well as scholarly works from around the world. It is located in a historic publishing house at North Dakota State University.
The university's main campus is located in Bismarck, a city of about 32,000 people and the largest in the state of North Dakota. It is surrounded by beautiful natural landscapes and many historic buildings. Among these are the Old Main, Minard Hall, South Engineering, and Ceres Hall. It is also home to the NDSU Museum and the Babbling Brook.
In addition to its academic programs, NDSU is a premier research university. Annual research expenditures exceed $150 million. It is ranked 84 among 402 public universities in the National Science Foundation's list of top-performing colleges and universities, and it is among the best research universities in the country in many areas.
Since 1950, NDSU Press has been collecting archival materials and publishing works about the state of North Dakota. Its mission is to promote, preserve and publish the history of our region. The Press has a broad range of publications, including the multi-award winning journal, South Dakota History.
Our books are distributed to libraries and bookstores nationwide. We work to make sure all our books are of high quality and are accessible to as many readers as possible.
We have a staff of over 30 people. They are highly qualified to serve our authors, editors and customers. They are also passionate about preserving the history of our state.
The NDSU Press team is dedicated to providing the best possible service to our authors and readers. You can contact us by phone, email or letter.
NDSU Press is an important part of a larger publishing system that includes the North Dakota State University Archives and the NDSU Library. This team provides a wide variety of services to NDSU students and the community, including a book club and a web portal that features scholarly and popular titles.
Our staff is committed to the State Board of Higher Education's vision of enhancing the quality of life in North Dakota and the economic and social vitality of our communities. We strive to achieve that mission through a highly collaborative and responsive organizational structure.