The University of New Mexico Press recently moved to 1601 Randolph Rd. SE. The editorial, production, marketing and administrative departments moved from their previous location in the Lobo Center on Lomas.
The former UNM Press site, located between Belew’s Office Supply and UNM’s Speech and Hearing Sciences building, will be demolished to allow for construction of a two-story office building to consolidate university purchasing, payroll, human resources and accounting departments. Once the new building is built and occupied, plans call for UNM Press to return to campus, hopefully within a year.
UNM Press has been located in its Lobo Center space since 1990. The new
UNM Press location is in a well-lit, airy business complex, located two blocks north of the Albuquerque Sunport and two blocks west of Yale Boulevard. Its new offices will be closer to the press business, customer service and distribution center on Spirit Drive.
Technical Support Manager Mike Ritthaler was concerned about moving the Press’s fragile equipment: thirty computers, six printers, two copiers, and a fax machine. But the main apprehension was about networking connections in the new space.
For student employees, who comprise nearly half of UNM Press’s 27-person staff affected, the move has pros and cons. “I'm disappointed we have to move off-campus,” said Lisa Pacheco, editorial assistant and anthropology doctoral student. “Students won’t be able to get to and from classes as conveniently as we do now.” Other student employees concur.
Editorially, the most difficult part of the move will be re-training the press’s 20 freelance copyeditors, proofreaders and indexers of the new mailing address and pick-up location for manuscripts.
David Holtby, editor-in-chief and associate director, said, “These offices have served the press well in a period of growth and transition, but it’s time to make way for new construction at Lobo Center. UNM Press is committed to continuous improvement not only for ourselves but also for the UNM community as a whole. Our pending move is an opportunity to make changes that improve efficiency, communications and customer service.”
Holtby added, “Moving to new quarters permits us to step up to offices that match our national and international stature as a leading scholarly publisher.”
UNM Press Director Luther Wilson said, “The move has advantages and disadvantages, but overall I see the advantages outweighing the disadvantages. We will have more efficient workspace with private offices for all regular employees. There will be ample free parking for staff and visitors, and we will be much closer to our colleagues in accounting, customer service and warehousing.”
The move off-campus will spur new ways of commuting to and communicating
with the campus community. Wilson said, “Our student employees and our university press faculty committee members will find traveling to the new press offices more difficult and time-consuming. We will all have to make extra efforts to keep in touch with university faculty and staff, and with our many authors on campus.”
Contact: Carolyn Gonzales, 277-5920
Amanda Sutton, 277-0655