UPK publishes 1st new title available through Open Access Initiative

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College of Design associate professor Patrick Lee Lucas, author of "Athens on the Frontier: Grecian-Style Architecture in the Splendid Valley of the West, 1820-1860"
College of Design associate professor Patrick Lee Lucas, author of "Athens on the Frontier: Grecian-Style Architecture in the Splendid Valley of the West, 1820-1860"

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 19, 2023) The University Press of Kentucky’s (UPK) Open Access Initiative (OAI) has announced the release of "Athens on the Frontier: Grecian-Style Architecture in the Splendid Valley of the West, 1820-1860," as its first newly-published title offered for free.

Written by University of Kentucky College of Design Associate Professor Patrick Lee Lucas, “Athens on the Frontier” is a meticulously researched scholarly work that examines the material culture of Grecian-style buildings in antebellum America to help recover 19th-century regional identities.

The book was officially released by UPK on March 28, 2023, and was financially supported by the College of Design.

“When we write as scholars about what we're learning in the world, it's important to share outwardly so that others might benefit from our insights,” said Lucas. “I am delighted to be the author that the University Press of Kentucky selected to model an Open Access approach to publication. This approach makes it possible for many more people in many more places to receive and use information.”

UPK’s Open Access Initiative has a dual mission — the publication of books of high scholarly merit in a variety of fields for a largely academic audience and the publication of books about the history and culture of Kentucky, the Ohio Valley region, the Upper South and Appalachia. It is intended as a long-term commitment to making UPK resources freely available to the citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

UPK’s partnership with Kentucky Virtual Library on the initiative has granted members of participating institutions unlimited access to more than 1,300 titles published by the press. While most UPK titles become available through the OAI when they are five years old, "Athens on the Frontier" is the first current title offered through the program.

Access is provided for free via UKnowledge and the Kentucky Virtual Library. Users may contact their local library for login credentials.

“As a state-funded publisher, we want to give back to the Commonwealth. The Kentucky Virtual Library is the ideal partner for bringing knowledge and information to the people,” said Ashley Runyon, UPK director.

About University Press of Kentucky

The University Press of Kentucky is the statewide nonprofit scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Serving all Kentucky state-sponsored institutions of higher learning as well as six private colleges and Kentucky’s two major historical societies, it was organized in 1969 as successor to the University of Kentucky Press. UPK is dedicated to the publication of academic books of high scholarly merit as well as significant books about the history and culture of Kentucky, the Ohio Valley region, the Upper South and Appalachia.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.