Legal Information Management (LIM), the journal of the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL), is to be published by Edinburgh University Press (EUP) from the start of 2026.
The news comes after an 18-month search to find a replacement for publisher Cambridge University Press (CUP), which finishes its 21-year relationship with LIM at the end of 2025.
There will, however, be a major change with the journal added the publisher, in that it will no longer be published as a print title. This is because the costs of continuing in hard copy format have increased to the point where they are no longer sustainable for BIALL. While disappointing, the LIM co-editors and the board feel that this is very much a sign of the times, and the decision was also guided by the recent LIM Survey in which the majority of respondents said they were willing to accept online access only, EUP continued.
The process to find a new publisher involved negotiations with a number of interested parties, representing a selection of both large and small companies. EUP was chosen because of its record of producing journals, its reputation, and also its strong desire to work with LIM.
Helen Garner, the outgoing chair of the LIM editorial board, who led the process, said: “In our search for a new publisher for Legal Information Management, the board had constructive meetings with several outstanding journal publishers. Our final choice was Edinburgh University Press due to their long-standing commitment to academic journal publishing and excellent reputation within the publishing world. We believe that partnering with EUP offers LIM the opportunity to expand its readership and to work with a publisher that understands and values the needs of a specialist journal.”
Sarah McDonald, head of publishing at EUP said: “We are delighted to welcome Legal Information Management to the Edinburgh University Press list. The journal is a fantastic fit with our publishing in law and library information, and we are looking forward to working with the LIM editors and BIALL to enhance reach and impact within the academic and legal information communities.”
LIM Co-Editor Jas Breslin said: “It was a very difficult process, trying to find a replacement for CUP, which has been publishing LIM since 2004. In the three years we have been editing the journal CUP has been nothing less than wholly professional and very helpful, but with EUP we feel we have the perfect replacement.”
The first Edinburgh issue of LIM will be online in March 2026.
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