The Press was founded in 1936 in Madison and is one of more than 120 member presses in the Association of American University Presses. The Journals Division was established in 1965. The Press employs approximately 25 full and part-time staff, produces 40 to 60 new books a year, and publishes 11 journals. It also distributes books and some annual journals for selected smaller publishers. The Press is a unit of the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and serves the university's overall mission of research, instruction, and outreach beyond the university.