Although editorial processes vary among library publishers and university presses, advisory boards are often a common means of providing guidance for publishing programs and publication review at various stages. In 2024, Virginia Tech Publishing & Press (VTP&P) sought to create an advisory board to support strategic planning, review publication proposals, and represent the university and scholarly community at large. In this presentation, we will share our process for establishing our advisory board, from creating a charge for the group, identifying members, building rapport and communication among the group, and creating a workflow for reviewing incoming proposals. We will cover the various ways publishers and presses can work with an advisory board and what role they may play in the publishing process. We will also share some of the challenges and opportunities this process provided and continues to provide, such as the ongoing challenge to determine how much we share with the board and what level of decision making power they have, as well as the opportunity to use the board as a sounding board for new ideas and potential areas of growth. The presentation will cover how we have built in reflection points to learn what is working and what is not and how we have used that feedback to implement change over time and improve the process for both our board members and our program.
