Launched in 2008, the International Journals Directory (IJD) is an online aggregator of American studies journals that over the past decade has collected editorial information, announcements, table of contents, article abstracts, and submission policies for 55 journals in 25 countries.  

The directory was the outcome of an international initiative of the American Studies Association that brought an initial 31 journal editors from 17 countries into collaboration to produce an online platform for connecting and promoting the work of American studies scholars across national borders. 

At the 2004 Annual Meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia, the ASA sponsored networking meetings for directors of International American studies programs and centers and convened a business meeting for editors of American studies journals worldwide. In their meeting, the journal editors—together with those of American Quarterly—discussed the idea of creating a website to list the latest American studies scholarship around the world.

The project found generous funding through the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Over the next few years, the ASA developed the site in partnership with Hop Studios, a Vancouver-based web design firm. This “directory of worldwide resources” (as the IJD would become subtitled) was unveiled at the 2008 Annual Meeting in Oakland, appropriately themed “The United States from Inside and Out: Transnational American Studies.”

Members interested in the contours of the project can look to the index of journals included in the directory to learn more. Members interested in reimagining this initiative—particularly for a new era of scholarly communication, networked publishing, and open-access—are invited to reach out to the Office of the Executive Director and the International Committee chair.