The American Anthropological Association apparently will end its publishing relationship with the University of California Press at the end of 2007. William E. Davis, the association’s executive director, confirmed widespread reports today that his group was in serious negotiations with Wiley-Blackwell.

“We are in discussions with them about the details of a contract for them to serve as our publishing partner for both our print and electronic journals,” Mr. Davis told The Chronicle. And Rebecca Simon, the California press’s associate director for journals and digital publishing, said today that the association had not renewed its contract with the press.

If the Wiley-Blackwell deal goes through, California will lose a prestigious portfolio of journals, including American Anthropologist, Cultural Anthropology, and the Medical Anthropology Quarterly, as well as AnthroSource, a major online archive of the anthropological association’s publications. —Jennifer Howard