[1] It was founded in 1978 by the publishing industry executives Bill Cohen and Patrick Mcloughlin.
[2] Many of the Haworth publications cover very specialized material, ranging from mental health, occupational therapy, psychology, psychiatry, addiction studies, social work, interdisciplinary social sciences, library & information science, LGBT studies,[3] agriculture, pharmaceutical science, health care, medicine, and other fields.
Their early publications were all in the fields of library and information science and in social work.
[2] In 2003, the Press developed a publishing program in popular culture, under the direction of Marshall Fishwick of Virginia Tech.
[8][9] Bill Cohen, the publisher of Haworth Press, said the merge was motivated by the need for improved computer interface, for "digital permanency", and for increased access to consortial deals.