bfertig is lookin' out for the little guy

sure, why not?

I don't think I'll be doing anything particularly different for this than just tracking or noting if my reading comes from a small publisher.

To start out with - and full disclosure: I work/ed with these folks - for those interested in science communication and environmental health assessment, I'll give a plug for IAN Press, out of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) Integration and Application Network (IAN) www.ian.umces.edu/press
It's a small group of environmental scientists - mainly estuarine ecologists and marine botanists - who are writing and designing and essentially self-publishing these books.

Some cool stuff IMHO.

You know, this little exercise might turn out to be helpful for students or specialists who are really trying to dig into something.

Sure - a lot of my technical or reference books tend to be university presses e.g. Cambridge, Chicago, or from scientific publishers e.g. Springer, Blackwell, Taylor&Francis (CRC).

I have noticed that several more general or lay environmental books come from Island Press which apparently is a nonprofit with the purpose of printing books on environmental issues and natural resource management. They have a number of very interesting titles and books.
Island Press www.islandpress.com
Turning the tide
Striper wars
Unnatural history of the sea