"It Was Such an Amazing Experience": Travel Grant Winners Talk about the 29th Annual Meeting

By Will Wakeling, Chair, SSP Grants and Scholarships Committee

This year's Travel Grant winners had a marvelous time at the SSP Annual Meeting. How do we know? Because we asked them—both to find out what they gained from attending the meeting and to help us refine the Travel Grant program in the future. Below are some of their responses to a brief survey about their experiences.

If your organization is interested in sponsoring the 2008 Travel Grants, please contact SSP Development Committee Chair Dan Tonkery. Meantime, here, once again, is the list of 2007 Travel Grant winners:

Student Travel Awards

• Selenay Aytac, Long Island University
• DeMisty Bellinger, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
• Sonya Fogg, Texas Woman’s University
• Carolyn Hank, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Mary-Ann McHugh, Arizona State University

Early Career Travel Awards

• David Hartogs, American Geophysical Union
• Andrew Kenyon, SUNY Press
• Shana Kimball, University of Michigan University Library
• Antonio Montalvan, Capitol University Press, Philippines
• Christine Polcino, Heldref Publications

(a) In what, if any, ways did your expectations about what you would learn at the SSP 29th Annual Meeting differ from what you actually experienced?

Mary-Ann: The SSP 29th Annual Meeting was remarkable for its diversity, attracting professionals from different countries, from institutions both large and small, from the many and varied facets of the scholarly publishing industry. This stimulating range of voices provided an array of perspectives that enriched the dialogue on scholarly communication considerably.

Andrew: Before the meeting, I wasn't so aware of the tensions that arise between academic book publishers, journals, and libraries as they all try independently to adapt to the same pressures. It was very valuable to hear those different perspectives. I think that SSP is an extraordinarily important organization in bringing together these different concerns.

Selenay: It is such a friendly society and people are so down to earth. As a travel grant recipient, I have been honored by many participants and welcomed by them. It was such an amazing experience.

(b) What were some of the highlights of the meeting with regard to your specific interest area(s)?

DeMisty: I work in marketing, specifically with online promotions and publicity. I run our publicity blog, send out e-mail announcements of new books, and do a lot of research online for the marketing department. I think this year's meeting was made for me. It catered to me, my job description, my day-to-day operations. . . I was very lucky.

Mary-Ann: In addition to my interests in scholarly editing, I am finishing a Ph.D. in communication, and although my dissertation does not deal specifically with Web technology, I was pleasantly surprised to find that almost all the sessions I attended addressed significant issues in communication relevant to my doctoral work.

Christine: I am interested in online scholarly publishing. I was thrilled to attend so many sessions that focused on this topic.

Carolyn: The highlight of my attendance at the SSP 29th Annual Meeting was the realization that, in my own experience as an "emerging" academic in the areas of information and library science, there is a tendency to confuse "scholarly communication" and "scholarly publishing." . . . I think that results in a lack of focus on the specific needs, issues, and concerns of scholarly publishing when considered as a research enterprise in the academic sector. . . . I would be interested in learning/investigating how better to align, or negotiate/collaborate, between the needs and concerns of scholarly publishers and those of information and library science professionals.

(c) What was the high point of the annual meeting for you in terms of (i) immediate work relevance and/or (ii) professional development?

Andrew: I think what feels even more important to me now was having been able to meet other people just starting out in this field, and sharing our backgrounds, impressions, ideas, and goals. I think that most of our organizations are so small, spread out, and isolated that we don't often get such opportunities. I am grateful for this one.

Mary-Ann: I met a host of interesting and engaging people from different areas of the publishing world, many of whom I hope to see again at next year's conference. What is more, I have never received such a warm reception from an event's organizers nor experienced such camaraderie with other award winners.

Selenay: I had a chance to listen to all the current research projects, and socialize with the pioneers in the field. I was so pleased to meet with Dr. Paul Duguid in person.

Shana: I also really enjoyed talking to my mentors, Rebecca Darksmith and October Ivins, about their career paths. It occurs to me that the professional trajectory of an early career professional in nonprofit digital publishing is not a well mapped-out one, and it is a blessing to have focused time with people who are more established in the field or related ones.

Christine: I learned a tremendous amount about how to maximize our content’s visibility in the online world. I also learned how to make our Web site stand out and draw in visitors. These are all very timely matters that I deal with on an everyday basis, and I was glad to bring this information back to my immediate, day-to-day work.

Carolyn: I was very appreciative of how accommodating all attendees were to a "newbie," especially a student that loves to bounce research ideas off anyone within earshot. . . . The attendees at SSP made me feel not only welcome but actually valued for my standing and perspective.

Will Wakeling is acting dean, Northeastern University Libraries.