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MEDIA RELEASE

Society for Scholarly Publishing Establishes Emerging Leader Award and Calls for 2012 Nominations

Wheat Ridge, Colorado (February 22, 2012) – The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) announces the establishment of its new Emerging Leader Award, which will be given for the first time in 2012. The award recognizes an SSP member, working in the scholarly communication field for 7 years or less, who has demonstrated outstanding leadership on an SSP committee or task force and has made innovative contributions to his/her field.

SSP will announce the winner during the business meeting at the 34th Annual Meeting, to be held May 30 - June 1 at the Marriott Crystal Gateway Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

"The Emerging Leader Award recognizes exemplary efforts by SSP members who are relatively new to leadership," said Lois Smith, chair of the Nominating & Awards Committee. "It is also a way to grow the next generation of officers and Board members. Volunteer leaders (and their committee members) are the heart and soul of SSP, and it has been a privilege to be involved in the creation of this new way to honor their hard work."

SSP’s president Terry Van Schaik noted that the Society has for many years given distinguished service awards that acknowledge members who have contributed much over a significant time period. "This new award is a ‘bookend’ to that award – an acknowledgment of people who early in their SSP history have already made notable contributions."

Any SSP member may submit a nomination packet suggesting a candidate for the SSP Emerging Leader Award. The nomination packet should include a letter detailing how the candidate meets the eligibility criteria, beginning with a summary statement explaining why the candidate is deserving of the honor. Additional letters or recommendations in support of the nomination are also welcomed. All candidates will be evaluated by a 5-judge panel selected by SSP’s Nominating & Awards Committee.

SSP members interested in submitting a nomination should visit http://sspnet.org/About_Us/History/SSP_Emerging_Leader_Award/spage.aspx for specific nomination instructions and eligibility requirements. The deadline for nominations is March 30, 2012.

The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP), founded in 1978, is a nonprofit organization formed to promote and advance communication among all sectors of the scholarly publication community through networking, information dissemination, and facilitation of new developments in the field. SSP’s 1,000+ members represent all aspects of scholarly publishing, including publishers, printers, e-product developers, technical service providers, librarians, and editors. SSP members come from a wide range of large and small commercial and nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit www.sspnet.org.

MEDIA RELEASE

Society for Scholarly Publishing Recognizes Key Members with the SSP Distinguished Service Award and the SSP Appreciation Award

Wheat Ridge, Colorado (November 9, 2011) – The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) announces the 2011 recipients of two prestigious awards. Eileen Kiley Novak (MRS) and David Smith (CABI) each received the SSP Appreciation Award and Kent Anderson (JBJS) is the recipient the SSP Distinguished Service Award. First given in 2003, and succeeding the SSP Presidential Recognition Award of the 1990s, these awards recognize outstanding contributions by individuals in support of the Society’s strategic goals.

At the SSP Annual Meeting in June, Immediate Past President Ray Fastiggi recognized two SSP members who have been instrumental in pulling together the various components to make the Annual Meeting such a success. Eileen Kiley Novak and David Smith have co-chaired the Annual Meeting Program Committee for the last two years. Under their leadership, the Annual Meeting has exceeded records for both the number of concurrent sessions and numbers of attendees.

This year’s recipient of the SSP Distinguished Service Award is Kent Anderson. Former SSP President Bill Kasdorf introduced the award by summing up Kent’s influence within the scholarly publishing community. “I remember the first talk I heard Kent give; it was articulate, engaging, and authoritative. Over the years he’s become one of scholarly publishing’s most sought-after speakers, and now most of us know him best as head chef of The Scholarly Kitchen blog, unquestionably one of the most important, prolific, and actively engaging things SSP has ever done.”

Current SSP President Terry Van Schaik adds her thanks. “I’m grateful to have seen such commitment and insight from these three deserving awardees. Building upon their considerable involvement, SSP can continue to grow as a credible and leading voice for our industry. It is contributions like theirs that will help all of us in the publishing community meet our shared future challenges. A big thanks from me on behalf of everyone on the SSP Board of Directors.”

MEDIA RELEASE

Register Now for the Society for Scholarly Publishing’s 2011 Fall Seminar Series

Wheat Ridge, Colorado (October 25, 2011) – The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) presents its 2011 Fall Seminar Series, being held on November 8th and 9th at the American Geophysical Union in Washington, DC. Attendees are invited to join colleagues and experts from across the industry for these exciting and informative seminars:

Seminar 1 – Tuesday, November 8, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Content and Apps for Mobile Devices: Engaging Users in the Mobile Experience

The increasing popularity and use of mobile devices are transforming the way users access and interact with information. This seminar will feature a detailed case study and presentations by STM and humanities publishers and librarians who will share their perspectives on delivering, providing and accessing content in the mobile arena. With a focus on the user, the following topics will be addressed:

How are publishers and libraries engaging the user?
What does the user want from the mobile experience?
How does the user interact with mobile content?

For more information on the stellar presenters lined up for this seminar – including Jonathan Stark, the mobile app consultant that the Wall Street Journal has called an expert on publishing desktop data to the web – see http://bit.ly/nxhapN.

Seminar 2 – Wednesday, November 9, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Moving to the Online-Only Journal: Breaking Free of Print Constraints

If you are considering moving your publications to an “online-only” format, this full-day seminar will explore the issues that will arise and the opportunities that become available when you break away from the print-based medium. The speakers will address concerns about eliminating print, including:

Protecting advertising revenue
Converting print subscribers to online readers (including those who receive print as a member benefit)
Managing challenges of archiving
Developing pricing strategies

The seminar speakers, who represent publishers breaking new ground in the online presentation of content, will provide examples of their features, discuss issues related to continuous publication, and examine the expanded and creative use of linking and videos. For a full list of speakers, see http://bit.ly/nxhapN.

MEDIA RELEASE

SSP 2011 IN Conference Presentations and Videos Now Available

Wheat Ridge, Colorado (October 25, 2011) – The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) is making available presentations and videos from the recent IN Conference held in Arlington, VA, on September 18-20, 2011. Visit www.sspnet.org to link to the presentations.

This year’s IN Conference focused on three key pillars of publishing: Innovation, Collaboration, and Globalization, with a program focused on innovation, inspiration and interactivity to support an executive-level working meeting that energized and inspired new ideas and solutions. Participants confirmed that IN’s emphasis on complex, strategic, real-world publishing examples and commitment to leading-edge ideas made the meeting particularly interesting and useful for them.

This year's program was moderated and facilitated by industry leading consultant Mary Waltham and opened with presentations by industry thought-leaders Eric Newman, Dan Strempel, Jan Reichelt, Melanie Stegman, Brad Allen, and Mark Witkowski. Conference organizers were Adrian Stanley, Alix Vance, and David Sampson.

MEDIA RELEASE

SSP 2011 Annual Meeting Session Recordings Now Available

Wheat Ridge, Colorado (July 17, 2011) – The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) is making available presentations and videos from its annual meeting in Boston June 1-3, 2011, as permissions and presentations are received. Bookmark River Valley's Web site and check it regularly.

Below is a sample of what is available now:

At the Cutting Edge: A Series of Start-Ups (SureChem, Personal Scientific Knowledge, and Recorded Future)
Managing Supplemental Content: Practical Advice for Publishers and Researchers (Linda Beebe, American Psychological Association; Anthony Watkinson, University College London)
Information Overload: Reaching Readers in an Age of Distraction (Philip Davis, Cornell University; Oliver Goodenough, Berkman Center for Internet and Society; Kristin Ratan Fisher. HighWire Press)
What Our Readers Actually Do on Scholarly Publishing Sites—Figuring It Out Through Useability Testing (Andrea Kravetz, Elsevier; Kirsten Robinson, Enreca Technologies; Lisa Horowitz, MIT Libraries)
From Infinity and Beyond: Using Data to Create Next-Generation eBooks (Laura Fleming, Inanimate Alice Project; Rolf Janke, Sage Publications, Inc.)

MEDIA RELEASE

Register Now for the Society for Scholarly Publishing’s 2011 IN Meeting

Wheat Ridge, Colorado (June 14, 2011) – The Society for Scholarly Publishing is pleased to announce that registration is now open for its fall IN meeting. Scheduled for Sunday, September 18, to Tuesday, September 20, at the Waterview Conference Center in Arlington, Virginia, this year’s IN meeting focuses on three key pillars of publishing: Innovation, Collaboration, and Globalization. The program addresses innovation, inspiration, and interactivity to support an executive-level working meeting that energizes and inspires new ideas and solutions.

This year's program is moderated and facilitated by industry-leading consultant Mary Waltham and will open with presentations by industry thought-leaders Eric Newman, Dan Strempel, Jan Reichelt, Melanie Stegman, Brad Allen, and Mark Wittowski. Attendees will then break into smaller working groups with facilitators to help them apply new, pillar-based vehicles to strategic publishing problems and detailed case examples. IN’s emphasis on complex, strategic real-world publishing examples and commitment to leading-edge ideas and their practical application will allow attendees to laser in on new solutions that translate transformative ideas into practical action.

Former attendee Alix Vance, President of Architrave Consulting and cochair of this year’s meeting, says, "IN is all about ideas and interaction with top-notch thinkers, but the impact does not end there. When I left the first IN meeting, my colleagues and I were eager to take what we worked on further — into development at work. The focus this year is once again on translating ideas into action. In fact, one of our planners has already had an ‘aha’ moment with a case study that has enabled her to introduce a new proposed solution at work."

Adrian Stanley of Charlesworth adds, "The SSP IN meeting really is the exclusive go-to meeting of the year, with dynamic interactive discussions, thought-provoking group-based problem solving, the very best industry speakers, and intertwining pillar topics of Innovation, Collaboration, and Globalization that really are key to envisioning and realizing the future of scholarly publishing. The SSP IN meeting is an investment truly worthy of your time and attention."

MEDIA RELEASE

SSP Announces Results of 2011 Officer Elections

Wheat Ridge, Colorado (9 June 2011) – The Society for Scholarly Publishing is pleased to announce the results of its election of new officers for 2011-2012:

President-Elect:

Carol Anne Meyer
Manager of Business Development and Marketing, CrossRef

Treasurer:

Todd Carpenter
Manager Director, National Information Standards Organization

At-Large Board Members:

Eileen Kiley Novak
Assistant Director of Publications, Materials Research Society

Kristen Fisher Ratan
Associate Director, Strategic Development, HighWire Press, Stanford University

Adrian Stanley
Chief Executive Officer, The Charlesworth Group (USA)

President Theresa Van Schaik says: “I join SSP’s current Board of Directors in welcoming these five new members to the leadership team. Their wealth of experience within SSP through volunteer work on committees and task forces plus their knowledge of diverse aspects of scholarly publishing will be very valuable to the Society in the coming years.”

These new officers will join current Board Members Michael Clarke, Alice Meadows, Anne Orens, Howard Ratner, Will Wakeling, and Charles Watkinson, President Theresa Van Schaik and Past President Lois Smith to oversee the direction and operation of SSP from now through the SSP annual meeting in June 2012.

MEDIA RELEASE

2011 SSP Travel Grant Winners Announced
By Will Wakeling, Chair, SSP Travel Grants Working Group

Wheat Ridge, Colorado (April 3, 2011) – SSP is pleased to announce the 10 Travel Grant winners for 2011. This grant supports travel to and attendance at the SSP 33rd Annual Meeting for students of publishing and information science and early career publishing professionals in the first three years of employment.

The following were selected from a highly competitive group of applicants:

Early Career Travel Awards

Elizabeth Andersen, American Society of Clinical Oncology
Alaina Cauchie, Senator John Heinz History Center Library and Archives, Pittsburgh, PA
Jamie Jones, Wayne State University Press
Elizabeth Smart, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University
Gwenan Spearing, CABI, UK

Student Travel Awards

Andrea Alexander, University of Michigan School of Information
Peter Devereaux, University of Maryland College of Information Studies
Alex Garnett, University of British Columbia School of Library, Archival and Information Studies
Timothy McCormick, Long Island University Palmer School of Library and Information Science
Shirley Zhao, Long Island University Palmer School of Library and Information Science

Awardees will be paired with mentors who hold senior management positions within SSP member organizations. Mentors will help grantees connect with the educational and networking opportunities available at the 33rd Annual Meeting, to be held June 1-3 in Boston.

SSP is grateful to the following organizations, whose contributions help to make the SSP Travel Grants possible:

Rockefeller University Press
John Wiley and Sons
American Psychological Association
Sage
CrossRef
Inera
Copyright Clearance Center

Additional sponsorships are invited for the 2011 Travel Grants. Please contact Development Committee Chairs Audrey Melkin and Ted Winslow for details.

“Congratulations to the 2011 Travel Grant Winners!” said Lois Smith, SSP president. “By introducing the scholarly communications field to an exceptional group of people who are our future leaders, this program has benefited not just SSP but the entire profession. I look forward to meeting them all in Boston in June.”

MEDIA RELEASE

SSP Appoints New Learned Publishing North American Editor

Wheat Ridge, Colorado (February 23, 2011) - The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP, sspnet.org) is pleased to announce the appointment of Diane Scott-Lichter as the new North American editor for the journal Learned Publishing (LP). Ms. Scott-Lichter is currently publisher and head of the Publishing and Product Development Division at the American Association of Cancer Research and began her term on February 1, 2011. She is taking over the position from Janet Fisher, Senior Publishing Consultant at Publishers Communication Group, who has served in that capacity for almost three years.

Editor Alan Singleton says, “Diane has a brilliant background for this task, having worked for a variety of commercial and nonprofit publishers. I'm looking forward to her contribution, and to working with her.”

LP is one of the few journals dedicated to the scholarly publishing industry and is packed with the latest ideas and informed opinion to help publishers maximize new opportunities. Published quarterly by the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) in collaboration with SSP, the journal is available free with a membership of ALPSP, and its electronic form is freely available to all SSP members. To submit an article, contact the editors at editor@alpsp.org or us-editor@alpsp.org.

Learned Publishing is abstracted in ASLIB Current Awareness, European Science Editing, Library and Information Science Abstracts and Sociological Abstracts; fully covered in Current Contents/Social and Behavioural Science and the Institute for Scientific Information's Social SciSearch online database and Research Alert current awareness service; contents list indexed in the British Library Document Supply Centre's 'Inside Information' database.

About SSP

About ALPSP

The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) is the international organization for non-profit publishers and the world’s largest association for scholarly and professional publishers. It is the only international trade association that represents scholarly and professional publishers across all disciplines of academic endeavour. ALPSP has a broad and diverse membership of over 360 organizations and have members in 38 countries who collectively publish over half of the world’s total active journals as well as books, databases and other products. ALPSP's mission is to connect, train and inform the scholarly and professional publishing community and to play an active part in shaping the future of academic and scholarly communication.