I’m happy to announce that we will soon be rolling out a new wiki site. It will be password-protected and aimed at the editors and writers working on our various projects. At least at first, we won’t take much advantage of the community-input technology built into wikis; our pages will mostly be locked except to our in-house staff. However, the wiki will make it much easier for our staff to post project updates, alerts, and so forth. And down the road we do indeed hope to incorporate some of the community-input technology to make our wiki more like, well, a wiki. If you are an editor or writer on one of our projects, stay tuned for more about this site.
Also on the technology front, we will soon be migrating this blog to a new and better software platform (WordPress), and in addition will be launching a new blog by Marcia Merryman-Means. Marcia is our resident Grammar Goddess, and she will use her blog to focus on matters of grammar and style and usage. I look forward to reading her blog, which I know will be witty and occasionally biting and always interesting–much like Marcia herself. Just as this blog tends to be a little bland, just like me!
Our staff know that I am a sucker for new technology gadgets and software, so I of course am quite excited about these new software tools. My hope is that they will work well and seamlessly, unlike another recent technology endeavor here at Schlager Group–the adoption of Perl scripts to try to automate some of our CA research and sketch compilation. This has been our first experience with custom programming, and with Perl in particular, and one thing I can definitely say is that it’s been a good learning experience for all of us. So far it hasn’t quite worked out as we had hoped, and the jury is still out on whether this particular project will result in anything of value, or whether we’ll have to scrap most of the custom programming and revert to old habits. Even if that happens, however, our knowledge of this terrain has been greatly improved. I remain a big believer that technology tools can really boost productivity in our business, if they are the right tools and if they are properly implemented. Sometimes, as with Perl, we find out that circumstances outside our control (e.g., the inconsistency of source data) make those tools less valuable than we thought they would be, and we find ourselves not on the cutting edge but on the bleeding edge. But my staff doesn’t call me “Mr. Optimism” for nothing. I’m always convinced there is a great new tool just around the corner. All we have to do is discover it.
Speaking of optimism, I’m confident that you’ll like our updated, freshened (Marcia, if that is not a word, forgive me) corporate logo, which is coming together right now. It will make its debut when we re-launch our corporate Web site later this summer. At that time, we’ll also be able to take the wraps off the new venture we are launching. It should be an eventful summer here at Schlager Group.
Library Journal has an interesting q&A with Benjamin Johnson, an associate professor of history at SMU and faciltator of the Bush Library Blog, whose aim is to bring about wider debate about the Bush Presidential Library and Institute coming to the university. Read the LJ article here.
“Anything you can do I can do better.” So goes the famous line from Irving Berlin in Annie Get Your Gun. I was reminded of it while flipping through this month’s School Library Journal. In this issue, three of the major library reference publishers have decided to trumpet their current issues electronic databases. ABC-CLIO’s is called Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. Gale’s is called Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. And Ebsco’s is called Points of View Reference Center. I’m sure they are all excellent resources, and I wouldn’t want to be competing directly with any of them. Still, I find it somewhat amusing.
On another topic, this month’s issue of American Libraries has a cover story about the Chicago Public Library’s branch-building boom over the past decade. As a former resident of Chicago and patron of the CPL, I can attest to what an excellent system it is. More than anything, its vitality is a testament to having a strong mayor who considers a great library system a major civic priority and who was smart enough to appoint a highly competent commissioner (Mary Dempsey) and give her substantial authority.
I’m linking here to an interesting and thought-provoking article about the Seattle Central Library, the Rem Koolhaas-designed building in downtown Seattle. The author makes some good points about how the design of the building’s spaces impacts the user experience of the library’s patrons. He also touches on the issue of whether new, modern libraries like Seattle Central are shortchanging the basic needs of their patrons in their zeal to focus on their high-tech electronic aspects. We certainly want our modern libraries to facilitate electronic research, but don’t they also need to remain conducive to basic reading, studying, and contemplation?
The Financial Times is reporting today that the German media giant Bertelsmann, which among other companies owns Random House, is considering making a bid for Thomson Learning. If it does bid, it will do so in partnership with 3 other private equity companies. I still wouldn’t expect there to be many changes at the individual Thomson Learning companies (e.g. Gale), even if it’s Bertelsmann that wins the bidding. But that’s just a guess. The FT is a subscription site, but here is a link to a similar article about the bid on MSNBC.
Two interesting tidbits to report on today. First up is an announcement being made by Google regarding their “Google Apps” product. It appears they are going to roll the various offerings into one umbrella here and, in effect, put themselves in a position to more seriously challenge Microsoft’s Office product line. The popular blog known as TechCrunch has a good article about this.
Next up is an article in the New York Times about a decision by the history department at the University of Middlebury to stop allowing students to cite Wikipedia in their papers or exams. The decision grew in part out of a recent incident in which numerous students in an Asian history course cited the same incorrect “fact” about the Jesuits supporting the Shimabara Rebellion in seventeenth-century Japan.
I’m enjoying a brief vacation in Fort Lauderdale this weekend. While the weather is cool by South Florida standards (highs in the upper 60s and lower 70s), it’s still quite pleasant.
I couldn’t pass up the chance to link to this fascinating blog post about all the huge education companies that are on the sales block. Reed Elsevier is the latest to throw its hat into the ring, and the blogger muses on how this might affect the impending sale of the Thomson Learning division.
Leah alerted me to a good article in Slate about the Bush Presidential Library controversy at SMU. The media coverage on this has really exploded; the New York Times has had several articles about it recently. (I’m not bothering to blog about each and every one of them.) It’s so late in the game that I wonder if the faculty will be successful in forcing any changes to the agreement.
I’m off to Seattle this weekend for the ALA Midwinter convention, where I’ll be discussing partnership opportunities with other publishers. These discussions promise to have a large impact on our direction as a company in 2007 and beyond, and I look forward to reporting back on their outcome. Aside from the convention, I intend to tour the new downtown branch of the Seattle Public Library, which happens to be across the street from my hotel. The library was designed by Rem Koolhaus and is apparently a striking and provocative building.
For those of you interested in content tagging and structure, which plays a huge and increasing role in our business, here is an interesting article from Library Journal about XML.
Today’s New York Times has an article about the controversy brewing at SMU about the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. The article describes a faculty meeting held on Tuesday about the library in which various faculty members raised questions about the issue. Among those quoted is the current chair of SMU’s History Department, James Hopkins, who was my faculty adviser when I was an undergrad there.
I spent this Christmas in Kansas visiting my mom and her husband, who happens to own a feedlot (for you cityfolk, that’s a place where cattle are sent to fatten up before being shipped to a beef packing plant for, um, slaughter). Leaving aside the somewhat unpleasant reality of our modern-day agribusiness industry, I was interested to see that my stepfather has a special computer terminal in his office that provides custom feedlot reports from all around the country, information on agriculture futures trading, industry reports written by various experts, and so forth. This terminal is like a Bloomberg in that the only way to gain access to this information is to buy the terminal along with a subscription to the data feeds; you can’t get most of it (perhaps none of it) from the open Web. And the various data feeds on the system are supplied by a variety of companies. Although a world apart from our day-to-day life at Schlager Group in many respects, the cattle business of the high plains does still intersect with our business as an information provider, doesn’t it?
In a recent post I blogged about the ongoing rumor that President Bush will choose Southern Methodist University as the site of his presidential library, and that part of the package will be a new conservative think tank that presumably will churn out scholarship that supports the policies he followed throughout his tenure. Today’s Dallas Morning News brings word that some SMU professors are asking for more discussion about this before the university signs on any dotted line. Theology School professor Susanne Johnson has circulated a letter among the faculty to this effect, commenting: “There are two different visions of the library. One is for the library as a place for academic inquiry … but the other vision is a strictly partisan center to promote the president’s platform.” An English professor who signed the letter, Beth Newman, told the newspaper: “I am troubled by the likelihood that [the library] will bring with it a right-wing think tank, an institute that advocates for right-wing causes.” It will be interesting to follow this debate, but I have a hard time imagining it will matter in the end. If the president chooses SMU for the library and think tank, the university will sign wherever it has to sign as quickly as it possibly can.
On another topic, I want to apologize to any of you who may try to read this blog through a news aggregrator such as Technorati or NewsGator. I have tried my best to get the RSS feed of the blog to work properly, but for some reason those sites seem to have trouble picking it up. My suspicion is that the fault lies with the blog software, which is provided by Hostway.com. This company does a great job of hosting our company website, but their blog software has many serious flaws. For instance, it cannot provide usage statistics. In the new year I will be switching to a new blogging software, but which one is a question mark. I’m waiting and hoping that the SuiteTwo software, which promises RSS feeds, blogging, wikis, and more, will arrive quickly–and that it will be affordable to a small company like ours. If not, I’ll choose another route. But for now, you’ll have to come directly to this site to see my latest postings.
EContent magazine is out with its annual list of 100 companies that “matter the most in the digital content industry.” It’s an interesting list–established reference heavyweights like Thomson and Elsevier are there, as are newer, younger companies. Check it out here.
Some interesting storylines are playing out with regard to two U.S. presidents and their roles in history. First, many of you may know that for some time it has been rumored that George W. Bush will select my alma mater, Southern Methodist University, as the site of his presidential library. He’s aiming to raise $500 million for it, not just for the library but also to fund a conservative think tank that will help burnish his legacy by, presumably, hosting scholars who will write favorable things about his policies and presidency. Bush doesn’t have much connection to SMU, but the First Lady is an SMU graduate and is a trustee of the university (and a former librarian), so the choice makes some sense in that regard. With Schlager Group now located in Dallas, I find myself thinking more about SMU than I have for some time. While I admire much about the university, including its terrific faculty, gorgeous grounds, and international focus, my liberal heart has always viewed its conservative bent with some disdain. If I had it to do over again, I’m not sure I would attend SMU. But then again, picturing myself as an 18-year-old in small-town Kansas back in the mid-80s, I think the choice to attend SMU was by no means a bad one. And besides, I was a history enthusiast, and SMU was (and is) highly regarded for its stellar history department.
Another recent announcement was that Salman Rushdie, whose writings I greatly admire, has donated his papers to Emory University in Atlanta. He will also join the faculty. Part of me wishes that SMU was getting his papers and Emory was getting the Bush library, although I know that in the cold light of reality that’s a stupid wish–the library is the far more important association and a far bigger deal. The library will undoubtedly draw many scholars from around the world, and that’s a good thing. However, I’m not thrilled with the idea of a conservative think tank pumping out pro-Bush books and papers. I know that the idea of historians–like journalists–viewing their subject with complete neutrality is a myth, but still I despair at the thought of so-called scholars toeing an ideological line, whether by choice or not.
Curiously, this entire ragged train of thought was brought into focus today with a story in the New York Times about a dispute at the Carter Center, Jimmy Carter’s think tank at–get this–Emory University. An Emory historian and longtime fellow of the Center has resigned his fellowhip as a protest against the former president’s recent book about the Israel-Palestinian conflict. He charges Carter with rewriting history, among other things. Without taking sides in this particular argument, I suppose it’s a good reminder that historical bias can infect people–and presidents–of any political stripe.
Today’s New York Times Book Review features a review of a new biography of Johnny Cash written by Michael Streissguth. Thanks to the efforts of editor in chief Arnold Markoe, we were lucky enough to have Streissguth write the article on Cash for the forthcoming volume of the Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives. The NYTBR review of Streissguth’s biography was written by historian Douglas Brinkley, who gives a very favorable opinion of the book. Congrats, Dr. Streissguth.
We’ve taken to calling this Rock Star Week around the office, as we work on updating the Contemporary Authors database with news of the Nobel Prize winner (Orhan Pamuk), the Booker Prize winner (Kiran Desai), the Quill Award winners, and the National Book Award nominations. I’ve never read anything by either Pamuk or Desai but now have extra motivation to do so. Last night I was able to catch an interview with Pamuk on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer. Pamuk was interesting and well-spoken. He talked of his longstanding wish to be a bridge between cultures (West and East, Christianity and Islam, Europe and Asia) but then admitted that the cliche was becoming very well worn. And he averred that he doesn’t believe in the so-called clash of civilizations but then wondered if events and individuals aren’t pushing us toward that anyway. If you’re interested in learning more about these authors, I urge you to check out your local public library, which likely has a subscription to Contemporary Authors, either in print or online, and may even offer remote access from your home computer. Or, if you like, you can see whether Amazon.com has the CA entries on these authors available for e-text download for a few dollars apiece.
I couldn’t help linking to this fascinating post at the History News Network about the so-called Tokyo Rose. The woman purported to be Tokyo Rose, Iva Toguri, died earlier this week. But HNN says the Tokyo Rose connection is entirely fabricated. Interesting stuff.
One subject I’ve been meaning to blog about for some time now is the freelance life. We get resumes on a weekly basis from writers, editors, and indexers looking for freelance work. Most of the time, all we can do is file the resume away and tell the freelancer that we’ll call if a suitable project comes up. But to be honest, that rarely happens. At the same time, we have a stable corps of perhaps 30 freelancers who do a ton of work for us every single month. These are folks who have successfully carved out viable careers working for themselves, and who make a living in a very difficult field.
So, what advice would I give to aspiring freelancers? Let me list some of the qualities we look for in a freelancer:
So, do all of our “regular” freelancers always excel in all 5 areas? No, not always. But they do reward us enough to keep their work dockets full. Admittedly, it’s very difficult to get your toe in the door as a freelancer. I wonder if any of our freelancers might care to comment on how to go about getting that toe in the door?
And I wonder if any of my staff would care to add to the list of qualities we look for in a freelancer? Let’s try to get some discussion going on this Schlagerblog!!!
This is a quick post to get us registered on Technorati.
Technorati Profile
My staff knows that I am fond of new technology–not gadgets so much as software. (That is not to say that I’m terribly adept with technical matters; I’m certainly not.) My newest favorite is NewsGator, which is an RSS aggregator and news reader. Essentially, it allows you to group all of your favorite blogs and/or news streams into a single interface, which you can then view on a website or even via email if you prefer. In my case, I have organized my NewsGator account into folders such as News, Publishing, Business, and Tennis. Then, within each category I have subscribed to various blogs and/or news streams that I particularly like. So, instead of reading my favorite blogs by going to multiple individual websites, I can do it all from this one site. (And the software is free, by the way.) I know this kind of thing is old hat to many people, but we all learn at our own pace, right? All of this works thanks to the magic of RSS feeds. The next software item I’d like to adopt is adding an RSS feed on the main Schlager Group home page that shows recent postings on the Schlager blog. I believe this is probably pretty simple, but I don’t know which software to use, nor how exactly to go about doing it. I’ll do some more investigation. (And if any of you can point me to a simple solution, by all means let me know.)