College and Research Libraries Editorial Rewards of Editing C&RL In the September, October, and No- vember issues of C&RL News, the Associa- tion of College and Research Libraries published an advertisement for the C&RL editor's position. The new editor should be chosen by next annual confer- ence and will have a year to learn the duties and to begin referring submis- sions. The new editor will assume office after annual conference in 1996. "No one will do this for the $400 honorarium," quipped Don Riggs. I edit C&RL for love -love of librari- anship in particular, the scholarly proc- ess in general, and good thinking and writing in both. The ideas, the people, and the institutional benefits, and even the pressures have made these past four and a half years an extraordinarily grati- fying experience, one that I would rec- ommend to others. Ideas: The manuscripts that undergo the refereeing process for possible pub- lication in College & Research Libraries contain the best and most provocative ideas about the theory, the practice, and the future of librarianship. Through these ideas, the profession moves itself forward in an environment of increas- ingly rapid change. Without the contin- ued research into new approaches and responses to practical problems, librarians will go the way of compositors and type- founders. Editing C&RL has provided me with an intimate view of the action on the intellectual network and with an opportu- nity to shape that action. People: Even more than working with ideas and their expression, editing C&RL has been about relationships with the people who create, critique, and clar- ify those ideas. Authors, referees, and only finally editors create this journal; I have especially enjoyed working with the authors whose desire to share their knowledge creates the network of ideas, and with the ACRL leadership who sup- port the journal as a vehicle for improving the profession through research. Institutional relationship: Academic in- stitutions value highly the creation and transmission of knowledge through scholarly journals. Participation in that activity underscores librarianship' s commonality with other disciplines. Penn State University's Dean Nancy Cline comments: "It has been rewarding to have the editorship of C&RL based at Penn State. The librarians here are very active in professional organizations and conferences, and they contribute to many publications. Engaging many of our fac- ulty in the review process has resulted in a better understanding of how one's scholarship progresses from a good idea to a published article. It has also given librarians a chance to see how important the refereeing process is. In her editor- ship, Gloriana St. Clair has taken the opportunity to involve many other li- brarians so that they can learn . of the rewards as well as the problems faced in producing a high quality journal. We are proud of this contribution to ALA and hope that other institutions will benefit from hosting C&RL as much as we have." Pressures: Editing C&RL does have its more trying moments. The ACRL Board's plan to save money by cutting back to four issues a year was the nadir of my term. Strong assistance from the C&RL Editorial Board and the ACRL Publications Committee convinced them to reconsider, and the fiscal crisis passed. 475 476 College & Research Libraries The time schedule to produce six issues a year is relentless. Two-thirds of all sub- missions must be rejected to squeeze into the existing page constraints. Time from submission to publication is lengthy, as is common with highly ranked journals in most disciplines. Nevertheless, the regular delivery of a selection of fine articles and book re- views to ACRL members has been a source of genuine pride and pleasure. Perhaps a new editor will be able to avoid some of these pressures. That per- son will also have significant new chal- lenges: analyzing the efficacy and suitability of electronic publication, de- veloping methods to achieve a quicker response time, and working toward a clearer articulation of the journal's rele- vance to the practice of academic librari- anship. ACRL members interested in undertaking this weighty but satisfying responsibility should contact the editor for further details or send their creden- tials directly to the ACRL Office to the attention of Hugh Thompson. In keeping with this editor's emphasis on diversifying the editorial voice by having Board members write editorials, Board member Irene Hoadley suggested that former C&RL editors be asked to contribute to this discussion of the re- wards of the editorship. Subsequently, I contacted former editors and received these recollections of their service as C& RL editor. David Kaser, the 1963-69 editor, re- calls: "The principal personal benefit I received from my editorship of C&RL was that for seven years I was able to read not only articles that we accepted for publication-! would have read those even if I had not been editor-but also the papers that were not accepted for publication. Even the papers we had to reject contained invaluable insights, concepts, observations, and ideas, and I always regretted that I was the only li- brarian on earth who was blessed to read and learn from them all." Richard M. Dougherty, who edited C&RL from 1969 to 1974, says: "My de- cision to become C& RL' s editor was one of the most important decisions I ever November 1994 made. It changed my professional ca- reer. I became much more involved in all aspects of academic librarianship and as editor I felt that I was involved in impor- tant activities. It was a heady experience and I recommend the post to any aspir- ing academic librarian. But don't let any- one fool you into believing that the responsibilities will only require a mod- est commitment. Be prepared to work and work hard, but also be prepared to reap giant satisfactions." Richard D. Johnson, editor from 1974 to 1980, remembers editing C&RL as "the most stimulating association I have had in my professional career .... What I learned in those years about libraries, about writing, about editing, about pub- lishing; the wonderful friends and ac- quaintances I enjoyed; the sense of making a contribution to the profes- sion-all these elements contributed to a superb experience." Jim Schmidt, editor from 1980 to 1984, writes: "There are two wonderful memories of my four-year term as editor of C&RL. The first and more important one is working with authors. Without exception, article writers were agreeable and easy to work with .... My second memory is the fun I had in redesigning C&RL. The designer was a pleasure to work with, and my Editorial Board made .several creative suggestions .... In both memories I believe I enjoyed the vast good will which exists among li- brarians generally and academic librari- ans in particular." Charles Martell, 1984-1990, says: "Academic librarianship has turned a historic corner. Some of this has been facilitated by our colleagues who are en- gaged in creating a new vision or who are looking for new paths to travel. In- creasingly librarians are demonstrating a renewed energy and vitality. This is the world that the new editor of C&RL will be privileged to participate in and influ- ence. The new editor will, I hope, be overwhelmed by our outpouring of . ideas. The new editor will help us to present these to our colleagues in the most effective way possible. It's quite a task, a wonderful task." Editorial 477 This distinguished editorship has been a most rewarding ayocation for its incumbents. It provides the immortality that has motivated scholars in all fields-the contribution is from the past, for today, and for the ages. Beyond any honorarium, the moment of pulling the personal subscription copy from my home mailbox is a moment of joy. GLORIANA ST. CLAIR AssociATION OF COLLEGE APPLICATIONS/NOMINATIONS INVITED FOR C&RL EDITOR & RESEARCH Applications and nominations are invited for the position of editor of COLLEGE Ll BRA R 1 E 5 &RESEARCHUBRARIES(C&RL),thebimonthly,acholartyresearchjoumal of the Association of College ~ Research Ubrariea (ACRL). The editor Ia appointed for a three-year term which may be renewed for an additional three years. Applican1a must be members of ALA and ACRL Qualifications include professional experience In academic libraries, a record of acholarty publication, editing experience, an understanding of the acholarly convnunication proceu, and a broad knov.adge of the isauea confronting academic libraries. Some funding for editorial aaaiatance le available, and llere le a small honorarium for the editor. Appointment will be made by the ACRL Board of Directors at the 1995 Annual Conference, upon the recommendation of the aearch committee and of the ACRL Publications Committee. The incoming editorwiU aaaume fuU responsibility for C&RL in July 1996, after a year working with the out-going editor. NominatioM, or resumes and letters of application including the names of three references, should be aentto: C&RL Search Committee C/o Hugh Thompson, Program Officer ACRUALA so E. Huron Street Chicago, IL 60611 The deadline for receipt of applications ia December 15, 1 ii4. F'malia1a will be Interviewed at the Midwinter Meeting in February 1995. e o ution You get one chance with authority control, so it's important to get it done right. LTI guarantees that its affordable, machine-only authority control will link 95% or more of your library's controlled headings to an LC or LTI authority record. No exceptions! No excuses! When manual review is requested, only professional librarians are used as editors and link rates approach 100%. 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