Choice to launch Guest of Choice editorial feature

For Immediate Release
Tue, 09/16/2014

Contact:

Laura Mullen

Marketing Manager

Choice

lmullen@ala-choice.org

MIDDLETOWN, CONN. — Choice, the premier review journal for new English-language books and digital resources for academic libraries, is initiating a new feature in its editorial lineup, a series of guest editorials informally called “Guest of Choice.” Contributed by creative and insightful thinkers in library and allied professions, materials in this new series seek to engage readers in important issues and debates concerning the state of academic librarianship, information management and access, new publishing models and other topics appropriate to Choice’s audience.

“Guest of Choice” will launch in October in both Choice magazine and Choice Reviews Online, featuring a provocative article by Mark Sandler, director of the Center for Library Initiatives at the Committee on Institutional Cooperation in Champaign, Ill.. Sandler’s article, “Coffee’s for Closers,” touches on the timely question of customer acquisition and retention in academic libraries.  Calling a business model that separates funding from customer satisfaction a threat to the future of academic libraries, Sandler recommends adopting a strategy that focuses instead on demand, specifically user demand for library services. “Market to the insecurities of the campus,” Sandler writes.

Under the direction of Tom Radko, editorial director of Choice, these occasional guest columns are designed to foster a dialogue among members of Choice’s core audience. Radko envisions “Guest of Choice” as another opportunity to expand the usefulness of Choice, which is heavily used by librarians to purchase books for college and university libraries. 

“Traditional missions are being challenged industry-wide,” says Radko, “and we are engaged in intense explorations of how Choice might develop enhancements and services that satisfy the needs of the library and publishing communities as a whole. We see these guest columns as contributing to that effort.”

Suggestions of individuals who might serve as a “Guest of Choice” should be directed to tradko@ala-choice.org.

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About CHOICE

Choice (www.choice360.org) is a publishing unit of the Association of College & Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association. Founded in 1964, Choice has been the premier source for reviews of academic books and digital resources of interest to scholars and students in higher education for over 50 years.