For immediate release | June 11, 2013
Cummings named CHOICE editor and publisher
CHICAGO — Mark Cummings has been named editor and publisher of CHOICE Magazine, the premier source for reviews of academic books, electronic media and Internet resources in higher education. CHOICE, a publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), is headquartered in Middletown, Conn. Cummings will serve as CHOICE editor and publisher designate beginning June 17, 2013 and assume the position full time effective July 7, 2013, upon the retirement of Irving E. Rockwood, who served CHOICE in this position for 17 years.
“I am delighted to have Mark join the ACRL/CHOICE team,” said ACRL Executive Director Mary Ellen K. Davis. “His distinguished career in educational and library publishing will serve ACRL/CHOICE well as we continue to meet the needs of the higher education community in a rapidly changing environment.”
Cummings has worked in academic and educational publishing for almost 30 years, beginning his career in the reference and professional books division at Macmillan and continuing at Scribner’s and Oxford University Press. In the early 1990s, he joined Grolier Publishing Company as editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia Americana and went on to become vice president and publisher of Grolier’s reference division. Over the course of his 10 years in that position, Cummings built an online business that reached millions of students in the United States and overseas. Since 2000 he has concentrated on educational technology, first at Scholastic and then at Weekly Reader, where, as vice president for business development, focusing on creating new reference and literacy products for the school and library market. Cummings holds a B.A. from Michigan State University along with M.A. and M.Phil. degrees from Yale University in East Asia–related fields.
The CHOICE editor and publisher provides ongoing strategic direction for the editorial, marketing, advertising and production of a suite of print and digital products. The position directs the development and implementation of a long-term business strategy to maintain CHOICE’s competitive position in the higher education marketplace and ensure ongoing fiscal sustainability.
Many thanks to the search committee and staff panel who assisted with the search: Trevor A. Dawes, ACRL vice-president/ president-elect; Kim Leeder, chair, ACRL Publications Coordinating Committee; Keith Stetson, chair, CHOICE Editorial Board; Don Chatham, AED, ALA Publishing; Mary Mackay, director, ALA Marketing; Cynthia Vivian, director, ALA Human Resources; Fran Graf, CHOICE editorial director; Lisa Gross, CHOICE production manager; Tom Radko, CHOICE operations manager; Rita Balasco, CHOICE customer service; Evelyn Elam, CHOICE library technical assistant; Pam Marino, CHOICE advertising sales; and Mary Jane Petrowski, ACRL associate director.
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About ACRL
The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) is the higher education association for librarians. Representing more than 12,000 academic and research librarians and interested individuals, ACRL (a division of the American Library Association) is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to help academic and research librarians learn, innovate and lead within the academic community. Founded in 1940, ACRL is committed to advancing learning and transforming scholarship. ACRL is on the Web at http://www.acrl.org/, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ala.acrl and Twitter at @ala_acrl.
About CHOICE
CHOICE is a publishing unit of the Association of College & Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association. Founded in 1963, CHOICE has been the premier review journal for scholarly publications for nearly 50 years and is the leading North American source for reviews of new scholarly books and electronic resources.
Contact:
Mary Ellen Davis
Executive Director
Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL)
mdavis@ala.orgFeatured News