SSP Launches Blog – Join Us in the Scholarly Kitchen

The Scholarly Kitchen – it seems an odd name, but that’s intentional. We wanted a name that is memorable, different, and welcoming. If anything is welcoming, it’s the kitchen. It’s where we gain sustenance, socialize at parties, and set things as we come and go. It’s perhaps the most functional space in any busy home. And this is intended to be a busy space for scholarly publishers.

The Society for Scholarly Publishing allowed me to start this blog under its auspices to advance the SSP’s mission of providing timely updates and interpretation on research that publishers, librarians, authors, and other individuals involved in scholarship might want to know about.

To put it in an ordered list, the mission of the Scholarly Kitchen is to

• keep SSP members and interested parties aware of new developments in publishing,
• point to research reports and projects,
• interpret the significance of relevant research in a balanced way (or occasionally in a provocative way),
• suggest areas that need more input by identifying gaps in knowledge,
• translate findings from related endeavors (publishing outside STM, online business, user trends), and
• attract the community of STM and other scholarly publishers interested in these things and give them a place to contribute.

As the main author/instigator, I hope I keep you interested. I welcome your comments, suggestions, tips, and criticisms. I’ll try to be a fair moderator. I’ll try to write often, even if it’s a short amount to call your attention to something bigger.

In case you don't know me, I’m on the Board of the SSP, and I’ve been in scholarly publishing for about 20 years now, mostly in medical journals. Even though there's gray in the beard, I still think of myself as a rebel. Someday, perhaps, I’ll get over it.

So, welcome to the Scholarly Kitchen. Draw a beverage, have some crisps or crackers, and lean against a countertop. The conversation is at http://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org.

Kent R. Anderson is executive director, International Business & Product Development, for The New England Journal of Medicine.