Director, Publisher Services, Copyright Clearance Center and President, SSP
“I have met some very fascinating people,” states SSP President Susan Kesner, when asked about her favorite aspect of scholarly publishing. “I love the business challenges, the global nature of scholarly communications, and thinking through the various business models.”
Sue has spent most of her career in some form of scholarly communication—first as a librarian, then working for various information companies. After obtaining her master’s degree in Latin American history from the University of Wisconsin and a MLS from Wayne State University, Sue worked as a Latin American bibliographer. From there, her career took her along various paths in the industry, to where she now serves as Director of Publisher Services at Copyright Clearance Center in Danvers, MA. There, she works directly with STM publishers, helping them understand the value of the secondary licensing market and CCC’s variety of licensing programs.
Sue is also working to help grow SSP in her role as president. “We are currently working on a three-year strategic plan,” Sue explains. “These are exciting but stressful times for publishers. It can be difficult for publishers to keep current with the latest technology, business and content models. SSP plays a vital role by offering state-of- the-art training, such as educational seminars and our Annual Meeting, industry news and updates on our Web site, research publications, and a supportive network.”
But Sue’s life isn’t all about business models and publishing. “I have a ceramics studio in my house,” she adds with a laugh. Sue enjoys creating ceramics with friends at her home in Massachusetts. “I mostly make functional stoneware. I consider myself a novice, but I am currently working on place settings for my two grown sons.”
Sue can be reached at skesner@copyright.com.
Profiled January 2008