President’s Letter | November 2020

Dear SSP Community,

I hope this letter finds you healthy and well. I recently asked a friend how he was and he replied “I’m good! Well…I’m 2020 good.” This is now my standard reply. I hope you too are ‘2020 good’ and finding room for gratitude amidst a sea of challenges. I personally am very grateful for SSP and its membership, and the tireless volunteers who ensure that SSP continues to thrive. It’s been a busy and exciting start to the fall, highlighted by numerous opportunities for connection and engagement despite our physical distance:

• SSP launched Quick Connect, an innovative micro-mentoring program designed to unite scholarly publishing professionals for focused interactions and advice on a specific challenge or area of interest. Matching “knowledge seekers” with “advisors” the program extends SSP’s commitment to mentoring and continuing education and is especially useful in forging new connections across the world. I encourage you to get involved with this valuable program.  
• Nearly 200 individuals attended the New Directions Virtual Seminar and enjoyed an insightful and interactive program on the new ways in which publishers and industry leaders are supporting the evolving ecosystem, especially in response to the current climate. If you missed this event, not to worry – all video presentations are available as part of the SSP OnDemand Library. You can also still access the 2020 Professional Development Series which includes 20 recorded sessions covering timely topics and recent developments in scholarly publishing.
• SSP introduced Solutions Source for Scholarly Communications, a comprehensive guide to finding service providers, freelancers, industry events, and stay abreast of new products and industry offerings. This helpful public resource is also beneficial to our industry partners that traditionally rely on trade shows and in-person meetings to showcase their services.  

Last but certainly not least, SSP recently announced the kick-off of the Generations Fund, an endowment designed to provide sustaining long-term funding for SSP’s Fellowship, Mentoring, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs. Now more than ever, it’s critical that we invest in programs that foster the next generation of professionals and help build a more diverse, inclusive, and globally-aware scholarly communications community.

Our goal is to raise and endow $500,000 so programs can be supported by the Fund’s earnings each year, instead of continued fundraising. SSP has already seeded the Fund with $100,000 and 100% of our Board of Directors have made personal donations to exemplify our commitment to this campaign.  I hope you will consider joining us with your own gift of any size – perhaps as a nod to your own gratitude for this special community and the opportunities you may have been afforded as part of SSP.

And now the fun part! To commemorate the launch of the Generations Fund, SSP will be hosting a virtual celebration and networking hour on November 18th at 11 am EST. I hope you will join us! Please save the date, and details will follow soon.

Thank you for being part of the SSP community, and I hope to find you more than just ‘2020 good’ very soon.

Best,
Lauren Kane
2020-2021 SSP President