Libraries, Licenses, Institutional Budgets, and Consortia: What’s a Publisher To Do?

November 19, 2003, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

Whether they account for 10% or 80% of your sales or circulation, libraries are important, and they are being buffeted by forces beyond their control (and yours!). Listen and learn as librarians tell you what works for them and what turns them off. What drives their purchasing decisions, and how can you influence those decisions? If your new product is just what they need, how can you communicate that to them? Is price the major determinant of purchase, or does service count too? When librarians talk, do you listen?

Topics to be covered:

• Archiving and managing digital collections: the library perspective
• Library budgets in a higher education environment: how purchasing decisions are made
• Marketing to the librarian
• Insider’s view of consortia
• Subscription agents: ally or enemy?
• Librarians’ view of journal aggregators

Who should attend:

• Marketing managers and staff
• Product development managers
• Business managers and consortia staff
• Executives involved in strategic development

Speakers:

• Barbara Preece, Executive Director, Boston Library Consortium
• Carol Bekar,  Executive Director, Knowledge Integration Resources, at Bristol-Myers Squibb
• Dan Tonkery, Vice President, Director of Business Development, EBSCO Information Services
• John Tagler, Vice President, Account Development & Channel Marketing, for Elsevier Science
• Michael Stoller, Director of Collections and Research Services, Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, New York University (NYU)
• Norm Medeiros, Coordinator for Bibliographic and Digital Services, Haverford College
• Peggy Seiden, College Librarian, Swarthmore College Library

Biographies:

Ann Schaffner, Moderator, is Coordinator of Institutional Research and Improvement, Innovation & Research at Olin College. Previously, she worked with Brandeis University as Associate University Librarian for Research Services, Instruction and Planning, and Associate Director for Public Services. Schaffner has many publications to her credit and is a frequent speaker on library issues.

Barbara Preece, Executive Director, Boston Library Consortium, has also worked as Director for Systems Services and Acting Associate Dean for Technical and Automated Services, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and as editor of Library Administration & Management. She will offer insights on how consortia work and how they would like to work with publishers.

Carol Bekar, Executive Director, Knowledge Integration Resources, at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Carol, with the Informatics Senior Leadership Team, develops and implements enterprise knowledge management strategies. Since joining the company in 1991, she has led several major initiatives that have increased its competitiveness. The department she leads is a multi-million dollar, multi-department service with a staff of 62, located in six sites. Carol is on the Library Advisory Boards of Elsevier Science and John Wiley & Sons.

Dan Tonkery, Vice President, Director of Business Development, EBSCO Information Services, previously served as President of Faxon, the academic and medical division of RoweCom, and also held senior positions with Dawson Information Services Group. His knowledge of libraries extends back to an early post as associate university librarian for the University of California at Los Angeles. He has also held various management positions within the National Library of Medicine.

John Tagler, Vice President, Account Development & Channel Marketing, for Elsevier Science. Based in New York, he has been with Elsevier for more than 25 years, starting as a library sales rep and later moving into journals marketing, sales and marketing services. Most recently, he served ten years as Director, Corporate Communications, before assuming his present position in 2001. A frequent speaker at library and publishing conferences, Tagler has also served on the boards of SSP and NASIG.

Mady Tissenbaum has been in charge of copyediting, typesetting, IT, and desktop publishing. She has also served as Managing Editor, webmistress, real estate manager, pension administrator, and human-resources manager. She is now General Manager at The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and is halfway through coursework for an MBA. She has served on the SSP Education Committee since 2002 and has been co-chair since January 2005.

Michael Stoller, Director of Collections and Research Services, Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, New York University (NYU), comes to us from an institution in which the libraries serve an academic community of more than 48,000 students attending 14 schools at six locations in New York City and more than 20 locations around the world. In addition, NYU’s library collections are located in 10 different facilities. Stoller will discuss issues in archiving and digital collections.

Norm Medeiros, Coordinator for Bibliographic and Digital Services, Haverford College, will address licensing/purchasing issues.

Peggy Seiden, College Librarian, Swarthmore College Library, since 1998. Her previous experience includes the position of college librarian at Skidmore College. Seiden will give an overview of the changes, challenges, and choices facing college libraries today. She serves on the American Library Association Council and on the Board of the Research Libraries Group and is the author of many publications.