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In the final episode of this four-part series, Nicole Gallo, Executive Vice President of Rittenhouse Book Distributors, chats about current business trends, leveraging data, and digital purchasing. First, she spotlights how indispensable data is to Rittenhouse’s operation, by informing sales reports for publishers and purchasing decisions by libraries. She also digs into Rittenhouse’s strategies for understanding library and publisher trends through curating special collections and bringing forth more flexible, granular options for content acquisition. Last, Nicole explains the decision to make purchased ebooks from Rittenhouse remain with the collection for the life of the edition—namely, to better support the unique budget challenges of libraries and to reflect the educational needs of the health sciences discipline. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

In the final episode of this four-part series, our guests discuss the pandemic’s impact on library, faculty, and publisher approaches to student success and evolving strategies for the future. First, Ceceilia Parnther, assistant professor in the Department of Administrative and Instructional Leadership at St. John’s University, María Evelia Emerson, Student Success Librarian at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Amber Eakin, Instructional Librarian at Strayer University, underscore the import of accessible online learning by highlighting the flexibility of digital tools and the significance of building an online community. Next, Andrew Boney, executive editor in Sage’s Learning Resources Division, shares how the publisher has worked to meet students where they are by easing the authentication process and increasing resource discoverability. Finally, the guests examine “traditional” approaches to student success, and surface updated strategies like sustained collaboration between the library and faculty, functional and student-friendly texts from publishers, and recognition of the myriad learning styles and skills of today’s scholars. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

In this third episode of our four-part series with Nicole Gallo, Executive Vice President of Rittenhouse Book Distributors, she walks through the execution of Rittenhouse’s strategies to support library and publisher markets. First, she dives into how the distributor has updated its operational practices to better communicate with publishers and market their resources. In addition, Nicole chats about easing the buying experience for libraries through digital options, open educational resources, and free services to help keep content current. Last, Nicole shares how the distributor works to communicate library budget issues back to publishers, and the demand for Rittenhouse’s DEI collection since its recent launch. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

In the third episode of this four-part series, our guests chat about strategies for creating and maintaining partnerships with campus stakeholders to bolster student success. First, Ceceilia Parnther, assistant professor in the Department of Administrative and Instructional Leadership at St. John’s University, María Evelia Emerson, Student Success Librarian at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Amber Eakin, Instructional Librarian at Strayer University, explain the benefits of forming relationships with academic advisors, student services, and teaching faculty to better support student goals. In addition, Andrew Boney, executive editor in Sage’s Learning Resources Division, shares the publisher’s role in strengthening ties between the library and faculty, primarily through surfacing available resources and underscoring the library’s work on campus. To close, our guests walk through various tactics they’ve employed to strengthen these relationships, and highlight the significant benefits and techniques of following up. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

In the second episode of this four-part series, Nicole Gallo, Executive Vice President of Rittenhouse Book Distributors, shares market perspectives on how publishers and librarians are supporting DEI initiatives. First, Nicole surfaces current pain points and the distributor’s response, highlighting budget issues for libraries and publication speed for publishers. Next, she explains how the publishing industry has shifted in the last decade to support a more digital and data-driven world—instead of print being the standard, Rittenhouse may receive digital copies first, allowing a faster time to market. In addition, Nicole speaks to publisher production decisions in support of DEI, such as diverse illustrations, accessible formatting, and following state and institutional guidance. She closes with how librarians have embraced DEI resources and policies, and how they’re working to interweave DEI into collection development practices and budget decisions. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

In the second episode of this four-part series, our guests—Ceceilia Parnther, assistant professor in the Department of Administrative and Instructional Leadership at St. John’s University; María Evelia Emerson, Student Success Librarian at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Amber Eakin, Instructional Librarian at Strayer University; and Andrew Boney, executive editor in Sage’s Learning Resources Division—turn their attention to the library’s role in supporting student success. First, the speakers highlight the library’s part in advancing information literacy and critical thinking skills, in addition connecting scholars with resources that best suit their research needs. Next, they share opportunities to better integrate the library into the classroom, as well as guidance on alleviating library anxiety and establishing the library as a partner and resource to support campus stakeholders. Finally, the guests close with how libraries can better delegate tasks on student success among staff through data analytics and inclusive collaboration. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

The Authority File has discussed diversity, equity, and inclusion topics in series past, often focusing on publisher and librarian perspectives. For this next series, we sit down with Nicole Gallo, Executive Vice President of Rittenhouse Book Distributors. As Nicole explains, Rittenhouse’s unique position as a distributor in health sciences allows access to viewpoints from the publishing and librarianship worlds. From this vantage point, Rittenhouse can build distinctive editorial and collection management strategies to support both parties and better disseminate DEI resources. In this four-part series, Nicole shares her thoughts on how DEI collection policies and procedures have shifted over the years in response to patron demand, institutional guidelines, and racial justice activism. In addition, she chats about the importance of data to Rittenhouse’s operation, the benefits of sorting digital content by topic, and the urgency of communicating academic library budget constraints back to publishers. For this first episode, Nicole introduces us to her role and Rittenhouse’s mission of collecting content from publishers small and large to best serve customer needs. She also delves into the urgency of DEI resources in the health sciences publishing market, and the distributor’s goal of making trusted, peer reviewed, and vetted content equally available. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

In this series, four guests join The Authority File to discuss how libraries, faculty, and publishers can support student success. Our speakers include: Ceceilia Parnther, assistant professor in the Department of Administrative and Instructional Leadership at St. John’s University; María Evelia Emerson, Student Success Librarian at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Amber Eakin, Instructional Librarian at Strayer University; and Andrew Boney, executive editor in Sage’s Learning Resources Division. Diving into the evolution of content delivery and partnership strategies across campus, our guests explain their own unique strategies to connect with and aid students. Further, they highlight how “traditional” approaches to student success have become outdated or inefficient, thereby reflecting on the characteristics and challenges of today’s learning environment and championing the versatility of the library to underpin this work. The first episode of this four-part series provides key context on our guests’ roles and institutions—each demands distinct approaches to online learning, digital tools, and fulfilling administrative goals. In addition, they offer their own definitions for student success, such as completing a degree, achieving economic mobility, becoming media literate, or receiving the equitable support needed to attain their goals. They also summarize how technology has impacted content, as shorter, more flexible, and more interactive resources become the new norm. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

In the final episode of this four-part series, Nicola Jones, Director of the Springer Nature SDG Programme, discusses the product development of Nature Journals and Books in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. Deviating from the traditional model, Nature Journals assembled multidisciplinary experts to work together in producing high-impact research on the same topic—such as, Nature Human Behaviour launched in 2017, and, more recently, Nature Mental Health (for an interview with Rebecca Cooney, PhD, Chief Editor of Nature Mental Health, click here). In addition, Nicola explains how, despite their individual identities and audiences, Springer and Palgrave Macmillan joined forces for a cross imprint related to the goals, which forged connections between the publishers and avoided saturating the market with SDG content. Last, she highlights the significant role open access plays in the SDG Programme, and the book publishing partnership with the Lyrasis consortium that supports this commitment to open research. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!  

In the final episode of this four-part series, Tanis MacDonald, professor at Wilfrid Laurier University and General Editor of the Laurier Poetry Series, reveals how she keeps up with the latest contemporary poets by relying on her well-read friends, publishers of her own poetry, literary events, and her students. Further, she discusses how the mission of the Laurier Poetry Series has evolved from preserving the work of previous generations of writers to expanding the Canadian canon to include BIPOC and LGBTQ poets who haven’t received the accolades or recognition they deserve. Next, she dives into her Watershed Writers podcast, which takes a hyperlocal lens to literature by interviewing authors in the Grand River Watershed area. Finally, she chats about her latest book, Straggle: Adventures in Walking While Female, explaining the inspiration behind the title, the political implications of walking in public or wild spaces, and the “if you know, you know” audience recognition of its themes. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

In the third episode of our four-part series with Nicola Jones, director of Springer Nature’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Programme, we discuss several examples of the publisher’s SDG Hubs, which collect and spotlight Springer research related to individual SDGs. Nicola first outlines the broad scope and audience of Good Health & Well-Being, which includes scholarship in disciplines like applied sciences, public health, and social sciences. Next, she walks through the focus areas of Quality Education, distinguishing between research on how to deliver quality education and current debates or issues in education, including contemporary discourse about critical race theory and culture wars. Last, Nicola highlights the Sustainable Future webinar series, part of the Affordable and Clean Energy hub, and offers insight into how the many disparate groups at Springer work together to keep the information for each hub relevant and updated. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

In the third episode of this four-part series, Tanis MacDonald, professor in the Department of English and Film Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, discusses how poetry appeals to younger generations due to its (often) short length, accessibility, and experimental, wide-ranging possibilities. She explains why she positions herself as an advocate for poetry, and how the frequently maligned “Insta poetry” can act as a legitimate jumping off point for finding prominent contemporary and classic poets and expanding one’s perception of the medium. Last, Tanis contemplates the art infrastructure available outside of large metropolitan areas, and how that connects to her book, Out of Line: Daring to be an Artist Outside the Big City. She closes by underscoring the need to “step out of line” in your own art, and offers a cautionary message to young artists of the potential for harm and abuse even within art communities. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

In the second episode of this four-part series, Nicola Jones, director of Springer Nature’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Programme, speaks of the operational elements that support the Programme. Nicola highlights Springer’s working groups based on individual SDGs, which create a dedicated space and time for colleagues to communicate—and collaborate!—on projects related to the goal. She also underscores how the publisher supports sustainability goals through mandatory sustainable business training, climate pledge commitments, and the (seemingly) simple task of proper signage on office recycling bins. Last, Nicola discusses the challenges of organizing Springer’s extensive, multidisciplinary publishing portfolio, in addition to solutions like SDG hub webpages that collate relevant books, journals, articles, blog posts, and podcast episodes for site-goers. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

In the second episode of this four-part series, we continue our discussion with Tanis MacDonald, professor in the Department of English and Film Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University and General Editor of the Laurier Poetry Series. She digs into the intricacies of teaching poetry in today’s classroom, first highlighting how Canadian literature has historically been taught through the lens of regionality; while these parameters have their merits, they also limit writing style and subjects. In addition, Tanis explains the monopoly that “the novel” has over English literature curricula, and points to the value of advocating for courses in poetry and drama—especially for young scholars. Last, Tanis chats about how the Laurier Poetry Series supports teaching courses in poetry, and how she encourages her students to get out of the classroom and experience poetry through live readings and online events. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

After the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in 2015, Springer Nature responded with the SDG Programme, an initiative to connect researchers with relevant, often multidisciplinary scholarship related to goals in learning and education, gender equality, sustainability, and more under the SDG umbrella. Coincidentally, the UN’s adoption of the SDGs occurred soon after the 2015 merger of Springer Science+Business Media and Macmillan Science and Education. As the publisher looked to push forward research in support of the SDGs, it also found an opportunity to connect disparate disciplines across the newly consolidated publishing group—a very two birds, one stone situation. In this four-part series, Nicola Jones joins The Authority File to discuss Springer Nature’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Programme and her unique role as director of the Programme. She underscores the unique qualities of her position, particularly its demands of both project management skills and a highly editorial eye. As recognition of the SDGs grew, Nicola’s role shifted from awareness raising and coordination across publishing hubs to keeping track of the many initiatives currently in the works. Throughout the conversation, Nicola outlines these changes, in addition to her efforts to encourage cross-disciplinary alliances, examples of new projects, and how Nature Journals has evolved along with and in support of the program. In this first episode, Nicola chats about the complexity of her role and how she has approached its broad scope. She also provides background on why the SDG Programme was created and how it united the differing publishing groups under one roof. Last, Nicola spotlights the virtual conference series Springer launched during the pandemic, and how the virtual-only environment allowed for a more global, inclusive lens. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

With the rise of “insta poetry” and young poets taking up a (small, but present!) section of everyone’s local Barnes & Noble, you might assume that awareness and appreciation for poetry in today’s youth is alive and well. And while those factors are significant for boosting sales and public engagement in contemporary and traditional poetry, garnering interest in the classroom is a different matter. As Tanis MacDonald, General Editor of the Laurier Poetry Series, explains, poetry collections often do not stay in print. This presents a problem, as teaching from a volume of poetry creates a much richer educational experience for the reader than single poems. To fill this gap in academia, the Laurier Poetry Series emerged in the early 2000s. The Series publishes selected poetry series spanning years of a poet’s work with a scholarly and historical overview of each poet to help introduce young academics or a general audience to the text. In this four-part series, we speak with Tanis about the impact of the Laurier Poetry Series, teaching poetry in today’s age, and her own work as a writer and poet. In this first episode, Tanis discusses her past research as an elegy specialist and her time as a support worker in at-risk communities, in addition to her current teaching role in English and Film Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. Tanis also provides background on the Laurier Poetry Series, exploring its aim to make poetry accessible to undergraduates and available in print—her first task as editor was to create a collection for Canadian feminist poet Lillian Allen. Last, she underscores the importance of having physical books of poetry available to students in order to support the authors and strengthen interest in poetry as an art form. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

In the final episode of this four-part series, Adrian Guan and Tim Weisenberger, both product managers at SAE International, discuss the challenges of establishing industry standards across the wide-ranging disciplines of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity for mobility. Adrian and Tim highlight SAE’s role as an intermediary between stakeholders, able to push forward new research by bringing together academics and industry leaders through publications, forums, and collaborative research projects. Further, the guests spotlight how AI and cybersecurity intersect, underscoring why information access and information security go hand-in-hand—new technology often precipitates the need for robust cyber policies. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates, and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

Safety is one of our top concerns when buying a car. As the vehicular industry grows more advanced, safety features like automatic braking, blind spot warning systems, and lane-keeping assist have entered the market. However, as helpful as these new technologies may be, they also highlight the complexity of modern vehicles and concerns over cybersecurity. Believe it or not, cars can be the targets of cyberattacks, too. So how has the mobility industry adopted cybersecurity protocols to keep our cars safe—beyond airbags and seatbelts? In the third episode of this four-part series, Tim Weisenberger, Program Manager of Emerging Technologies at SAE International, explores the essential role of cybersecurity in the mobility industry. He explains how the industry has evolved to adopt robust cybersecurity protocols and SAE’s role in forging connections across the discipline. Further, Tim demonstrates that the unique nature of the mobility sector has encouraged the industry to prioritize cybersecurity, implementing a baked-in cyber approach to avoid potential fatalities and economic loss. Despite the growth in the maturity model standard in the past decade, Tim underscores the difficulty of standardizing cybersecurity policies, and points to solutions like problem definition, evaluation, and risk assessment. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

In higher education, artificial intelligence is often associated with research aids or chatbot tools like the recently released ChatGPT. However, AI-based systems have applications far beyond scanning primary source documents or organizing data. In the case of the mobility sector, AI now plays a major role in planes, cars, and delivery systems, leading to questions of regulation, safety, and research support for this highly emergent field. In the second episode of this four-part series, Adrian Guan, Product Manager at SAE International, discusses the distinct characteristics of artificial intelligence, its effects on mobility, and how SAE develops AI standards and research. First, Adrian provides a fascinating introduction to the mechanics of AI, explaining its data-based, machine learning process. He then walks through AI’s potential impacts on the mobility sector, highlighting use cases in aerospace and on the ground—adaptive cruise control, delivery robots, and driving education simulators, in addition to the many projects currently in the production or prototype stages. Last, Adrian underscores the importance of safety and equity in AI design for mobility, and touches on the challenges of bridging the gaps between different sectors of the mobility field utilizing AI. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!

Artificial Intelligence and cybersecurity touch a variety of fields. In fact, their malleability and wide-reaching applications allow them to influence disciplines in medicine, engineering, and mobility. SAE International, an organization for engineering professionals, recognizes this link, developing resources for members—in academia and commerce—to aid their advancements in the vehicular and aerospace arenas. In this four-part series, Adrian Guan and Tim Weisenberger, both product managers at SAE International, chat about the evolution and future of AI and cybersecurity for mobility. Adrian, an expert in AI, digs into the distinct, highly emergent characteristics of artificial intelligence and how that factors into creating robust safety standards. Tim, an expert in cybersecurity, explains how cyber practices in mobility have matured in the last decade and why a risk-based, process-driven approach is so crucial in this area. In this first episode, Adrian and Tim discuss their backgrounds and SAE International’s role in the market and mobility community. They also dive into the offerings SAE provides—books, standards, conference papers, and events—and how the organization acts as a partner and forum to bring industry experts together. Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!