A Letter from the Executive Board of the North American Serials Interest Group
Twenty-five years.
To those approaching the end of their careers, it probably feels like NASIG's quarter century of activity has gone by in a flash. To those starting out, it may sound like an eternity. For all of us who love this organization and are invested in the attempt to make the world a better place for researchers, authors, students, and information users of every other type, this twenty-five-year landmark offers an opportunity to stop for just a moment, think about how far we've come, and try to anticipate where the road ahead is taking us.
Here's a fascinating exercise: dig out (or click to) volume 11, issues 3 and 4 of the Serials Librarian, from 1986. That dual issue contains the proceedings of the first NASIG annual conference, held at Bryn Mawr College. Skim through the program and see what issues were of greatest concern to us twenty-five years ago: there were programs on “The Evolution of Automated Serials Control” and “Online Public Access Catalogs and Serials”; there were workshops on “Serials Cataloging in an Automated Environment” and “Automation and the Binding Process.” And there was a segment of the program titled “Bryn Mawr Tea Party: 1776 Revisited,” in which a panel of librarians and British publishers discussed the (rather fraught) issues surrounding North American pricing of British journals.
In 2010, what do we find ourselves discussing? Looking at the program for this year's conference, it's clear that in some ways, our concerns are the same: we still worry about pricing, in terms of both sustainability and equity; we are still trying to figure out how best to represent our collections in catalogs and other finding tools; and how to select. Issues that were relatively marginal in 1986—usage statistics, on-demand articles, electronic books—have moved to the center of our concern in 2010. And of course there are topics of great import to us now, like open access and the Big Deal, that simply did not exist twenty-five years ago.
What matters most to us hasn't changed, though: NASIG still exists to promote communication, solutions, education, and a better information environment for everyone, and in 2010 we proudly celebrate our progress. Here's looking forward to another great quarter century together!
Sincerely,
The NASIG Executive Board
Rick Anderson, President
Katy Ginanni, Vice President/President-Elect
Jill Emery, Past President
Carol Ann Borchert, Secretary
Peter Whiting, Treasurer
Lisa Blackwell, Treasurer in Training
Bob Boissy, Member at Large
Patrick Carr, Member at Large
Steve Kelly, Member at Large
Christine Stamison, Member at Large
Virginia Taffurelli, Member at Large
Sarah George Wessel, Member at Large
Kathryn Wesley, Newsletter Editor in Chief (ex officio)
Angela Dresselhaus, Newsletter Editor in Training (ex officio)