Welcome

Andrea Kravetz

A.A. Hodge (1823-1886) said, “He is wise who knows the sources of knowledge — where it is written and where it is to be found.”  I believe Hodge was thinking about librarians when he said this.

In the 1800s, knowing where to find information was easy: it was in a book in the library. A user simply had to go to a library and ask a librarian for help. Today librarians face many new challenges and evolving roles. A librarian must be a hardcopy and database collections expert, a technical whiz, finance specialist, Web and usability expert, trainer, educator, marketer, and more.

“Libraries are not made; they grow,” said Augustine Birrell (1850-1933). Libraries have really grown with the addition of electronic resources. In this issue, librarians across the globe talk about ways they are working to increase access to, and visibility and usage of, the resources offered by their institutions, their libraries and beyond.

Like libraries, repositories also grow. In this issue, Eric Van de Velde, Director of Library Information Technology at Caltech describes the development of their institutional repository, and Steve Knight from the National Library of New Zealand talks about his library’s National Digital Heritage Archive program.

In his article “Can You Lead a Horse to Water?” Scott Walter, of the University of Kansas, addresses the importance of teaching users about electronic resources and of meeting users where they “live,” a message echoed by our Librarians Speak Up contributors and by Ravindra Sharma who talks about his experience with students at West Virginia State University.

New technologies have a big part to play both in growing new content and helping users access the wide variety available. In his Library Connect interview, Vijay Kumar of MIT discusses some of the new technologies gaining ground in the student and academic community.

At Elsevier, we also play many different and changing roles. The User Centered Design team is the voice of the user in our electronic development process. Team members, including Chris Jasek (see “Ask UCD”) ensure that the needs of librarians and their patrons are considered when we are developing products. A recent example is the new Elsevier Admin Tool, described on page 16. We are always interested in what you as users think about our products and ideas you have to improve their usability.

Best regards,

Andrea Kravetz, Vice President, User Centered Design,
Elsevier, Dayton, OH, USA

Q & A Snapshot with Andrea Kravetz

1. What were you doing before joining Elsevier?

Andrea: I worked at LexisNexis in data development and enhancement, large law firm marketing and product management. I’m a licensed lawyer and practiced for several years before joining Reed Elsevier.

2. What industry trends are you watching?

Andrea: Customer behavior, especially searching and browsing data; new techniques in data visualization; products fitting into customers’ workflows; changing delivery platforms, such as cell phones, PDAs and tablet PCs; evolving tools for user centered design teams.

3. What’s the best part of your job?

Andrea: Working with and supporting the members of my team — all talented experts in the field of user centered and visual design. I also enjoy spending time with customers and seeing their input and advice help build better products.

4. What’s your favorite book?

Andrea: I love to read. I was an English literature major in college. I don’t have one favorite book. In no particular order, I’d say Doctor Zhivago, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Gulliver’s Travels, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Moby Dick.

5. What are you reading now?

Andrea: I always have a few books on the go. I just finished The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafan and started The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. My current work-related book is Cost-Justifying Usability edited by Randolph G. Bias and Deborah J. Mayhew.