Daviess Menefee, Americas Library Relations Director, Elsevier, Columbus,
OH, USA
It will come as no surprise to this readership that librarians are versatile
people and exhibit a wide range of talents in their day-to-day professional
activities. What may be surprising is that a major publisher, namely Elsevier,
employs a number of librarians in various roles and responsibilities. Indeed,
our Library Connect editorial team includes erstwhile librarians Karen Hunter,
John Tagler and Tony McSeán.
Below are confessions (well, really answers to a question) from some of the
librarians who work for Elsevier. Their responses reveal why these colleagues
do what they do and also what they like about their jobs. In short, the close
relationship between librarianship and publishing can be found here, as there
are skills and traits common to both.
Elsevier is not the only major publisher to employ librarians. We (yes, I am
one too) can be found just about everywhere in the information industry.
Furthermore, we can expect this trend to continue as the gap between
librarianship and publishing continues to narrow. It is a testament to
librarians’ commitment and professionalism that we seek challenging jobs in a
rapidly changing environment.
How does your background as a librarian help
you and your colleagues improve customer focus at Elsevier?
Michiel van der Heyden, Senior Product Manager ScienceDirect, Elsevier,
Amsterdam, Netherlands
The more Elsevier understands and meets the real needs of our customers, the
more likely we are to have happy customers who come back for more and tell
their colleagues. While working during 2003 and 2004 as the interim head of
Utrecht University Library’s Central Public Service Department, I faced
challenges common to librarians the world over. These challenges included the
emerging realization that faculty and students are a university library’s
customers, and that the Internet may be any library’s biggest opportunity and
threat at the same time.
My background as a librarian helps me understand our customers’ viewpoint
during discussions about subscriptions and pricing issues and during
Elsevier’s development of products and services. I think customer focus is all
about attitude, and I aim to strengthen customer focus at Elsevier.
Padma Muralidharan, Account Development Manager, Elsevier, New Delhi, India
After joining Elsevier in the early 1990s, it became apparent that to
contribute significantly to improving customer relations, understanding the
needs of librarians was very important. Studying their discipline seemed a
good way to start. I earned my bachelor's degree in library and information
science from the University of Madras and am presently working towards my MLIS
from the same university.
I’ve noticed in many interactions with librarians that just mentioning I have
an LIS degree has broken the ice and set the tone for meaningful discussions.
They relate to somebody from their own background and are more open to
discussing sensitive issues. My library background has helped me establish
lasting, positive relationships with librarians.
Kim Hill, Account Development Manager, Elsevier, New York, NY, USA
When I tell people in the library community that I’m a former librarian, their
usual reply is “Once a librarian, always a librarian.” That one statement
drives my daily work experience at Elsevier. Since I’ve walked in your shoes,
I know firsthand what life is like in the library world. I’m able to look at
every corporate decision, product or service and see the flip side of the coin
— which in my current world, is the library’s side. My colleagues often come
to me when they want to know how a librarian will react to something. Most
importantly, when I’m out there talking with you, I understand the subtext of
the questions you and your end users ask and am often able to get to the heart
of the real issue. I hope that at the end of the day when I’ve visited with
you that you see a personal side to Elsevier — and that’s the best customer
service we could provide!
Shuqin He, Account Development Manager, Elsevier, Beijing, People’s
Republic of China
As an Account Development Manager, I focus on running localized marketing
campaigns, producing customized marketing and training materials, and
delivering training sessions to our customers who are mainly librarians. I
share a common viewpoint with them because I studied at McGill University in
Montreal for two years to get my MLIS degree and worked for the Canada
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information in 2001 and 2002.
With my background as an information specialist, I can contribute strongly to
customer focus at Elsevier. First, I better understand customers’ specific
information needs and can accordingly produce tailored marketing materials.
Second, my expertise in database/Internet searching means I can clearly
explain our electronic products to customers during training sessions and make
the experience more useful and valuable. Third, I’m comfortable communicating
with librarians and users, and acquiring feedback valuable in improving our
support services.
My reference and research background and the certification as a medical
librarian that I received from Drexel University have helped me to listen
carefully to media and other customer inquiries, interpret and understand
journalists’ and others’ needs, and then search for and provide what
colleagues want quickly and efficiently. I am enjoying the fact that here I
am, a good many years after graduating from library school, yet right back to
my roots, finding and producing information for those who need it — in a
different context to be sure, but meeting those needs, nevertheless.
Josephine Crawford, Manager of Curriculum Development, Endeavor Information
Systems, Inc., Des Plaines, IL, USA
I have been privileged to be an active member of the library community for
over twenty years. Since earning my MLIS from the University of California, I
have served in several management positions in academic libraries and taught
as an adjunct faculty member at Dominican University in Illinois and the
College of St. Catherine in Minnesota.
I have experience in most functional areas of academic libraries, have often
been a trainer, and have tended to advocate for thoughtful management of
opportunities and changes made possible by information technology. These
changes pose a significant challenge for libraries and offer exciting
opportunities for vendors to partner with libraries.
In my current position with Endeavor, I design learning programs for
libraries. Customer focus is at the heart of my day-to-day activities. By
listening to needs and providing flexible training experiences, I help our
customers acquire the needed technological skills and practical knowledge to
manage their environments and move their libraries forward. My librarianship
background has proven key in helping Endeavor’s customers.
Mike Dicus, MS-LIS, Product Specialist, Endeavor Information Systems, Inc.,
Des Plaines, IL, USA
Before coming to Endeavor, I worked in public and university libraries for 15
years. I've held positions in public services and technical services, and even
served as library director. My experience has given me a solid understanding
of library workflows and processes, and equipped me to better understand
problems and issues facing librarians today. In my role as a product
specialist, I am often asked to demonstrate how our software will solve
problems in library workflows or accomplish tasks in better ways. Because I
understand library practices, workflows and terminology, I enjoy explaining
features and benefits of our products to librarians. Also, when needed, I can
interpret librarians' questions for my non-librarian colleagues. My
understanding of libraries helps me and my colleagues better serve our
customers so that together we can find solutions to library problems.
Sarah Tyrchniewicz, Human Factors Engineer, Elsevier User Centered Design
Group, Dayton, OH, USA
In 2003, I earned my MSI (Master of Science in Information) from the
University of Michigan's School of Information. I draw from my educational
experience to understand what our librarian users need to assist in their
workflows and how they are thinking about certain tasks. The fact that I have
been trained in a similar way to the librarians I work with helps me connect
with them during user testing and in the development and design of our
products and websites. My personal contacts within the librarian community
give me a feel for how our customers view our products and our company in
general. Being aware of that perspective helps me establish common ground with
our users that I would not have otherwise. Connecting with our users is an
excellent way for Elsevier to strengthen its customer focus and my background
has helped me do so when working on projects as a member of the User Centered
Design Group.
