NEWSLETTER
December 2006
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Publishing
SIG NEWSLETTER December 2006 |
December 2006 ACE Publishing SIG
Newsletter
For information, contact Helen White,
Chair, PubSIG.
In This Issue:
1. PubSIG idea bank
2. Upcoming deadlines
3. SIG meeting survey
4. Request from ACE Professional Development Committee
5. Award of Excellence
6. New members
1. PubSIG idea bank
Let’s build a PubSIG idea bank. Kevin Smith, our PubSIG Vice-Chair Elect, has
proposed a great way to build a resource/idea exchange for our SIG members:
“Nobody’s ever done this before.”
Chances are, you’ve said (or thought) this on one of your projects. Perhaps nobody in your shop has worked with several states before, or nobody has partnered with industry groups before, or . . . well, the list can go on forever.
Facing the unknown, however, can be easier if you have a resource from which to draw ideas.
That’s what we’re proposing.
We’d like to develop an “idea bank” of case studies from PubSIG members. Imagine starting that unknown project and being able to browse summaries and examples of projects your ACE colleagues have done.
To make this idea work, we need your input. To populate this “idea bank,” we should plan to add one case study per month (that requires volunteers). To make them easier to read through and prepare, they should be brief (probably no more than a page long). Furthermore, all case studies should be similar in format (for example, they should answer basic questions such as, “What was the challenge?” “How did you address it?” etc.). Finally, each case study should include links to online versions, other resources, and so on.
PubSIG members will create and use these case studies, so before we start asking for volunteers, we need to find out what you want the case studies to say.
First, how do you want the information to be covered? Would you like fairly general categories such as “Situation and problem,” “Goals,” “Solution,” and “Evaluation”? Or, would you like more detailed checklists where writers define the type of project, target audience, and so on?
The first step (starting now), is a request for general comments and input from PubSIG members. Send me an e-mail (kevlsmith@purdue.edu). Tell me what you want to see in these case studies and your thoughts about the format. Let me know how interested you would be writing one of these. We’re all in publishing, so let’s set a deadline of January 15.
For step two, I’ll create a sample template and send it out to all PubSIG members for feedback. Then, we can move on to the third stage of asking SIG members to write them.
We are busy people. That’s why these case studies need to be painless, quick exercises that volunteers can finish off in an hour or less -- for example, my contribution will likely be a modified form of what I have to do as part of my performance evaluations at work. The idea here is to share our experiences and make the PubSIG Web site a resource we can all use.
3. SIG meeting survey
Length of SIG meetings at the annual meeting: Thanks to all who replied
to my quick survey last week. Out of 15 who responded, four thought that 45
minutes would be sufficient for the SIG meetings; six would rather have more
than 45 minutes, but didn’t specify a time length; four voted for a 1-hour
meeting; and one for an hour and a half meeting time. I will share the tally and
some of your comments with the meeting planning committee.
4. Request from ACE Professional
Development Committee
The ACE Professional Development Committee asks that each SIG identify one
professional development opportunity the SIG can plan, deliver, and evaluate in
the coming three years. It can be as simple as a one-hour
presentation/discussion delivered via distance education technologies, or as
grand as a two-day workshop in a location of the SIG’s choosing. It may be
offered by a single SIG or in cooperation with other SIGs. Please reply by end
of day on January 15 so I can share your ideas in a SIG leader conference the
next day.
5. Award of Excellence
Please start thinking of deserving colleagues to nominate for the ACE Publishing
SIG Award of Excellence. The formal call for nominations will go out in January
and nomination forms will be due February 16. For nomination forms, a list of
past winners, and a description of the awards, visit
http://www.aceweb.org/award/excellence.html).
Several new members have joined our SIG this year. Welcome aboard from more than 150 other PubSIG members working in print or electronic publications.
To all PubSIG members, thanks for all you do and have a happy holiday break!
Helen White, Kyle McCaskill, and Kevin Smith
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