NEAL-SCHUMAN TO CO-PUBLISH NEW SERIES WITH PUBLIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
March 21st, 2008 | by Marketing |New York, NY (March 21, 2008)—Neal-Schuman today announced the signing of a co-publishing agreement with the Public Library Association (PLA). Each volume in the new PLA Reader Series will be specifically designed to meet the professional information needs of a specific segment of the public library community in mind—-public library directors, youth librarians, managers, or trustees, for example. Each reader will include best practices, essential background information, practical wisdom, and targeted advice carefully selected and organized by PLA and Neal-Schuman.
The first four titles slated for publication in the PLA Reader Series include: The Public Library Association Reader for Library Directors, The Public Library Association Reader for Youth Librarians, The Public Library Association Reader for Library Trustees, and The Public Library Association Reader for Aspiring Library Managers.
Founded in 1976 by President Patricia Glass Schuman and Executive Vice President Jack Neal, Neal-Schuman is the leading independent, privately owned publisher of professional books for librarians, archivists, and knowledge managers. The company prides itself on close ties to the community it serves, boasting a large number of MLS degrees on staff and freelance and series editors from libraries and LIS programs around the country. Neal-Schuman President Pat Schuman served as ALA’s President from 1991-1992, and Vice President/Director of Publishing Charles Harmon was formerly head of ALA’s Information Services.
A division of the American Library Association, the PLA is the largest association of public library professionals in the world. Dedicated to serving the professional needs of public library staff, its publications emphasize practical how-to advice about library operations and topics of strong interest to PLA members.
“Partnerships like this one lie at the heart of our company mission,” said Neal-Schuman’s Charles Harmon. “By working with an established, influential organization like the PLA, we can be that much more responsive to the needs and concerns of information professionals working in every kind of library.”
In addition to PLA, Neal-Schuman is also a publishing partner for a number of other divisions of the American Library Association, including the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) with whom they have partnered on projects like Get Connected: Tech Programs for Teens by RoseMary Honnold (2007) and The Official YALSA Awards Guidebook (forthcoming in 2008). Co-publications with the Library Information and Technology Association (LITA) include Making Library Web Sites Usable (2007) and Using Interactive Technologies in Libraries (2007). Recent co-publications with the Medical Library Association (MLA) include The Medical Library Association Guide to Cancer Information (2007) and the much-anticipated 3rd edition of Bonnie Snow’s Drug Information: A Guide to Current Resources (2008). Neal-Schuman is also the exclusive distributor in the U.S. of Facet Publications, the publishing division of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) in the UK.
“Neal-Schuman is already a well-respected name among our membership, which makes them the ideal publishing partner for our titles,” said PLA spokesperson Kathleen Hughes. “Their reputation for providing information professionals with the tools and information they need is completely consistent with our own publishing goals. We’re looking forward to a relationship that best serves the interests of our membership.”
“The other benefit you can expect to see as a result of this partnership,” said Harmon, “is even better programming for the public library community in the Neal-Schuman Professional Education Network” —-a series of professional training webinars and audio seminars. “Public libraries have responded very enthusiastically to this new series, and this partnership will even better inform our offerings in the area.” For more information about the Professional Education Network, visit www.neal-schumanPEN.com.
In conjunction with the new partnership, Neal-Schuman has implemented a PLA standing order plan and is offering a charter discount for libraries that sign up before May 1, 2008. For more information, visit www.neal-schuman.com.