Alex Holzman Profile

Against the Grain, Dec 2016

Published on 06/01/16

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Alex Holzman Profile

Alex Holzman Profi le Part of the Library and Information Science Commons Recommended Citation - Article 26 Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/atg Interview — Yoav Lorch from page 45 do you enjoy? And of course, we’d love to know what books you are reading. YL: I have a built-in trust in the generosity of destiny. An engrained belief that things will turn out alright no matter what. Even when I have reason to challenge this belief, I can’t really shake it off. I don’t know who to thank for this trait, but I guess it’s here to stay. And when you add to this the full conviction that what we are doing is both viable and good, that the books of the world and the people of the world desperately need a better platform for finding and engaging each other, it’s a very potent energy source. There is no shortage of hardships on this way. As you can imagine libraries are not quick to embrace newcomers, especially those branded “vendors.” On the other hand we often receive such warm and heartfelt thanks from patrons and librarians, that it quickly balances the suspicious glances we get elsewhere. I love the sea and my sea-kayak, and I go out in almost all weather, day and night. It’s a dance with the wind and the waves, and has on the mind the effect of reformatting the hard disk. When I’m back on shore there’s a bit more order in my mind, and the priorities, both practical and philosophical, are more correctly placed. I read mostly literary fiction, both new and old, but I can get easily immersed in more or less anything. In fact, Total Boox has greatly increased the subjects and types of books I’ve dabbled in, and recently I read some military history, and an extremely effective diet book. against the grain people profile n BORn & LIvEd: Born in New York City. Have lived in NYC; Bergenfield, NJ; New Brunswick, a NJ; Berkeley, CA; Columbus, OH; Brooklyn, NY; Philadelphia, PA. EARLy LIFE: Fun. 5.5 people (an interesting story) in a two-bedroom, rent-controlled NYC mapartment, with the life-changing American museum of natural history and hayden z l planetarium and Central Park only a block away. Followed by a whole house (!) and lots o of woods and fields to roam in NJ. pROFESSIOnAL CAREER And ACtIvItIES: College textbook sales rep/manager, abHstracter/indexer, acquiring editor, electronic publishing manager, consortia sales manager, x university press director, freelance baseball writer, journal editor. e FAmILy: Lots of fun and lots of love. l In my Sp ARE tImE: What’s that? But non-professional activities include bicycles, Arunning, walking, traveling, and learning sabrmetrics. FAvORItE BOOKS: Biographies and baseball books and novels and creative nonfiction. The Essays of E.B.White is the book I re-read and re-read and re-read. pEt pEEvES: So much to do; so little time! phILOSOphy: 1) I’d rather be lucky than good. 2) Luck is the residue of design. 3) Don’t look back — something might be gaining on you. mOSt mEmORABLE CAREER AChIEvEmEnt: Publishing so many important books written by such great authors. gOAL I hOpE tO AChIEvE FIvE yEARS FROm nOw: Taking my great nieces to their first baseball game; continuing to contribute in various ways to improving the scholarly communications ecosystem, especially its sustainability. hOw/whERE dO I SEE thE InduStR y In FIvE yEARS: I’ll assume this means university presses. I worry that some may cease to exist because of the changing structure of scholarly communication, but I hope those that persist will be using multiple business models to thrive in their niches. I don’t presume to know what models; the excitement will be in seeing and perhaps helping them to develop! NEW: Charleston Conference to Reward Creative Ideas! Iceived panels about startups, innovation, and entrepreneurship. n 2015, the Charleston Conference presented several well-re For 2016, the Conference will seek to expand on those themes and that spirit by actively encouraging creative solutions in academic libraries. In an exciting new and experimental session called CHARLESTON FAST PITCH, 3-5 applicants, thoughtfully pre-selected from among all those who respond to a CALL (soon to be issued), will “pitch” their ideas to the entire audience and a select group of judges. TWO proposals will be awarded, one by the judges and one from audience votes. This Call will be open to all who have interesting, useful, and implementable ideas for change and improvement in their own workplaces and seek a community “vote of confidence” plus a small financial award ($2500 each) to seed their proposals. Immense thanks to Steve Goodall and the Goodall Family Foundation for funding the 2016 prizes in this new Charleston Conference Feature. For further information, contact Ann Okerson <> or Katina Strauch <>. Rumors from page 38 optimize legal research, drafting and review processes. By layering Lexis Search Advantage capabilities on top of their BA Insight knowledge management systems, (...truncated)


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Alex Holzman Profile, Against the Grain, 2016, Volume 28, Issue 3,