Editorial
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-01-2017-0011 |
| Published date | 20 March 2017 |
| Pages | 2-3 |
| Date | 20 March 2017 |
| Author | Elke Greifeneder,Michael S. Seadle |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information user studies,Metadata,Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
Editorial
When editors change
There are many reasons why journal editors change: sometimes the journal needs a boost, a
new focus or the editors have neglected their duties, or they wish to do something else, or a
journal has a fixed editor term. Whatever the reason, it always results in a shift in the
journal, because new editors have other thematic preferences, other networks and other
working styles.
Library Hi Tech began in 1983 at a time when many libraries still had card catalogs and
were beginning the transition to online management systems. An open source system,
Northwestern Online Totally Integrated System, was on its way to becoming the market
leader. Personal computers were bulky, slow and performed poorly by today’s standards.
Networks existed –including the internet and Bitnet –but with limited access, except at
leading universities. The Publisher and founding Editor of Library Hi Tech, C. Edward Wall,
aimed to create a platform to explore the full range of new technologies involving libraries,
and the editorial board reflected many of the best names in the field.
Running a publishing house while being Editor had its limits, and in time Ed Wall
brought on Donald Riggs, then the Director of the University of Michigan Libraries, as his
Co-editor. Riggs was accustomed to association journals where the flow of papers was
constant, and not to a journal where the editor had the obligation and also the opportunity
to solicit articles from people of note. As the publication schedule began to fall behind,
Ed Wall replaced Riggs with me, Michael Seadle, an older student who, at the time, was
getting a Masters in Library and Information Science at Michigan, but already had a
doctorate, a computing background, and writing experience. The year was 1997.
When Emerald bought the journal a few years later, they asked me to remain as Editor.
One of the shifts I wanted to bring to Library Hi Tech in my function as an Editor was to
seek more authors from outside the USA, and to increase the emphasis on computing
technology. In 2003, I asked Brad Eden to become Associate Editor, which he remained for
five years, after which he began editing other Emerald Journals including The Bottom Line
and what was then called OCLC Systems and Services.
Elke Greifeneder was another Editor who started as a Masters Student. I joined as
an Assistant Editor in 2006 soon after Michael Seadle accepted a Professorship at
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. After graduation in 2007, I moved up to Associate and then in
2012toCo-editor,whilefinishingmydoctorate,takingaprofessorshipinCopenhagen,andthen
two years later returning to Berlin to a new professorship in Information Behavior. Under our
joint Editorship, Library Hi Tech evolved rapidly to include a range of topics involving new
technologies, social media and ways of understanding how people experience information.
How has Library Hi Tech changed in our time as Editors? Two areas stand out. One was
the internationalization of the discourse about libraries and technology. South America was
the only continent that did not regularly supply authors. The topics that Library Hi Tech
promoted were not limited to North American or to European audiences. The board grew
increasingly international, and the readership did as well.
The other accomplishment was the promotion of sets of themes that made the journal a
place to go for certain topics. Among the early topics were library architecture and its
relationship to technology and barrier-free access to online content for those with visual
impairments. Young professionals were the focus of several special issues, with the goal of
encouraging younger members of the community to express their ideas. User research and
technology have also been important themes. Perhaps the oldest and most persistent theme
Library Hi Tech
Vol. 35 No. 1, 2017
pp. 2-3
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0737-8831
DOI 10.1108/LHT-01-2017-0011
2
LHT
35,1
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