A Midyear Progress Report

Abstract

Because I am halfway through my first year as editor, I thought RUSQ readers were due a progress report. I hope some of you noticed a redesign, beginning with the Fall 2006 issue. I felt that RUSQ was due for a facelift as the journal had not been redesigned for some time. The purpose of this redesign was to incorporate suggestions made by participants in the 2005 Readex Readership Survey and the 2006 RUSQ focus groups. Here is a summary of some of the major changes. * Addition of a banner to the journal title that lists the full name of our association. I feel that it is important to emphasize that this is a division publication. * Addition of graphics to the cover. Focus-group findings indicated that RUSQ readers want more color and graphics. * The layout of the contents page has been changed so at a glance, readers can distinguish columns from feature articles and other sections. This enables readers to more easily find their favorite section of the journal. * Overall, the layout and graphics have been changed to produce a more crisp, clean, and contemporary feel. * Two columns have been added in response to feedback from the readership survey: Accidental Technologist (edited by M. Kathleen Kern), and Management (edited by Judith M. Nixon). * Creation of an occasional column entitled For Your Enrichment that publishes interesting nonempirical articles on topics that fall outside the purview of RUSQ's regular columns. * Finally, the print journal highlights the journal's new online companion (www.rusq.org). This online companion provides the full-text of articles, in both PDF and HTML formats. The companion is interactive, using blog software so readers can communicate with authors and conduct threaded discussions on topics. The Sources database has been redesigned, using a drop-down menu so users can search for the full-text of reviews by various categories. Guided by the philosophy of the open access movement, the online companion is open to all users, not just RUSA or ALA members. In my first editorial, I reported that one of my first priorities would be to work through a backlog of accepted feature articles. You may have noticed that the last issue was a little heftier than previous issues. I am grateful to report that the RUSA Executive Committee recently voted to add funds to the RUSQ budget to increase the page count from eighty-eight to 104 pages. This change took effect with the Winter 2006 issue and will be in place for a one-year period. These extra pages were added specifically to help reduce the backlog in accepted peer-reviewed articles. …