A Tough Act to Follow

Abstract

I count myself lucky to have been involved in Reference & User Services Quarterly for the past eight years, beginning with RUSQ 44:3. During that time I have had the privilege of editing the readers' advisory column and occasionally reviewing manuscript submissions to the journal. In both capacities I have been able to observe the meticulous work and attention to detail involved in publishing a quarterly peer-reviewed journal. I am awed and excited by the opportunity to take on this larger responsibility for editing the flagship publication of the Reference and User Services Association. RUSQ has had long tradition of excellent editors. I am particularly grateful for having had over the past eight years the guidance of three superb editors whose work serves as a model for me as I take up the editor's role. First under Connie Van Fleet and Danny Wallace, and for the past six years under Diane Zabel, RUSQ has offered readers the best writing about issues and practices of concern to reference librarians. Their leadership and careful selection of material for the journal has ensured its role as the foremost journal of reference theory and practice for librarians from all types of libraries. Connie, Danny, and Diane demonstrated a commitment to putting out a first rate journal that sets a high standard at which to aim. I thank them for their guidance, and I particularly would like to thank Diane for her patience in walking me through the complexities of the editing and refereeing process over the past several months, smoothing the transition. I would like also thank the members of the RUSQ Board for this past year, Judith M. Arnold, Gwen Arthur, Sian Brannon, Corinne Hill, Jessica E. Moyer, Judith M. Nixon, Lisa O'Connor, Amber A. Prentiss, Michael Stephens, and Molly Strothman. Throughout the year, RUSQ Board members review submissions to the journal. Their comments and suggestions allow the authors to focus and refine their arguments, making the end product stronger. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve with them. One of the strengths of RUSA as an organization is the way it brings together academic, public, and special librarians as well as LIS faculty to work on issues that are of importance in the areas of reference and user services. My time in RUSA has been immeasurably enriched by the opportunities I have had to work with passionate and thoughtful librarians across all types of libraries. I think that RUSQ reflects this value in that its articles and columns cover topics of interest regardless of what sort of library you are in. As the areas of reference and user services are changing rapidly, RUSA and RUSQ have been at the forefront of that change, offering ideas, new approaches, and analyses that draw on the strength of past practice to inform our current and future practice. My goal for the journal is to continue to seek out articles that will support and guide the profession as we move forward. We are faced with a rapidly changing field. Ebooks and other digital materials continue to create concerns and issues that must be addressed across the profession. New modes of reference service are continually being tested and evaluated. Our users may no longer be coming into the library, or doing so only infrequently, and we need to rethink how we interact with them. Technology offers us new opportunities in all areas of the profession--collection development, readers' advisory, citation management, reference service, etc. Librarians continue to face questions relating to user privacy, copyright and intellectual freedom. Articles in RUSQ over the past year have addressed these topics and many more. RUSQ also remains an important source for reviews of reference resources and other professional materials. RUSQ has been a solely digital journal for a year now. While there are always going to be issues and concerns with a move like that, I would like to particularly thank Diane and the staffs at RUSA office, at ALA Publications, and at Meta-press (our host site) for making the transition as smooth as possible and one that will in the long run best serve the needs of RUSA members. …