In response to my update about Gale's failure to respond to its editorial mistakes with integrity, I have received several notes asking for follow-up information.
First, contact information: Helene Potter's email address is [email protected] Ms. Potter's immediate boss, who also spoke with me last fall, is Jay Flynn, Vice President and Publisher, Social Sciences Gale | Cengage Learning 27500 Drake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48331 [email protected] I pulled that information from correspondence between Mr. Flynn and other AJL members shared via HaSafran. Perhaps the more of us who express our outrage publicly, the less likely that any one of us will be singled out in a defamation suit. A "zebras in a herd" syndrome, I suppose. Though I make light of this point, the fact that Ms. Potter didn't respond to my note during the time it waited to be posted worries me a bit. Past notes, even those not shared with Gale editors directly, have drawn almost immediate reactions, sometimes phone calls. What does silence portend? In terms of other routes for action, I'm not sure what might be effective. Part of my anger and frustration with this recent turn of events is that we've lost momentum while Gale has become further entrenched in its position. But for what it is worth, there is an online petition. http://www.petitiononline.com/GaleMac/ Share this link with others, not just librarians, who need to see it. Get the word out to other Jewish organizations you have contact with. Blog about it. Share what has happened with anyone you think will listen. Some caveats about what you should or should not say. The conversation between Helene Potter and me was meant to be confidential. I did take notes and "embarrassment" is featured. I also just noticed "nasty business" among her comments. And a note saying that the volume editor, as well as the article author, were not being included in their plans. I also have email correspondence with Ms. Potter establishing that she initiated contact and asked to speak on phone. There were a couple of email follow-ups, including one from her with a copy of the "composite" they used to solicit the "replacement" articles. However, despite all this, what was actually said is up for dispute if Ms. Potter or Gale decides they don't like what I'm saying. If you are quoting anything I've conveyed, I recommend that you accurately identify sources and attribution. e.g., "According to email from Lee Jaffe, Helene Potter told him ..." As far as I know AJL still has not taken an official or public position on this matter. There should be official communications made to our sister library organizations, even if there is little chance they will be sympathetic. The fact that the encyclopedia was named an ACRL Notable Reference Book is a particularly painful point. BTW, I'm trying to get a slot on a local panel about Notable Book titles. I've let the coordinator that my presentation will provide an eye-opening peek at how our reference books are being made. Another, indirect, approach for AJL would be creating a "white paper" about confronting anti-semitism and anti-Israel bias in publications. This lack falls to me, since I offered to draft something, with the support of the AJL leadership, and never did. I'll pick up that thread shortly. Just in case we might start to feel that this is just another instance of anti-semitism or anti-Israeli bias, you may want to read the following item, describing a heated and nasty dispute surrounding publication of a Christian encyclopedia, with many of the same overtones we're encountering with Gale. http://www.christiancentury.org/article_print.lasso?id=6542 It seems that scholarly reference publishing is the next ideological battleground. Shana Tova, -- Lee -- Lee Jaffe Assessment & Planning Librarian 3366 McHenry Library University of California 1156 High Street Santa Cruz, California 95064 831.459.3297 [email protected] http://library.ucsc.edu/ --- Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) =========================================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: [email protected] SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org
