Fellow cavers, As I have recently inherited the position of TSA Chair, there is something I need to do that I did during my last tenure, and that I had hoped I would not have to do again. And that is to look for a new editor for The TEXAS CAVER. Due to job pressures and other personal demands, our current Editor, Diana Tomchick, is unable to continue in that position. We thank her for the wonderful issues she was able to produce.
What we need is someone fairly well versed in desktop publishing, either PageMaker, InDesign, or Quark. I say fairly well because our emphasis is more on TIMELY publication, not necessarily a glitzy layout. Let's face it, the TSA is not the National Geographic Society. As an organization we expect not less than a quarterly magazine, preferably bi-monthly or even more. The editor is responsible for soliciting and assembling all submissions, proofreading and fact-checking, producing either a camera-ready layout or files suitable for a Service Bureau, and having The TEXAS CAVER printed, collated, stapled, labeled, and mailed. Mailing lists are gotten from the TSA Secretary. All expenses must be coordinated with the TSA Treasurer. Archive copies (both digital and paper) are then sent to the TSS. The Editor is empowered to develop a staff of volunteers to assist with these duties. While the recent re-introduction of color in The TEXAS CAVER has been nice, I think that the TSA membership would overwhelmingly support an all black-and-white version as long as it came out more regularly than in recent years. Page count is likewise flexible, but a 20-24 page bi-monthly issue or a 60-72 page quarterly issue should be good target lengths. The Editor would NOT be responsible for any catch-up issues not produced in recent years, but would begin with the first issue of 2006. Additional advice, support, and technical expertise can be found from former Editors and TSA officers. We are also looking for volunteer Guest Editors to produce the missing issues from 2004 and 2005. One Guest Editor per issue is necessary, although one can always volunteer for additional issues if needed. Job duties are much as described above, with the exception of material solicitation. There is a stockpile of material with the immediate past Editor that just needs to be organized into a layout. If interested, please reply offlist to me ([email protected]) with "Editor Search" in the subject line. Tell me whether you are interested in a single make-up issue or the 2006 (and beyond?) issues. Give me a little background on your publishing/layout history. This information will be shared with the remaining TSA officers for approval. Don't let the Voice of the Texas Speleological Association be silent. Jim "Crash" Kennedy TSA Chair Pro Tem _______________________________________________ Texascavers mailing list [email protected] http://mail.texascavers.com/mailman/listinfo/texascavers_texascavers.com
