6 minute read
ATG Interviews Rebecca Lenzini and George Machovec
Former Publisher and Managing Editor, The Charleston Advisor
By Leah Hinds (Executive Director, Charleston Hub) <leah@charlestonlibraryconference.com>
We’re happy to be featuring the interview with Becky Lenzini, former Publisher of The Charleston Advisor, and George Machovec, Managing Editor. The Charleston Advisor launched in July 1999 and quickly became the leading publication providing expert reviews on Web-based resources for libraries. The journal was acquired by non-profit publisher Annual Reviews in 2022, and exciting plans are now underway to enhance the scope, mission, content, and user interface.
ATG: Could you tell us a little about your backgrounds to get started?
BL: I have an MLS from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, where I was co-head of Technical Services at the Library while also chairing User Services for the statewide LCS library computer system. From there, I moved to Boston to serve as the Academic Division Director for the Faxon Company, at the time a leading subscription agency. I joined CARL Systems, Inc., the for-profit spin-off of the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries, to help create and introduce the Uncover database, one of the first journal article delivery services. CARL Systems was later acquired by Knight Ridder/Dialog and Uncover became a part of Ingenta.
GM: I’m the executive director for the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries, a position that I’ve held since 2011. Before that, I was the Associate Director at the Alliance since 1993. I began my career at Arizona State University (ASU) where I held several positions including Science Reference Librarian and later the Head of Library Technology and Systems. At the Colorado Alliance, I launched the Prospector union catalog which now has 200+ libraries in Colorado and Wyoming. I also was responsible for the Gold Rush system which is now used as a library collection analytics tool.
ATG: Becky, how did the Charleston Advisor get started? And George, how did you get involved?
BL: Katina Strauch actually had the original idea for The Charleston Advisor, as she saw the need for a library e-resource review service after the Web came into existence. I was looking for another startup following the sale of CARL Systems and Uncover and approached George who became involved with the The Charleston Advisor at its launch in 1999.
GM: I had worked with Becky while head of systems at ASU where we installed the CARL integrated library system. When I took a position at the Colorado Alliance in Denver, Becky pitched the idea at a local Mexican restaurant of an e-resource review journal and I agreed to become the managing editor. I met Katina for the first time at the November 1999 Charleston Conference. I have continued in that role since volume 1, number 1. After Annual Reviews acquired TCA , I agreed to be a bridge until the new management team for the journal was appointed. AR has been wonderful to work with.
ATG: How did the publication grow and change over the years?
GM: The Charleston Advisor has always been a quarterly review journal and has averaged about a dozen product reviews per issue. In 1999, the online version of TCA was offered with custom built software being hosted at the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries. It later moved to Ingenta in order to allow for improved features on a more robust platform. All reviews were done in a structured format which has been tweaked over the years. I like to describe it as the “Consumer Reports” for library web-based databases and publications.
ATG: How did the acquisition by Annual Reviews change the publication, or did it stay mostly the same until recently?
GM: For the first two years after the acquisition by AR, the journal has stayed the same except that AR has taken over copy editing and the business side of the operation. However, big changes are planned for the fall of 2024 when the publication will be re-branded and a new set of co-editors will take over. The scope of the publication will be expanded and it will go online with an exciting new web presence being managed by a team of co-editors and an expanded editorial board. The details of this will be announced closer to the new publication.
ATG: George, we understand that the April 2024 issue will be your last issue as Managing Editor, with a retrospective edition coming up in July. Can you give us a sneak peak of the content we can expect in the collection of “greatest hits” from TCA?
GM: The April 2024 issue will be my last issue with the same name and formatting as the journal has had for the last 25 years. As you noted, the July issue will be a look back over the last quarter century with a selection of reviews, interviews, and other special features. We also hope to include a 25-year index listing all reviews published.
ATG: Becky, you ended your year-long transition from the acquisition by AR in June 2023, but will also be involved in the July retrospective. What is one of your most memorable moments in the 25 years of TCA’s publication? Any humorous or inside stories you can share?
BL: I think perhaps our biggest moment of fame for the journal came when we published the original review by Jeffrey Beall, who exposed “predatory journals” which had appeared and were not yet recognized in the field. On a lighter note, we did also review “Google” at the suggestion of Chuck Hamaker. At the time, none of us had heard of it and we thought the name was confusing!
ATG: Finally, for a more personal question, what do you do for fun or what are your hobbies? What are you looking forward to doing with your spare time after moving on from TCA?
BL: I am presently splitting time between houses in Denver, Colorado, and one in Taos, New Mexico, where I am working closely with local authors to help them publish their memoirs, art books, hiking guides and more. Also enjoying keeping up with my three grandsons and a new grand-daughter.
GM: I will continue as the executive director for the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries. I enjoy music, philately, travel, hiking, and the many other opportunities that Colorado brings.
Editor’s Note : ATG will bring you coverage of the new publication as The Charleston Advisor is re-launched later this year. It will be published by Annual Reviews under the Charleston Hub division. More details to come!
Contact Details:
Rebecca Lenzini <rlenzini@earthlink.net>
George Machovec <george@coalliance.org>
