ALA Editions’ Irish import, marketing manager Catherine English, celebrates her new status as a US citizen. When asked about the process, she took a wistful tone: “The deepest cut: I had to renounce Guinness for Budweiser. Cruel, but apparently necessary.”

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The “Angel of Peace” gets a shower from a sprinkler. The statue, by William Kieffer, stands in the Episcopal Church Center plaza, across the street from ALA HQ.

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Everyone who knows me well knows that I am a huge fan of TED talks. They are my addiction, my Monday motivation. After an especially full week of RDA vendor candidate presentations and development planning (which I’ll post on next week), I was happy to find in my feed from TED a talk by slam poet/tech artist/paper sculptor Rives.

“Is 4 a.m. the New Midnight?” is a quick-witted and funny 8 minutes to get you through the last day of your tough week. Enjoy!

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The iPhone doesn’t go on sale until 6 pm, but at noon the line in front of the Michigan Avenue Apple store here in Chicago is already a block long. And what does one do while waiting in line for an iPhone? Work on a MacBook while listening to an iPod, of course.

Or sleep.

I couldn’t find any librarians in the line, but this guy shouted out that he liked libraries, so that merited a shot!

A sign taped to the building above one of the early adopters’ heads said, “You wouldn’t understand.” Um, yes, we would.
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An Editions-related gathering at Etrusco last night brought together LJ Mover and Shaker alums Rob Cullin, Kim Bolan, and Chrystie Hill. Rob and Kim are the authors of Technology Made Simple, and Kim is starting work on a new edition of her popular Teen Spaces. Chrystie is working with Steven Cohen on the final manuscript stage of Inside, Outside, and Online, a book about libraries and community building. But last night was all in fun—no shop talk allowed! Let’s just say that the “rocker table” took that directive to heart.

ALA Publishing Marketing Coordinator Tina Coleman takes to heart Ranganathan’s first law of library science, “Books are for use.” I caught her in the hall on her way to show Jenni the purse that she made from cover overruns of Serving Teens through Readers’ Advisory. Tina is an ALA Editions author. Along with her crafter mom, she is writing a book on library craft programs for teens. Author Heather Booth is reviewing draft manuscript to assure that Tina’s projects will fly in the library. Tina graciously made this purse, which she packed away in a trunk headed for ALA Annual Conference, where she will present it to Heather. Tina works in the ALA Store at annual conference. If you have the chance to meet her, be sure to ask how you can jazz up your conference T-shirt.

The ALA Staff Association’s Hot Dog Day fund raiser has been postponed. My colleagues are unable to contain their disappointment and frustration.

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I’ve answered a few questions this week from authors who are a bit confused by our job titles here at Editions. These titles are standard in the publishing industry, so it doesn’t often occur to me to explain the organizational relationships. Perhaps most confusing is the title of managing editor. What is the managing editor’s organizational relationship to the editorial director? How about to the acquisitions editors? The copy editors?

These relationships can vary a bit among publishers, but here’s the skinny at Editions: Our managing editor, Christine Schwab, reports to the editorial director (fellow blogger and my boss, Patrick Hogan) and is a peer to the acquisitions editors (me and, until recently, Laura Pelehach).

Christine effectively has one foot in editorial and the other in production. She takes what an acquisitions editor has deemed to be a final manuscript and

• evaluates the level of copy editing it will require
• queries any missing or unsuitable bits in the text or the illustrations
• preps the manuscript for copyediting
• hires and supervises one of our regular freelance copy editors
• facilitates communication between the copy editor and the author
• preps the copyedited manuscript for production
• reviews the proof layouts and vets the work of the proofreader

The “managing” bit in her title refers both to managing the copy editors and to managing the editorial aspects of the production process.

Some of our products are rather more complex than others, so the steps described above are a bit simplistic. Indeed, she wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t mention her work on Guide to Reference. She is not only vetting the copyediting and answering a raft of questions about the huge and idiosyncratic editorial stylesheet, but also training the copy editors to work within an online authoring system. Luckily for Editions, Christine is more than up to the task.

Christine joined Editions early last year, but she and I have worked together off and on in some capacity for 11 years now. We even shared adjoining offices for a while at the University of Chicago Press. Well, actually it was an office and an adjoining storage closet. (You might think that Christine had the short end of the stick there in the storage closet, but it depends on your perspective. I had the only window, but she had the only door.)

On GR, Christine works closely with associate editor Steven Hofmann . . . and this just got too complicated for one blog post. Look out, Steven. You’re next.

ALA’s neighborhood was once called McCormickville because so many of the extended McCormick family owned mansions near Rush and Ohio streets. The patriarch of the family, Cyrus Hall McCormick is honored with a Chicago Tribute Marker kitty corner from ALA. He was an inventor and an astute businessman, an uncommon combination that made him a very rich man. The Omni Hotel now stands on the site, and behind it a concrete municipal building. You can see a photograph of the mansion here in the Indiana University Archives / Digital Library Collection.

I don’t think any McCormick mansions are still standing. You can, however, get a taste of a McCormick mansion interior as well as an outstanding prime rib sandwich lunch special at Lawry’s The Prime Rib.

ALA moved to Junior’s mansion in 1946. Cyrus Hall McCormick, Jr. was no slouch either. He managed and chaired International Harvester a company formed in a merger with his dad’s company. Unfortunately, ALA’s space needs and the disrepair of the mansion forced the demolition of our classy quarters. ALA’s rather unremarkable new headquarters building was dedicated in 1963. ALA occupies the first seven floors of the condo building in the background.

Inside the door at 50 E Huron, outside the Human Resources offices, visitors will see framed tiles. Ernie Martin, a retired ALA staffer salvaged these from the fireplace of the mansion.

In the staff lounge in the basement, poster size photographs show the mansion and one of its renowned features, a circle staircase.

To the left is a photograph that hangs in the Human Resources area, showing what Headquarters looked like in the Fifties.

Last week in Friday Photo, Jenni displayed the promotional billboard for Canyon Ranch Living, a luxury condominium development. Luxury high rises have sprouted around ALA like dandelions on my chemical-free, suburban lawn. I admit to not having visited any of these condos. I know they have huge jacuzzis in marble bathrooms. Still, looking at these photos, especially ol’ Cyrus’s place, I have to say, luxury ain’t what it used to be. At least not here in McCormickville.

Our neighborhood has been a busy construction zone for the last five to ten years. No fewer than ten new residential or mixed use high rises are currently under construction within about a five-block radius of ALA HQ. It’s generally exciting, and although my family has been priced out of the neighborhood (hence the upcoming move), overall I’m pleased with the coincident changes.

Not all the changes are happy ones, though. Soon to be torn out during the construction of the incongruously named Canyon Ranch Living high rise across the street from ALA HQ is an outdoor labyrinth located just behind the St. James Cathedral. According to the St. James visitor information page, “labyrinths have been used for centuries as a way to center the mind and heart.” For more information, readers are directed to Veriditas, The Voice of the Labyrinth Movement.

My photo doesn’t do the labyrinth justice. Its placement in a heavily shaded area between the cathedral and the Episcopal Church Center (a 1968 tries-too-hard international style building, also fated for demolition) makes for cool contemplation but lousy photo lighting.

While looking for a better image of the labyrinth on the Veriditas site, I came across this cool Online Finger Meditation Tool. My favorite part? The adjustable inertia level. Now that’s something I could use in my everyday life, especially on a Friday afternoon.