[Editors] MIT Editors' Club Minutes, Nov. 2011

[Elizabeth A Thomson]

MIT EDITORS' CLUB

*Meeting Notes from November 8, 2011*


*A Big Hand to....Us!*

This club now has 220 members from across the MIT campus. That's a lot of people who are involved or interested in MIT communications. Go us!

Further, FIVE of the ~13 Editors who attended this meeting are new to MIT (their tenures as of the meeting ranged from one day to six months). Welcome.


*Update: Communication Productions Services*

Danyel Barnard is senior communications specialist with the new Communication Productions Services. She joined us at this meeting to give us an update on, in her words, "the artist formerly known as the Publishing Services Bureau." (We already like ya, Danyel.)

The CPS brings together Copy Tech, Reference Publications, and a new unit called Communications Advising Services. This latter takes the place of the PSB, which will formally close December 2. It will have three staff in the following positions; you'll probably recognize some of these folks:

Bara Blender, communications strategist; Emer Garland Scott, communications coordinator; and Stephanie Hatch, social media/email marketing specialist.

I won't go into detail about what each of these positions entails because Danyel promises to send us a more formal communication about the overall CPS sometime soon. Suffice it to say that, as I understood from this meeting, Bara, Emer, and Stephanie will continue to help advise us on all communications activities/projects UP UNTIL the awarding of a project to a vendor or freelancer.

Bara, Emer, and Stephanie will live in E38----same office as the old PSB.

Oh! Almost forgot: someone asked if the new organization would still host cool communications webinars/seminars. Answer: yes.


*Apps for Communicators*

The latest issue of the MIT Libraries' newsletter included a short story that caught my eye. "Apps for Academics" referred to a web site where the Libraries recommend a variety of apps for smart phones that can help one with productivity, writing, library research, note-taking, and other activities that I realized could also be useful for communicators. Go to the following link for the complete list: <http://libguides.mit.edu/apps>. 

Heather Denny, communications director at the Libraries, was coincidentally at this meeting, and mentioned that there is also an IAP course on this topic. So watch for that, as well! (See the following for the 2011 IAP announcement: <http://libguides.mit.edu/apps>)

I immediately downloaded an app called JotNot Pro. For one buck, it turns your smart phone into a document scanner! I put it into use at the MIT Archives recently, and it really works, although I'm still figuring out some of the details.....At any rate, I now have on my computer a printable copy of a short MIT report from 1970 that I was interested in---and I didn't have to take notes on the document, which saved lots of time.

Also at this meeting, I asked Heather whether she could arrange for a workshop for MIT Editors on the MIT Archives and How to Use Them. (The Archives are part of the MIT Libraries.) She was enthusiastic, so watch for more info in the coming year.


*Next Meeting*

Meetings of MIT Editors' Club are always from 12-1, but in different locations around campus. The final meeting for 2011 will be:

Monday, December 5
66-360 (Chemical Engineering)

Please let me know, if you haven't already, if you'd like to host a 2012 Editors' Club meeting in your building.


Have a great Thanksgiving,

Elizabeth
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Elizabeth A. Thomson
Associate Director of Communications
MIT Resource Development
Office of Communications
600 Memorial Dr., W98-300
617-258-5563, 857-756-9457
<thomson at mit.edu>, giving.mit.edu
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