Questions revisited

A few weeks ago, our director blogged about the questions applicants had asked her during a recent round of job interviews.  One of the queries was, “What do you like about your job?”  Reading this post caused me to think about how I would answer that question.  While I enjoy coming to work simply because the Cultural Heritage Center is a unique building and the staff of the South Dakota State Historical Society is a fun and hard-working group of people, there are particulars about my own position that I find intriguing, interesting, and challenging.

I get to do several things in the course of a week.  I have the flow of a routine, but I also have the variety that comes with having that routine interrupted. The SDSHS Press staff gets together weekly to talk not only about what is currently being accomplished, but to dream and set goals for what we would like to see done.  Because we are a small press, we are all involved in the process of bringing those dreams to reality.  I really like that aspect of my job.  Though I spend much of my time working with the financial aspects of the press—depositing money, paying bills, and producing weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports—I am also involved in actually putting our books into your hands: packing them carefully, dropping in a bookmark or two, adding our free sampler of some of the books we’ve published recently, and including a catalog for you to browse.  I imagine what I would like to see if I were opening the package.  Many of our customers might be like me; part of the reason I order from a company is the care they take with my order and the condition of my package when it arrives.

Answering the telephone and visiting with people is another enjoyable part of my job.  It has always been exciting for me to share my love of reading with my own kids, and it makes me happy when a parent or grandparent calls in with that same desire to share both a love of reading and a love of South Dakota history with their family. Sometimes the calls come from people planning trips to South Dakota, and they want to read up on the area’s history before they leave home.  Just this week, we heard from a gentleman who had visited all sixty-six of the state’s counties and was intrigued by what he saw.  He wanted books that expounded on the history of the places he and his wife had just visited.  Some of our inquiries and orders come from relatives or friends of a book’s author or subject, and I enjoy hearing the excitement in their voices.

I can’t conclude this blog without adding that when I think a product is good and useful, I enjoy selling it!  The SDSHS Press creates books that are well written, beautifully produced, and of interest to a wide range of readers.  When I sell our books, I feel like I’ve done the buyer a good service.  This is just one more thing I like about my job.  What do you like about yours?

LN

A Birthday for Baum

Come celebrate L. Frank Baum’s 157th birthday with us on Wednesday, May 15, 2013, at the Cultural Heritage Center. The festivities will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the center, located at 900 Governors Drive in Pierre.

Author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Baum is one of the world’s most popular children’s writers. From 1888 until 1891, he lived in Aberdeen where he operated Baum’s Bazaar, a variety store, and took an active part in community affairs. As editor of the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer, Baum offered controversial opinions on various topics.

Nancy Tystad Koupal, an expert on Baum, will present a program that includes a documentary film produced for the Smithsonian Institution featuring Koupal and other Baum historians.

For further information on Baum, the ebook short, “The Politics of Oz” by Nancy Tystad Koupal, can be ordered through the South Dakota State Historical Society Press website (sdshspress.com) for $.99.

L. Frank Baum historian Nancy Tystad Koupal delves into the true meaning of Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, refuting old ideas of Populist allegory, while establishing a new paradigm for considering this most famous piece of American children’s literature.

This ebook short sets the tone for further discussion of the meaning of Baum’s work, as well, providing new insight and historical background on both the author and the state of South Dakota.

A Dispatch from the Illustration Trail

Coming up with images to illustrate our books or journal articles can pose something of a dilemma at times. Take, for instance, the latest issue of South Dakota History. For starters, it was a bit unusual in that the entire issue consisted of one long piece, a previously unpublished narrative by Colonel Richard Irving Dodge detailing a scouting expedition sent out from Fort Fred Steele in Wyoming Territory in 1868. Dodge had been charged with locating a supply of wood for constructing buildings at the post, created to protect workers on the Union Pacific railroad as the line advanced westward.  His scout took place over a fairly nondescript expanse of land, and he notes countless creeks, mountains, draws, dead-end canyons, and the problems he and his men encountered in navigating the little-known territory.  Unfortunately, he took no camera along on his journey to document the scenery or wildlife he describes or to give us images of the men who accompanied him. There was the colorful post sutler Beall, a tenderfoot who begged to be included and then neglected to bring along even the most basic supplies, such as a coat. Then there were the conniving soldiers who hoarded the expedition’s bacon so that they could abscond with it when they went AWOL shortly before the group was to return to post. Finally, there was Dodge’s faithful orderly, Private Freilinger, who overheard the malcontents talking about the plot and fearfully informed his superior.

Colonel Richard Irving Dodge reminds you to pack a camera.

Dodge painted great word pictures, but in order to create a visually pleasing layout, we always look for interesting images to draw in those who might just be skimming the issue, as well as to break up long passages of monotonous-looking type. The Denver Public Library, Library of Congress, and other sources supplied good historical photographs of the military men and posts described by the editor of the narrative, Wayne R. Kime, in his introduction, but illustrating Dodge’s work itself was more challenging. In this case, we were lucky to have the resources of the South Dakota State Historical Society’s research library. Thanks to our predecessors who began a hundred or more years ago building a collection of books related to the history of the state and region, we have a good number of obscure volumes whose copyright is no longer active that we can scour for little-seen and often desperately needed illustrations.  One such work is one of Dodge’s own books, Our Wild Indians (1882), whose frontispiece supplied the engraving used on the journal’s cover. Another is his The Plains of the Great West and Their Inhabitants (1877), which carried an image of the Laramie Plains. A search of our library records for items pertaining to the Union Pacific Railroad quickly brought up several railroad travel guides published not long after the transcontinental line was completed. Designed to promote western tourism through descriptions of the region’s majestic scenery and superb sporting opportunities, one of these books, published in 1886, yielded engravings of a few of the geographical places and some hunting scenes that meshed nicely with what Dodge described. Lucky finds—but they also made me wonder just what we should be collecting today that will come in handy for whoever is here fifty or one hundred years from now.

JKO

Questions

One of the unexpected pleasures of interviewing people for jobs is the questions they ask you—questions that get you to thinking about things you haven’t thought about. Some people want to know about the town—how big, what does it have to offer, and so forth. But sometimes they ask such questions in ways that put you on the spot. “What do you, personally, like and dislike about Pierre?” someone asked. Um—I had to puzzle about that the first time, and when I told my staff what I had replied, they told me that I hadn’t done a good job answering. So I’ve had to stop and weigh the pros and cons of the town I have lived in for more than thirty years, and in the process, I started to appreciate something that I hadn’t really given much thought to. Pierre is a river town—on a significant U.S. river, the Missouri River—and the huge dam and reservoir within seven miles of the town offer some of the most outstanding water-related activities in the region. I have always known this fact, but somehow I didn’t consider what it meant. Mark Twain appreciated rivers and river towns, and I venerated Mark Twain, but the fact that I lived in a river town—well, it just didn’t seem like the same thing, somehow.

Someone else asked me, “What do you like about your job?” This one I had thought about before, so I felt more confident in my reply. I like the fact that my job allows me to use all my talents and skills. It stretches me. And because the South Dakota State Historical Society Press is small, every employee is allowed to be a generalist; nobody gets pigeonholed into specialties, but at the same time, everyone can work to their greatest strengths. The job offers little opportunity for boredom and endless possibilities for reinventing yourself through your work.

Other interviewees’ questions related to the future directions of the Press, the office culture, and the day-to-day work. I have ideas about those topics, of course, but in many ways the new people coming in will help to reshape those things as we go forward. And I am looking forward to that.

NTK

A memory rekindled

As an Editorial Assistant with the South Dakota State Historical Society Press, I enjoy many aspects of my job. One of the things I like the best is working with the editors here at the Press, whether on an article for South Dakota History or on a book. When the Press began the process of publishing Laura Ingalls Wilder’s autobiography, Pioneer Girl, I worked with another staff member to transcribe Wilder’s handwritten story into typewritten text that we could easily work with on computer. I must admit that I did not read the Little House books as a child (I am in the minority, I have discovered), so having the opportunity to read her autobiography first and then compare that to the Little House books has been one of the projects I have enjoyed most.

Today I came across this passage from By the Shores of Silver Lake, in which Laura describes the southern migration of birds: “All those golden autumn days the sky was full of wings. Wings beating low over the blue water of Silver Lake, wings beating high in the blue air far above it. . . . The wings and the golden weather and the tang of frost in the mornings made Laura want to go somewhere. She did not know where. She wanted only to go.” Having grown up in eastern South Dakota, I know what she saw and how she felt, but I hadn’t recalled that fond memory in years.

I find Wilder’s memories of her childhood amazing—especially as I get older and my own memories fade. I am regretting not reading the Little House books when I was younger. But now that I know what I missed, I look forward to giving the books as gifts to my grandchildren (someday), and reading them together will be something I know we will both enjoy.

CO

Congratulations!

Congratulations go this week to our sister program, the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society, which has just been made an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.  The formal announcement was made last Thursday at the State Historical Society’s annual legislative reception, with Governor Dennis Daugaard and a representative of the Smithsonian in attendance.

This gala reception featured a big event for the South Dakota State Historical Society Press, too: we released our latest publication, The Governors’ Portraits.  Dan Brosz was there in a double capacity: he is the Curator of Collections for the museum, and he is also the author of our chapbook, so he was able to sign attendees’ copies.

We are excited for the museum as it begins its Smithsonian affiliation, which will give it access to training programs and exhibits offered through the Washington, D.C. institution.  And as part of the South Dakota State Historical Society, we are proud of the closer association of two long traditions of excellence in research and education.

RGH

Proudly We Wave

Friday, 25 January 2013, is Marketing Director/Associate Editor Martyn Beeny’s last day at South Dakota State Historical Society Press. After seven years with SDSHS Press, he is moving on to a position as Marketing Director for the University of Nebraska Press. We wish him well and wave him on to his new job with both sadness and pride.

Martyn Beeny

Seven years ago, Martyn joined the staff here in Pierre as a young ABD (All But Dissertation) in American history with limited knowledge of marketing books. Self-directed, passionate about history and the book-publishing industry, he embraced the learning opportunities provided in our small but growing operation. He soon had a handle on the industry standards and practices, and he found the new media and the ever-changing future of the book-publishing industry fascinating and full of possibilities. His forward-looking attitude and ideas helped to bring the Press to the forefront of publishing in the region. During his time with us, SDSHS Press has won over forty national awards for excellence in publishing. We know that he will put out the same effort for his new employer. We wave farewell to him with pride.

But that does not mean we are happy to see him go. He leaves a hole in the fabric of our working lives that will be hard to fill. Martyn has attempted to plug the gap temporarily by teaching the rest of us to twitter and tweet, place ads on the internet, pin it, Facebook it, and so forth, to ensure that the day-to-day work will go on. And it will, but we will miss his smiling face and positive attitude.

NTK

Keeping up with Change

Ah, technology we can all understand!

Every January, I struggle to write the correct year on my checks (yes, I still write checks) and correspondence. It seems as though I’ve just become accustomed to writing 2012, and now I have to remember to write 2013. I also struggle with this problem at work, hence the sticky note with “2013” written on it that is stuck to my computer screen. In the same way, as technology changes and we get newer “improved” versions of the software we use, I often long for the familiar, older version. Having worked for the SDSHS Press since its beginnings fifteen years ago, I have seen our bookkeeping go from handwritten notes to a much improved online accounting system. Sometimes, when I cannot make this newer software do what I want it to do, I am tempted to reminisce about the less complicated system. Fortunately, in our office, we have several technology-savvy co-workers who are constantly showing me better and faster ways to do things. I no doubt have tested their patience at times, but I am truly indebted to them as they try to keep me up to speed.

Still, old patterns can be tough to change. Even though many of our titles are available as e-books, I prefer to read the hard copy. And instead of clicking the “Help” icon on my computer screen, I still occasionally use the handwritten “cheat sheet” from the file in my desk drawer. And when my phone rings, I find myself automatically pulling out a paper form on which to record the customer’s order rather than going to the online form. Here’s to keeping up with change!

CO

Favorite Lines, Part II

The Badlands, courtesy, NPS.gov

A couple weeks ago, here at the SDSHS Press, we decided to share a favorite line from one of the books we published in 2012. I’m late.

How do I come up with one line? I have lots of favorite parts of the books we publish. The illustrations in Greet the Dawn are top-notch, and I enjoy looking at them over and over again, . . . but I don’t think illustrations count as our favorite “line!” I’m not from Sioux Falls, but North of Twelfth Street introduced me to the people and places that make up the historic districts of the city, and it did an excellent job of showing me the character of Sioux Falls. Again, that’s not really a line, though.

While I can’t choose a single, favorite line, I do have a favorite concept. I have read one part of Infinite West several times over: the Cedar Pass Lodge episode of the Badlands chapter. I love it when an author starts out making me laugh and ends up making me think. I like the way Fraser Harrison starts with a couple of humorous events—I readily identified with the poor fellow (or should I say “chap”) who pulled up thinking he was meant to stay at the lodge that night, and then realized he had arrived a week ahead of schedule. And there probably is barely a person alive who can’t identify with Harrison when he locked his whole life inside his cabin while he stood outside. Although, I can top his dilemma because in my own “lockout” my ten-month old baby remained inside my car, blissfully sitting in her seat staring at me through the window and giggling because she thought I was playing “peek-a-boo” with her.

The second concept is, I guess, an example of why I really like this book. The author is looking at the Badlands of South Dakota and comparing them to the human condition of aging—if he had just stuck to the Badlands, as majestic and wild-looking as they are, I would have found myself losing interest after a few paragraphs. But he intertwines the aging landscape with observations of his own age and aging—“My hair, once curly and dark, now resembles porridge.” Thanks to beauticians and hair-dye, I will never have to identify with that particular line! Harrison provides insights into his thoughts about aging and the natural course of feelings and emotions throughout this chapter. He reminds me that every day given is one that should be relished, and that we should grow and learn, not shrink and become self-absorbed. While not the first time I’ve “learned” this lesson, Harrison did an excellent job of giving a great lesson a new twist. I will look at aging, and the Badlands next time I visit them, in a different light thanks to his writing.

So, I choose not to provide one favorite line—it doesn’t do justice to my enjoyment of our 2012 books. Instead, I choose the fact that I learned from Fraser Harrison and identified with his communal human experiences; good reasons to choose a chapter rather than a sentence, if you ask me!

LN

Books as Fine Wine and Good Cheese

Photo from travelmaven.wordpress.com

We are most fortunate that we have some wonderful authors/illustrators/designers who send us edible delights at this time of the year. (See the picture on the previous post.)

One such package arrived this morning full of delectable cheeses. We opened up the package and read the descriptions of the various cheeses. Each description is a veritable feast of words attempting to invoke the essence of that cheese’s particular combination of smell, flavor, and production. Hearing the words read out loud got me thinking: what if books were described in catalogs in a similar manner to food and wine?

So, here’s a few SDSHS Press books described in just that manner! See if you can guess which books are being described. Answers at the bottom.

Book 1:
Smatterings of gunpowder soaked in the essence of pine tree, with deep notes of newsprint, India ink, and brittle, old writing paper.

Book 2:
Horse-sweat undertones convey the campfire smoke and long, prairie grasses. Cow hides and charred rattlesnake form a beefy middle tone, while mere whiffs of fear clash with the powerful melodies of adrenaline and laughter linger from first taste to last.

Book 3:
Rubber tires, overheated tarmac, cordite, and exploding granite form the basic flavors, but there is a heady-yet-subtle vein of diner fry-pans, casinos, and cigarette smoke running throughout.

Answers: Book 1; Book 2; Book 3