Dear H-Net Colleagues:
I have been associated with H-Net since 1993, serving in a variety of editing and advising roles with H-Women, H-SHGAPE, H-SAWH, H-Childhood. I have also served two terms during the 1990s as a member of H-Net's Executive Committee. Working in these various capacities has helped me to see the wonderful benefits H-Net offers to its editors and subscribers. However, it has also exposed the reality that H-Net needs to constantly improve its services and offerings, strive for greater financial independence, and continually renew its commitment to maintain high academic standards. H-Net has made progress in all of these areas, but there is always more that can be done. Setting and implementing priorities is the responsibility of the Executive Committee. I have listed some of the things that I feel deserve greater attention during the next term.
For example, like many people in H-Net I would like to see more support for the editors. This has long been an on-going goal at H-Net and I think it is very important for members of the Executive Committee to continue to push for the tools needed to successfully and more easily work as an editor. Some of the recent reforms such as the new book review submission and database have helped, but other requests are still unfulfilled. For example, I would still like to see the creation of a searchable online database for individual networks that could be used to find reviewers for books and other efforts.
Conferences for editors and facilitating better communication among editors have also always been goals for H-Net. However, we have not had an editors' conference since 1997. Money is always a problem, but I'd like to see the Executive Committee put a high priority on trying to find funding to have another editors' conference.
I am also interested in drawing more editors and subscribers to H-Net from outside the United States. This too has been a part of H-Net's agenda since its founding, but we need to continue to make this an important priority. I am a Fulbright Professor in Germany this year and I hope that being outside the United States will help me learn how H-Net can be more useful to scholars and students outside the U.S.
I am honored to have been nominated for the Executive Committee and if elected will try my best to continue and further advance H-Net's effectiveness and status within the worldwide academic community.
