A message of apology from the publisher, and an announcement

Dear Library Community,

Over the weekend, I was responsible for a major episode of ugliness on Twitter. I don’t want to “tell my side of the story,” because there is nothing I can honestly disagree with in the way that others have characterized my behavior already. I don’t want to name the offended parties, because I don’t want to belabor or prolong this event that has been stressful for our community. I only want to apologize for my actions, to those directly affected, and to everyone associated with the press and the educational arm who have been indirectly affected. I am referring to the authors, series editors, employees, contractors, and instructors who are the life of this business, without whom there would be nothing for me to manage. In damaging the reputation of the business, I have tainted their association with it, and compromised their ability to take pride in the work they have contributed. For this I am truly sorry.

I am grateful to those who have extended their compassion and understanding as this has unfolded. I am hopeful that the community will keep a path open for me to reshape myself based on what I am learning as the feelings I am having about all of this do their work. That, of course, is neither here nor there, and in any case, I expect that I will not try to participate as a voice in my own right going forward, as I am not cut out for it. What I am able to do well and without causing problems is to support others’ voices. I am grateful to those voices and to everyone who works with me to facilitate their expression.

Which brings me to an announcement. As I step back from public participation, my associate Lacey Torge will be taking over for me in a number of areas. She will be responsible for social media, email marketing, conference presence, and primary editorial decisions for the press. This is on top of her current responsibilities as Analyst for Strategy and Development and go-to person for a number of other tasks. Lacey has a background as a librarian and an academic, having worked in public and community college libraries, and as a doctoral student in performance studies at NYU. To situate her intellectually, she has background in historical materialism, queer theory, and labor organizing. Her creativity, sensitivity, and insightfulness have been a great help to me and the business for the past six years, and I am very happy to see her taking on this expanded role. She looks forward to participating in the community on behalf of the press. Her intellectual contributions as an editor and interlocutor are sure to bring fresh and unique insights to problems in the development of LIS in its ethics and praxis. My own focus will be management.

Thank you for your forbearance. That’s all I wanted to say. 

With remorse, hope, and gratitude,

Rory Litwin