For Immediate Release
Contact: Judith Platt/Deidre Huntington
Ph: 202-220-4551/202-220-4550
John Tagler to Head AAP Professional & Scholarly Publishing Division
Washington, DC, March 25, 2008: The Association of American Publishers (AAP) announced today that John Tagler has been named Vice President and Executive Director of the Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division (PSP). Tagler comes on board April 21 and will be headquartered in the AAP New York office. He succeeds Barbara Meredith who retired last year.
Tagler comes to his AAP post after a 30-year career at Elsevier. Starting as a library sales representative, he moved up the corporate ladder through journals marketing, sales, and marketing services, serving a 10-year stint as Director of Corporate Communications before becoming Vice President, Customer Marketing, Academic and Government Libraries.
Tagler, who holds a B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany and a Master’s in Library Science from Pratt Institute, is an active member of the Special Libraries Association, the Medical Library Association, and the American Library Association. He served a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Society for Scholarly Publishing, and spent five years as a member of the Executive Board of the North American Serials Interest Group.
AAP President and CEO Pat Schroeder said: “We’re delighted that the search has ended so well. John Tagler brings a unique perspective to his new responsibilities, and has the background and experience to strengthen communication between the publishing and library communities in the face of a host of challenges. We are looking forward to welcoming him to AAP.”
Michael Hays (McGraw-Hill Higher Education), Chairman of the PSP Executive Council, remarked that Tagler is “keenly aware of our members’ interests and in touch with our issues,” adding: “He is anxious to communicate with our members and to build bridges and stronger relationships with our colleagues in the library community.”
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s more than 300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software, and electronic products and services. The protection of intellectual property rights in all media, the defense of the freedom to read and the freedom to publish at home and abroad, and the promotion of reading and literacy are among the Association’s highest priorities.
Members of the AAP Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division publish the vast majority of materials used in the U.S. by scholars and professionals in science, medicine, technology, business, law, reference, social science, and the humanities, and are worldwide disseminators, archivists, and shapers of scientific research via print and electronic means. The Division's 100 plus professional societies, commercial publishers and university presses produce books, journals, computer software, databases and electronic products.
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