The Authority File Round-Up: April 2023

A quick overview of last month's episodes, in case you missed them

Authority File graphic to the left: green headphones with "the authority file" in pink and "a CHOICE podcast" in black. "Conversations with thinkers shaping the future of academia" in pink to the right. Crumped graphic paper with multicolored shapes beneath.

Despite the growing popularity of “Insta poetry,” garnering support for poetry in the classroom is a challenge. In our first series last month, we took an in-depth look at the state of Canadian poetry and the difficulty of teaching a genre that rarely stays in print. Our guest detailed the Laurier Poetry Series and its goal to make poetry more accessible to students and general readers. The series also covered how poetry courses have evolved to move beyond regionality, the value of advocating for poetry, and the need for writers to “step out of line” in their work. 

In celebration of Earth Month, our second series centered on sustainable scholarship and supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our guest underscored the work done by Springer Nature’s SDG Programme, an initiative that aims to advance multidisciplinary research related to the goals. The series also dove into the impact of Springer’s SDG working groups, open access, and how Springer Nature’s journal and book portfolios developed in alignment with the goals.

Here’s a quick round-up of the episodes, in case you missed them. We hope you find the conversations intriguing, entertaining, and beneficial. Thanks for listening!


Canadian Poetry Today

Tanis MacDonald headshot

First up, Tanis MacDonald, professor in the Department of English and Film Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, joined the program to discuss the Laurier Poetry Series and her role as General Editor. Tanis explained the importance of preserving the work of previously unrecognized BIPOC and LGBTQ+ poets, and demonstrated how the series supports poetry courses by making poetry available in print. Tanis also provided an overview of her Watershed Writers podcast, which interviews writers in the Grand River Watershed area, and her books, Straggle: Adventures in Walking While Female and Out of Line: Daring to be an Artist Outside the Big City. Brought to you by Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

Listen to episode one: Introductions and the Laurier Poetry Series
Listen to episode two: Teaching, Expanding, and Advocating for Poetry Courses
Listen to episode three: The Art and Artist

Listen to episode four: Contemporary Poets, Hyperlocal Literature, and Straggle


Supporting the Sustainable Development Goals

In our second series, Nicola Jones, Director of Springer Nature’s SDG Programme, provided insight on the demands of her position and her efforts to encourage collaboration across disciplines. Nicola detailed how Springer supports sustainability internally through business training and pledges, along with the benefits of hub webpages, which assemble and organize research by the goals. Nicola further described the scope of specific goals like Quality Education and explained how Springer and Palgrave Macmillan’s cross imprint on the SDGs strengthened connections between the publishers. Brought to you by Springer Nature.

Listen to episode one: Creation and Evolution of Springer Nature’s SDG Programme
Listen to episode two: Operational Elements, Initiatives, and Solutions
Listen to episode three: Examples and Scope of Springer Nature’s SDG Hubs

Listen to episode four: Product Development and Open Access


Publisher Podcast Awards graphic

In February, Choice placed two of its podcasts, The Authority File and Toward Inclusive Excellence, to the Publisher Podcast Awards 2023 Shortlist. We are pleased to announce that The Authority File won Best B2B Podcast at the April ceremony. The TAF team is thrilled to be honored with this award and extends congratulations to the fellow nominees.

Are you a new listener to TAF? Take a look back at our most popular episodes and staff picks in celebration of reaching our 300th episode.


Missed March’s episodes? We’ve got you covered.

SAE International logo

Adrian Guan and Tim Weisenberger, both product managers at SAE International, discussed the evolution and future of AI and cybersecurity for mobility. Adrian, who specializes in AI, highlighted the highly emergent characteristics of artificial intelligence, while Tim, an expert in cybersecurity, reviewed the transformation of cyber practices in mobility in the last decade. In addition, both guests chatted about the hurdles to establishing industry standards and the role of SAE as a partner and forum between stakeholders to bring forth new research and projects. You can listen to the series here.


What’s Coming Up in May

Sage logo. Navy text.

We have two exciting series this month. First, four guests dive into how libraries, faculty, and publishers can foster skills for student success. Featuring a professor in instructional leadership, a student success librarian, an instructional librarian, and a publisher, this series addresses partnership strategies across campus, the evolution of content delivery, and how the versatility of the library can bolster work in this area. Listen to the first episode here.

Rittenhouse Book Distributors logo

For our second series, Nicole Gallo, Executive Vice President of Rittenhouse Book Distributors, explains how the health sciences distributor supports the dissemination of DEI resources. Nicole shares how DEI collection policies and procedures have developed in recent years, in addition to the importance of data to Rittenhouse’s operation, the benefits of sorting digital content by topic, and the urgency of communicating academic library budget constraints back to publishers. You can listen to the first episode here.


You can find more episodes of the Authority File here on our websiteApple PodcastsSpotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks for listening! See you next month.


Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates!

Get each month’s round-up sent directly to your inbox. Sign me up!