From: Reichardt, Randy <[log in to unmask]> Date: Mon, Jan 16, 2012 at 1:22 PM I have been on as many as five library advisory boards: Materials Research Society, CRC Press, Knovel, Begell House, and SPIE. My experiences across the board have been only positive. The answers to all your yes/no questions below are YES, YES, and YES! Participating in the various boards allows me to provide direct input into the product being discussed: the SPIE Digital Library, CRCnetBASE, Knovel, etc. We do get advance insights into new products, and our input does help shape the product. In my library work, I can refer to upcoming changes (when they are available in a beta format on the site, for example), and can direct user feedback back to the db and content producers. Another consequence is that I get to meet the people behind the scenes at these companies, and to establish solid professional relationships with many of them. I'm also afforded the opportunity to meet other librarians from NA and elsewhere (Europe, SA) working in similar subject areas. We are treated with respect and I feel my and my colleagues' input is taken seriously. All in all, positive experiences galore! Kind regards, Randy Randy Reichardt | Research Services Librarian (Engineering) Science & Technology Library 1-54 Cameron Library | University of Alberta Libraries Edmonton AB T6G 2J8 [log in to unmask]