T&F INDIA BOOKS ROADSHOW 2015

Taylor & Francis India organized their premier marketing event – T&F India Books Roadshow 2015 at Hotel Regenta, Ahmedabad on June 26, 2015. The event was themed Partnering with Librarians: fostering community & discovery in digital age attended by over 50 librarians from major universities, colleges, research centers, and public & corporate libraries in Gujarat.

The objective of organizing the event was to discuss how publishers & librarians can enhance their relationship, and evolve for emerging reader needs. We successfully discussed and gathered opinion from the librarian community on the following topics during the event:
1. Evolving role of librarian in building external relationship for the institute
2. Enhancing relationship to provide our latest, most relevant product for their users
3. Librarian-Publisher partnership in promoting content & developing authorship/research

Taylor & Francis India Managing Director, Nitasha Devasar was present on the occasion, welcoming all delegates and actively leading sessions throughout the day.The day was marked with stimulating panel discussions, brainstorming sessions, poster presentations and lots of fun moments!

The key note speaker, Dr Anil Kumar, librarian, IIM Ahmedabad emphasized that, “Publishers in today’s time should connect two researchers across continents. In this fast-paced world, libraries need to connect well, re-design their spaces, and make it more comfortable and colorful so that students are compelled to visit libraries.” Dr Kumar was also the recipient of the Professional Excellence in Library Services Award from the Taylor & Francis Group.

In addition to our product presentation for Books & Europa titles, we had CRC Press editorial presentation on How to Publish with CRC Press.

The pre- and post-lunch sessions included engaging sessions on Panel discussion titled Growing role of Librarian in building strategic relationship with Publishers and Brain Storming session on Social networking in academic libraries: the possibilities & concerns. Areas which we effectively covered through these sessions were:

1. Perception on the role of Publishers in digital age
2. Gaps and development areas in bolstering information exchange
3. Partnering for value addition to content (for end-users)
4. Publishers & Librarians relationship – the future

12 Captivating MUST DO Road Trips in India

Picturesque Bollywood movie frames are filled with India's diverse landscapes with actors taking road trips on bikes and cars. These trips are usually quite detrimental in the story and are often the focal points of the movies. If you love driving cars or riding your bike, then road trips are the perfect way for you to travel and make memories all along the way. 

If you have done these trips and have pictures, share them with us and we shall put them up on the blog!

We've picked up 12 captivating  road trips from Bollywood movies that are a Must-Do on our list. 

Leh Ladakh

Here, you get to cross some of the highest mountain passes in the   world with spectacular views of the Greater Himalayas and stunning valleys.

Mumbai to Goa

This is a 10-hour trip, covering the picturesque Western Ghats, lush green fields and coastal areas. 

Ahmadabad to Kutch

In this road trip, you will witness the white beauty of the Rann of Kutch and a Wild Ass Sanctuary along the way.

Delhi to Agra

If you have a passion for driving fast, then this is the ideal road trip for you. An expressway on which you can drive in top gear makes this trip even more thrilling.

Delhi to Ranthambore

This trip is a visual treat, taking you through villages and green fields to arrive at the Ranthambore Wildlife Sanctuary. This trip is around 350 km long and takes around seven hours to complete.

Delhi to Rishikesh

This is another short trip from Delhi. You can stop at the religious city of Haridwar to make this trip spiritual.

Jaipur to Jaisalmer

This is a 600 km route on which you will get stops like Jodhpur, Osiyan and Pokaran to experience the culture of Rajasthan.

Chennai to Kanyakumari

If you are fond of majestic architecture, then you will get to see plenty of it on your way from Chennai to Kanyakumari. In between, you can make a halt at  striking  Puducherry.

Kolkata to Varanasi

Travelling from Kolkata to Varanasi is a visual treat. On your way, you can stop at Dhanbad. This is a 700 km long journey, which takes around nine hours to complete.

Bangalore to Coorg

When you travel from Bangalore to Coorg, you get to enjoy beautiful views of the Western Ghats and delicious South Indian delicacies.

Darjeeling to Pelling

You will experience unforgettable scenic beauty all along this route. The beautiful valleys and majestic mountains will leave you awestruck.

Shillong to Cherrapunji

These two places are among the most beautiful in the north-east, and the route that connects them is no less. You will experience the full force of nature's beauty on your journey here.

Professional Excellence in Library Services Award - Dr Anil Kumar, Best Librarian

The 2014 Professional Excellence in Library services award was conferred on Dr Anil Kumar during the Ahmedabad books Roadshow. 

‘First-of-its-kind’ initiative by Taylor & Francis in South Asia, the Professional Excellence in Library Services award aims to acknowledge and recognise the efforts of particularly talented librarians who have made an invaluable contribution to their library through their innovation and enthusiasm. 

The selection Process:

The selection was made by a panel of Taylor & Francis representatives (including India sales and marketing) by carefully going through all the nominations. We received over 100 plus nominations from across the country.

The selection revolved around elements of selection, such as

·          Revolutionizing the cataloguing system

·          Introducing a social media policy

·          Overseeing the building of a new library

·          or supporting students beyond expectations in their studies? Or any other

Dr Anil kumar was chosen because

-         he has been the most important key person to bring the IIM consortium to double and is moving towards making it triple the value

-         He is the president for Malibnet having done some commendable work there and mobilizing resources

-         Senior member of the Indest steering committee

-         He was highly recommended by his peers and fellow academicians having brought in all kinds of up-to-date systems in the library

-         Going out-of-the-way to help researchers access research material

-         Noteworthy presence on social media

Some quotes:

“He is very systematic, helpful, knowledgeable, up-to-date, and non-intrusive.”

“He has brought in all kinds of systems to the library and motivated the staff. 

"Anil Kumar is the best librarian I have ever had!”"

ELSEVIER publishes Dr Gagandeep Singh's Research Paper

Proud Accomplishment of Dr Gagandeep Singh
Many Congratulations from all the T&Fers!

Dr Gagandeep Singh's new research paper will be appearing in “Science and Justice” journal published by ELSEVIER. The journal is titled: “Development of latent fingermarks on surfaces submerged in water: Optimization studies for phase transfer catalyst (PTC) based reagents”

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1355030615000337

Although many of us would not understand the technacality Gagan, but we sure are very proud of you and your accomplishments. Well done!! :-)

Shafina

Leadership is hardwork, says T&F Boss

Article published in April 2015 issue of Book Link Publishing Magazine

Nitasha Devasar is Managing Director, Taylor & Francis India. T&F India showcases the entire global range of products and India is the group's third largest print market after the US and UK. A seasoned academic publisher, Devasar has worked in a range of publishing areas. As Academic Publishing Director at Oxford University Press for over a decade, she oversaw the development and publication of over 2000 books, contributing substantively to outreach of scholarship on India/South Asia. She has been a publishing consultant with the Government of Sikkim, Population Foundation of India and Ambedkar University of Delhi. 

We asked Nitasha to share her her leadership lessons with the young readers of Book Link, as leadership is a quality one develops from young adulthood and this stays with people throughout their lives, as many biographies and autobiographies tell us. She says 'leadership is a choice and lots of hard work.' These lessons are applicable to any sphere of work.

How does one grow into leadership? What is it that people who lead learn along their path of leadership?  Is there a moment when you feel like a leader? What are the unexpected twists in this journey of learning? Do the lessons ever stop?

For me, it all started in the year 2000. I was appointed to lead a team of 25 disparate individuals spread over several work groups in a situation where my organization was facing many challenges from all sides. Murphy’s Law was in full play. Whatever could go wrong did and multiple times over this period.

When I look back at those turbulent 3-4 years and at the subsequent 8 years when I lead that team (later expanded to 35), I can attribute many of my life’s significant insights to this experience. Never, during those rocky years, did I ever imagine that 15 years later I would still be profiting from those learnings.

When I finally decided to explore new landscapes after 12 years in a leadership role, to be an entrepreneur, I called my direct reports for an informal chat, before the formal announcement was made. Each came for what they thought was an impromptu 11am meeting with their usual paraphernalia: coffee mugs, water bottles, scribbling pads, mobile phones and sheaves of papers that they just had to show me. They waited, in some cases, with pens poised to take notes, for whatever discussions we were about to have. When I announced I was moving on to a new challenge, they seemed immobilized. No one moved or spoke for several seconds. Then two people started crying quietly and one let out a gusty sigh and expressed the team’s sentiments: “It is like a change of religion!” he said, “the end of an era!”

Strangely enough it was at that moment that I felt the full impact of being a leader. Leadership is indeed a team sport with all the spirit of kinship and bonding that team events generate. 

Part of this has to do with the new pressures on leadership today that did not exist in the past. People today have different experiences, different vocabularies and often different skill sets from their leaders. What do I as a leader then bring to this dynamic mix? A shared vision and purpose. An open mind. A willingness to be ‘reverse mentored’ for the skills gaps I perceive. 

Some lessons I picked up along the way seem obvious in hindsight, others crept up on me in a more subtle manner:

• Leadership is a choice not a position or rank. And it’s hard work
• Change offers opportunity, grab it
• Embrace problems, they offer opportunities too
• Trust your intuition: if you feel something/someone isn’t right, it probably isn’t
• It’s not about balance, it is about prioritizing. And your priorities will change over time
• Don’t be too hard on yourself: accept that you will make errors. And when you do, apologize, course correct and move on
• Dress the part. It usually works
• And finally, one piece of advice my boss and my mother both give: Be yourself! Authenticity is leadership’s most potent tool

Amazing Advertisements Worth Seeing

8 Intelligent Social Advertisements That Take Creativity Top a Whole New Level

They say many a small thing can be made large with the right kind of advertising. More so, when we are talking about advertising social messages which can have an impact on a large number of people. However making such ads is a tough nut to crack. After all, who likes being told what to do and what not to do? 

However, there advertisements made these brilliant social ads which are sure to grab a lot of eyeballs. Here are 8 of them: 

1. Before It's Too Late...

2. Ignore Us, Ignore Human Rights...

3. Stop the Violence. Do Not Drink and Drive...

4. Doesn't He?

5. On the Internet, Some Things are Not What They Seem to Be...

6. Women Need to be Seen as Equals...

7. Save Paper, Save the Planet...

8. Liking Isn't Helping...

T&F READS: 10 Books that Changed My Life...

I have spent my whole career in publishing and now as I look back, I wouldn't want it any other way. Almost everyone has a book inside them. I love books and I am passionate about how books can change our lives.....sometimes with just one sentence or an idea, an insight, an adventure or a story.

Here is a list of some of the books that changed my life in positive ways. It is very much a partial list but I hope it inspires you:

1. Beloved by Toni Morrison
"Something that is loved is never lost."
I read this novel recently and this quote stayed with me and helped me heal. I hope this gem can comfort you too.

2. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
"Those we meet can change us, sometimes so profoundly that we are not the same afterward."
This book is a magical journey and changed the way I see the world. Sometimes people can change us, sometimes a book can.

3. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
"Its our choices Harry that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
I started reading Harry Potter with my daughter Shruti when she was in class four. It got me hooked and started a truly bonding relationship with my daughter. Harry Potter series always binds us together. We have private jokes related to the series, and a lifetime of memories.

4. The Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo
"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."
I love this book and the idea of seeking meaning in your own life. It taught me the difference between seeking and finding, and how we should enjoy the pursuit of our dreams.

5. Wonder by RJ Palacio
"Funny how sometimes you worry a lot about something and it turns out to be nothing."
The book is about fulfilling your dreams and talents and inspires me everyday. It is about not making any excuses in life.

6. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart"
I read this book in school and it taught me what is valuable in life is invisible like love. And that a certain level of magical thinking is needed for a creative life.

7. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
"Pray to catch the bus and then run as fast as you can."
This book opened me to the flow of creativity and hard work.

8. The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
"Its a shame to waste (the uniqueness that is you), by doing what someone else has done."
This book started me on my spiritual path. I am trying to live my life by this philosophy of 'Follow your Bliss' everyday and am encouraging my daughter to live that way too.

9. The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
"What makes you vulnerable, makes you beautiful."
Brene Brown encouraged me to open myself in a way I had never done before and it is liberating. It's a beautiful gift when a book can encourage you to be just who you are - flaws and all.

10. Consider Harnessing the Power of Reflective Thinking in Your Organisation by Daniel Patrick Forrester
"Only by carving out thinking time and reflection, can we actually understand, in an entirely different context, the actions that we take. 
This book changed the way I approach work. I understand that being busy is not the same as being productive or profitable. In business and in life, the best decisions happen when we take the necessary time to step outside of our day to day routines and reflect on our decisions.

Just one book can change your life. I hope you can find some inspiration from my list. I'd love to know about your favourite books too.

Shafina

Manager-coach: The new business imperative

Nitasha shares an article with us today that highlights the importance of the manager as a coach in the professional environment. She feels that coaching is a key ingredient in the relationship between a manager and her team as well as a key factor in fostering ones professional  growth. 

Managing people today is becoming less about command and control and more about development and empowerment. This means that to manage people effectively, managers have to give up power and become cheerleaders and coaches to their employees. Flatter organizations and frequent downsizing means that employees need to cope with new requirements in skills, responsibilities and performance. Individuals are called upon to take ownership for their own development and even training. And that is where a manager\`s role is evolving to that of a coach. Guiding, encouraging and suggesting rather than directing and delegating is the new expectations from the \\\"Manager-Coach\\\".

Coaching is a purposeful ongoing one-to-one dialogue between a manager-coach and the employee, for the purpose of developing skills, improving performance and enhancing potential. It is distinctively different than performance assessment because it focuses on encouraging, motivating and guiding the protégé to achieve higher goals.

Effective coaching: 

A management mantra

Coaching, that works, consists of constructive and consistent feedback aimed at increasing awareness that results in improved performance. The key to delivering effective coaching feedback is that it is observational and non-judgmental.  However it does not shy away from giving feedback on what could have been done better.  The focus therefore is on future more than the past. Though sometimes it may be helpful to analyse the past and determine what went wrong. This too is part of coaching. Apart from providing feedback, a manager-coach also provides suggestions for the future that might help achieve positive change in behaviour. This feed-forward helps employees revise and focus on a positive future while critically reviewing past performance. 

The traditional formal classroom training is fast losing its effectiveness unless reinforced by subsequent reinforcement.  According to a study conducted by the Xerox Corporation, 87 per cent of the newly taught skills were lost, in a controlled group, without follow-up coaching. The message is clear. No matter how good the classroom training is, the effectiveness is sustainable only through on-the-job reinforcement.  

Marcus Buckingham in his book \"First Break all the Rules\" describes factors that lead to an effective workplace and concludes that an employee`s manager, not the company, is the critical link to employee engagement. Of the 12 questions used in Buckingham`s study, three questions directly correlate to the importance of coaching as an effective employee development tool. Questions like `Is there someone at work who encourages my development?` or `Have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?` Or `Does my manager, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?` are clear indicative of the importance of the role that the immediate manager plays in developing an employee. It is no wonder that employee`s expectations are high from this one single source. Attrition analysis of any organization will demonstrate that highest reason for leaving an organization is an employee`s dissatisfaction with his or her immediate supervisor, though in exit interviews this reason is most often camouflaged.

In adopting coaching, as a management style, managers help their employee unlock their potential. This has direct correlation to improving current performance of the employee. The crux of this approach is encouraging employees to learn on their own steam instead of providing them solutions straightaway. The manager-coach creates an environment that fosters learning, independent thinking and opportunities to contribute. They facilitate team members to achieve their results without making them dependent. Most often such manager-coaches are role models themselves and are excellent listeners and communicators, providing perspective and encouragement whilst setting high standards and expectations. 

What makes an effective manager-coach?

Managers with strong coaching skills are good at deploying questions to draw solutions to problems out of their employees. They use every opportunity to ask employees questions like \"What do you think?\", \"How would you deal with this situation?\", \"What options do you see for addressing this issue and what are the pros and cons of your preferred option?\" Thus they cease to be prescriptive and instead they provoke a thinking process in the minds of their employees to self-seek the solutions. A little bit of prodding and nudging helps the employee remain in the right direction while seeking a solution. The end result is a remarkable belief that develops in the mind of the employee that they themselves found a right solution. A good manager-coach thus prefers to stay in the background but privately feels proud of having groomed yet another protégé to be self-reliant.  

The benefits of this approach are obvious. First, an environment of self-respect is infused into the team. This invariably increases the innovation level for resolving issues and thereby improving the team productivity. Second, every interaction with manager-coach becomes an opportunity to learn and grow. This stimulates broader and deeper thinking. Individual development is thus enhanced due to the encouraging environment where one can speak up one`s mind or feel comfortable in suggesting out-of-the-box solutions without fear. Also, age and experience level cease to be the sole qualification.  Effective manager-coaches thus evolve into becoming a catalyst that helps employees think for themselves. In contrast, managers who like to be solution generators themselves are effectively disempowering their employees by continually offering their suggestions and thereby stunting growth of individual employees.

Graham Alexander`s GROW model later championed by Sir John Whitmore, is a well-established treatise on coaching. It is an acronym for Goal - defining what is to be achieved, Reality- exploring the current situation, relevant history and future trends, Options - coming up with new ideas for reaching the goal and Will - deciding on a concrete plan of action. This simple yet powerful approach has been the foundation for many successful coaching endeavors.

A way forward

In today`s economy, it is critically important to get optimal productivity from every employee. Organizations need to ensure that every employee performs to the best of their ability and deliver significant value. Research has shown that employees who receive coaching from their managers are more productive, more engaged in their work, contribute better and in a significant way, advance in their career rapidly and thus stay with the organization longer.  

Coaching is thus a business imperative more than a feel-good concept. A manager-coach will thus be leading the charge in the new world of employee empowerment and higher productivity.  Faster the current sets of control-centric managers evolve into manager-coaches, the better it is for any organization.

A Trekker's Journey...

A picture speaks a thousand words, they say. I hope these few pictures convey my opinion on Trekking and why everyone should go on a Trek at least once in their lives –

A very simple thing that I will suggest people (trekkers and non-trekkers alike) is to go to Kashmir (or any Trek) and not the (or at least not just the) Srinagar-dal lake-boat house tourist-y thing. There are places a bit beyond the reach of cabs but well within the reach of (yes you guessed it right) your own two legs. Places with beautiful, pristine lakes; Glacier kissed mountains, the night sky so clear that you can see a million stars and the Milky Way haze. Where the sun-sets and sun-rises are not blocked from view by buildings and power lines but rather play off the surface of the afore-mentioned lakes. The air so crisp and invigorating. And well no cell phone reception (scary?). Not really, in today’s city life when you are your smart-phone or vice-versa, when low battery sign makes you scamper for a charger as if your phone is really dying. When there is a name for your fear of being out of mobile contact (Nomophobia), having no cell reception and being able to put your cell-phone in your bag and forgetting about it is such a relief.

A Trek although isn't a piece of cake. It is physically exerting and a test of your endurance but believe me it is all worth it when you are standing on top of a mountain, higher than the clouds, looking at the valley, feeling humbled and emancipated at the same time by the view and even more by your ability to have earned the experience.

 

Near Sonmarg, Kashmir

Vishnusar Lake, Kashmir

Near Sonmarg, Kashmir

The trees themselves seem equally in awe of the view of the full moon hiding behind the ephemeral clouds. I got back in my senses just long enough to click this picture and then back to silent sighs and the calmness which makes you wonder the heavy, important questions in life like “dinner mein kya hai ? “

Roopkund Trek

The first rays of the sun find their way through the trees, caressing you as you make the early morning climb up the mountain and all your tiredness, fatigue is washed away.

Camping for the night in -10 degrees in Bhagwabhasa (Roopkund Trek), snow all around. Maggi for breakfast. You don’t get to experience that without trekking for 30 odd kms for 3 days. The sunset from the previous day when we arrived here was by far the most breath-taking sight I have ever witnessed and silenced everyone thinking (few of them out loud) that “ yaar 9000 mein toh goa ho aate”.

Ankur Krishnan, Assistant Editor, Journals Peer Review

T&F Reads....

I like the idea of people sharing their opinions about the books that they have read. I would like to share the one that I have just finished - Ten Kings by Ashok Banker. 

Ashok is rewriting Indian history. Taking his first story from Rig Veda, the story is about One day, One Battle, between One Man and 10 Kings , literally translated in Sankrit as Dasarajna. A story of one man’s dream of One Bharat and the foundation of Harappa.

It is indeed a good story retold, about One king , with a dream, to build a mighty nation and the odds against him. Three thousand men against an army of Sixty thousand. Does it ring of 300!, you may think, but it is not.

The sheer grit, the determination and the love for his land, made him think “out of the box”, to differentiate between “Strategy” and “Tactics”, to use his environment as an aid, to learn from the weather. To realign himself with current scenario, to adapt to change, to reorganize in span of one day and win.

The ones that I shall remember for a while is, 'Well, if you wish it, you must will it. Then you must work for it.' Better to be a man and respected like a king, than to be a king respected by no man.'
                                                                    Neeti Verma