By Susan Imel (HOF 2009)
Throughout my career, I had the opportunity to contribute to publications for two different entities: the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education (ERIC/ACVE) and New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, published by Jossey-Bass. Looking back, these experiences provide a window into how dramatically scholarly and professional communication changed as publishing moved from paper to digital formats.
During my tenure at ERIC/ACVE, the Clearinghouse developed short publications such as Digests, Trends, and Issues Alerts. These publications were designed to make research and emerging knowledge accessible to practitioners and researchers in adult, career, and vocational education.
Initially, these publications were available only as paper copies and were mailed to individuals upon request. We also produced and distributed multiple paper copies at conferences and workshops. As technology evolved, however, the ways in which we shared information began to change. The Clearinghouse developed a website, and we posted PDF versions of publications online. What had once required printing, packaging, and mailing could now reach readers electronically.
Clearinghouse staff developed the publications produced by ERIC/ACVE, and our work required us to think continually about how best to communicate information useful to both practitioners and researchers.
My work with New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education provided a different perspective on publishing. Published quarterly under the direction of an editor, each issue explored a topic of interest to practitioners and researchers in adult and continuing education. Many issues addressed emerging topics, while others revisited important areas of the field, such as adult learning theory, to consider new developments and perspectives. The issues were also frequently used as texts in graduate courses, extending their influence on future generations of adult educators.
New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education was available by subscription and through libraries, eventually in both online and hard-copy formats. Its evolution reflected a broader transformation taking place across scholarly publishing.
Learning Alongside Technological Change
During my years with ERIC/ACVE and New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, many changes occurred, driven largely by emerging technologies. In the 1980s and early 1990s, for example, authors and editors were often recruited by telephone. Later, email became the primary means of communication. PDF files increasingly replaced paper copies previously distributed by mail, and websites created new ways to make publications more readily available.
These changes affected much more than a publication's format. They changed how we communicated with authors and editors, how quickly we could share materials, and how practitioners, researchers, and students could access information.
For me, this period involved continual learning. I constantly learned about new technologies while also considering how they could help us better meet the needs of practitioners and researchers.
Looking back, the transition from paper to digital publishing reminds me how closely adult education has always been connected to change. The technologies we use to create and distribute knowledge will continue to evolve. What remains important is our commitment to making useful knowledge accessible and keeping research and practice connected.
Continue the Conversation
The transformation Susan describes—from publications requested by mail to information available almost instantly online—invites us to consider not only how publishing has changed, but also how our own ways of creating, accessing, and sharing professional knowledge continue to evolve.
We invite you to reflect and join the conversation:
- How have changes in publishing and technology influenced your own professional work?
- What do you remember about accessing and sharing professional publications before the digital era?
- How has greater digital access changed the relationship between research and practice in adult and continuing education?
- As new technologies, including artificial intelligence, reshape how knowledge is created and shared, what should we preserve from earlier approaches to scholarly and professional communication?
- What lessons from the transition from paper to digital publishing might help us navigate the next generation of technological change?
Share your experiences and perspectives. Your reflections are part of the continuing story of adult and continuing education—and of the Hall of Fame community.
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