Associate Professor Leslie Delserone to Serve as Editor-in-Chief for Journal of Agricultural & Food Information

University Libraries’ Associate Professor Leslie Delserone was recently appointed as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Agricultural & Food Information(JAFI), published quarterly by Taylor and Francis. Serendipitously, JAFI was the journal in which Leslie published her first peer-reviewed article as a librarian, "Tracking ‘Organic’ Agricultural Research in the U.S 1970-1989: What Federal, Legislative, and Selected USDA-sponsored Documents Reveal". Leslie formerly served on the journal’s editorial board, and for seven years as editor of its “Society of the Quarter” column. Her tenure begins officially with volume 20 in 2019, although she’s been acting editor-in-chief since October 2018.  

The Journal of Agricultural & Food Information began in 1993 and emphasized research and practice in agricultural librarianship. Today, its expanded scope covers “the interface between information science and the fields of agriculture, food, and nutrition.” 

Contributing authors are librarians and many other information specialists, including those working in extension, agricultural education, and with government agencies. One of the appealing aspects to this role for Leslie is the educational component, working with writers to improve submitted manuscripts through the constructive criticism of double-blind peer-review. The book reviews and quarterly columns, although not peer-reviewed, are a great opportunity for early professionals to develop their writing skills and build a publication record.