Russ Clemings, NASW's Cybrarian, is closing up his web contracting business in a few short weeks on June 30. NASW has been lucky enough to have Russ' services since 2005. That's 21 years of being in the best of hands.
Before leaning into all things Drupal and working with both NASW and SEJ, Russ was a reporter at The Fresno Bee and a former Alicia Patterson Foundation fellow. He has brought his understanding of the profession and a keen proofreading eye to bear on NASW's digital space, always quietly holding the last line between typos and publication. I am going to miss his dry wit and anticipation of our needs before we've even asked, as well as his ability to do things seemingly before he's finished reading the request, acknowledging with a simple "done."
In his classic, thoughtful fashion, Russ gave us a full year’s notice of his departure and has been endlessly patient and supportive while unexpected developments, including self-hosting the annual conference, ate up part of the generous runway. He leaves behind a website, member database, a mail server, and web servers that he built and maintained in meticulous fashion over the years with forethought and a responsiveness to NASW’s needs. There’s a lot of custom work in there, and a trove of helpful documentation for the next systems administrator.
As another Drupal developer observed, we’ve had a Swiss Army knife all these years - a single person who is not only a Drupal developer, not only a web editor, but also a science writer. It’s going to take many people to even try to fill Russ’ shoes.
Please help us send Russ off with a smile by leaving a comment below or emailing cybrarian@nasw.org before June 30. - Tinsley Davis, NASW executive director
Comments for Russ
Russ Cleming’s discerning eye is the last stop on Advance Copy’s path to publication.
After I prepare and post NASW's book column in draft form on the website, I send its URL to Russ to forward to the NASW email lists. If an ISBN number has a transposed digit or a quotation mark is missing, Russ will catch it. If an author mentioned a resource Russ thinks may benefit other NASW authors, he’ll suggest a link. Even after many years of near-weekly interaction with Russ for Advance Copy, I still feel a small thrill when a column passes muster with no further changes and earns one of his swift and economical replies—“Got it, scheduled,” or “published, thx.” Advance Copy’s look: its typefaces, italics, links, image sizing, and other formatting require behind-the-scenes coding—that’s all Russ’s doing. Everyone in NASW has benefited from Russ’s meticulous attention to detail. I hope he’ll step out from behind the curtain and take a proper bow. Russ: I hope you’ll have a healthy and satisfying retirement. - Lynne Lamberg, NASW Book Editor
When Tinsley mentioned Russ was departing NASW after 21 years and didn't want a fanfare, my first thought was, “How Russ!”
I was lucky enough to work with Russ for three years when I served as digital/print editor for NASW's (tiny and fully remote) administrative team. With little time for training, Russ gave me the keys to the nasw.org website, patiently answering my endless emails and calmly fixing my rookie errors. At first, I mistook his clipped email responses for brusqueness, but I quickly learned to love his brevity and dry humor. Russ probably doesn't have a Twitter account, but he would write fabulous tweets given the amount of essential information he can pack into 140 characters.
What many people might not realize is how much of NASW‘s footprint Russ helped build. Few people have made a greater (and quieter) impact on NASW’s success. In just my time working with him, he launched a new website to help members better access services and content, and helped pull off the mammoth task of creating a student newsroom for the Perlman Mentoring Program. Those are just two big things that come to mind ... he also did so many little things every day.
I’ve missed working with Russ since my contract with NASW ended, and I still do. Wishing you the best in your next chapter, Russ! -Sarah Nightingale, previous NASW editor
I first knew Russ when I was a newish member of NASW trying to figure out how to sign on to listservs and how to use the NASW email alias. Problems often arose, but a note to Russ usually resolved the issue quickly -- or if it didn't exactly resolve it, at least made me feel like help was on the way. Then I got to know Russ better when I was an NASW board member, officer, and President, and that's when his calming, well-informed presence at our meetings left me with the same feeling: that issues would soon be resolved, and that help was on the way. It's hard to imagine this organization without our trusty Cybrarian. Thank you, Russ, for two decades of impeccable service, and for making that NASW email alias work so beautifully (I haven't encountered a problem with it in years). Here's wishing you great happiness in whatever comes next! - Robin Marantz Henig, past NASW president
Russ was the first copyeditor in my career, when I wrote a story at a AAAS Meeting as part of a NASW Travel Fellowship in 2016. I will always be grateful for your work and help keeping NASW's online presence sharp and relevant! Thank you, Russ! - Rodrigo Pérez Ortega, NASW board member
Dear Russ -- my colleagues on the Education Committee and I were always so grateful for your prompt and perfect support when we published student stories from conferences. For most of the students, these were their first national pieces -- and we deeply appreciated the care you took to help us make the stories look great for them. You were "on it," every time. Thank you for 21 flawless years! -Rob Irion, past Education Committee co-chair
As chair of the Internet Committee for lo these, well, I don't actually know how long I've been chair or even been on the committee, but Russ has nearly always been there. I started out as the assistant systems operator, just in case Russ or his predecessor actually went away from his computer ( which he almost never did) or because I was on the east coast and he was on the west, so I got to review the list serve postings before he saw them. We didn't monitor the lists so much as remove unpaid job ads. Most of my interaction with Russ has been via email or by phone. I have received many emails that contained simply "done". But I've also spent a lot of time trying to understand the system he built around what once was a very simple web page, and now has layers of security, innovation and information and he was going to be unavailable for x amount of time. Even with step by step instructions, it was daunting. I think we have actually been through two redesigns of the system, both front and back and Russ has taken the lead on all the actual behind the page work. He never loses his temper. Well, he never shows that he is losing his temper although he does not suffer fools gladly. My favorite times were always at the annual meeting when Russ attended and I managed to grab a lunch or coffee with him. Totally enjoyable. Russ, I wish you many years of enjoying your retirement. - A'ndrea Elyse Messer, assistant cybrarian
Russ! I can't believe it's been 21 years since you joined as our Cybrarian! I am so grateful to have had the privilege to work with you through my years as a board member and then NASW president and beyond. From moderating the lists to creating a new website to everything else, you have always been the most gracious and supportive colleague. Thank for everything you've done for all of us at NASW! Hope the next steps in your journey are as awesome as you are, and very best wishes. - Mariette DiChristina, past NASW president
Russ, Thank you so much for your help, guidance and patience during the years I served as co-chair of the NASW Education Committee. Your work may have been behind the scenes, but it certainly did not go unnoticed. Your invaluable contributions made our work better. Enjoy your retirement and your next adventure! - Czerne Reid, past Education Committee co-chair
Dear Russ, thank you so much for your many years of service and your many contributions to NASW. Even as the technology underlying NASW has changed over the years, your presence has been a constant, and you have always been so quick to fix any issues and have had the foresight to provide solutions and workarounds to many issues well before they arise. And you've done it all while always being such a pleasure to work with, your presence as NASW Cybrarian will be dearly missed. - Sandeep Ravindran, NASW president
I'm not sure how NASW is going to manage without you Russ! But I'm very thankful for all of your support over the years. I could always count on you when I needed to post an event, update our Zoom tech list, post an event recording, or the various other tasks needed to run our monthly Freelancer virtual meetups. You're the backbone of our online presence, and we'll really miss you. - Jennifer Huber, NASW Freelance Committee member
Thanks so much for helping the Freelance Committee keep science writers updated on how to do their jobs well and sanely! You were always happy to deal with our requests to update, change, and add pages about how to become and stay a freelance science writer, which I think has helped the community so much. Sarah Scoles, past NASW Freelance Committee chair
I haven't known Russ long, but I'm incredibly grateful for all his help to the Education Committee as Courtney Gorman and I have settled in to our roles as co-chairs. He is prompt and efficient, and there is never any fuss, despite throwing him regular curveballs. We will miss his support!
Personally, as someone who struggles to remain concise over email, Russ is an inspiration to me. Now that he is "done" I wish him an abundance of joy and peace in his retirement! -Shel Evergreen, NASW Education Committee co-chair
Thanks so much, Russ, for your many years of service and support to NASW! Your steady work behind the scenes has helped keep so many crucial systems running and ensured that our mission remained accessible to the science writing community. NASW depends on people who are willing to consistently show up and solve problems, and your work over the years has been an important part of that effort. Wishing you all the best in your retirement! - Siri Carpenter, past NASW president
Thank you so much for your many years of service, Russ. I know NASW would not and will not be the same without you! - Amanda Heidt, NASW board member
Russ—thank you so much for all of your work behind the scenes to keep NASW running smoothly! The OG cybrarian will be missed. We appreciate you and wish you all the best:) - Virginia Gewin, NASW Freelance Committee chair
I'm grateful for Russ's technical skills, of course--Cybrarianing is a hard job! He has made NASW's platform seamless and welcoming, to members and to the world. I'm especially grateful for his patience, problem-solving skills, and kindness if something goes wrong. Russ is the person you want sitting in the exit row on the plane: calm, able to assess a situation, and looking out for everybody else. - Laura Helmuth, past NASW President
