Get to Know Ashley Fast, the New Vice President of Sales for EBSCO’s Subscription Services Division, US & Canada

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’ve spent my entire career working in and with libraries. I earned my Bachelor’s and Master’s in Library and Information Science (yes, both of them were in LIS!) from the University of Southern Mississippi. During graduate school, I worked in Cook Library’s cataloging unit. My passion for academic libraries began there. I was given the opportunity to attend a meeting with YBP Library Services, which introduced me to another side of the library community. Upon graduation, I worked as a Collection Development Manager for YBP Library Services in the Southeastern US. Since then, I have held positions as a Senior Collection Development Manager and Director, Collection Development and Workflow Solutions for the Eastern US for GOBI. I’ve spent almost fifteen years partnering with libraries to build monograph collections and am excited to move into a role where I can continue to help libraries meet the information needs of their users on the serials side of the business.

What excites you about your new role at EBSCO and what are the top things you are focused on?

I am excited about the opportunity to continue to work with libraries in a role that is focused on their collections, workflows, and meeting the needs of end users. On the monograph side, I partnered with libraries to develop bespoke solutions to complex needs, and I look forward to drawing on that experience in my new role. I really believe in the power of data-informed decision making, and I’ve seen how this works with monographs. I believe there are many opportunities to partner with libraries and publishers in ways that will help libraries make the most out of their collection dollars and provide resources to their users that fulfill their research needs.

I’m focused on getting to know libraries and their needs in today’s rapidly changing environment. I am concentrating on understanding where the serials world is going with the most recent OSTP memo and Plan S. These will continue to rapidly change the journal publishing industry and library strategies. I am focused on how EBSCO can continue to develop innovative and effective solutions to meet the needs of libraries.

Why are you so passionate about libraries?

I believe that libraries level the playing field for everybody. I grew up in the rural south and currently reside in Kentucky, and it doesn’t matter if you come from a tiny coal mining town in Eastern Kentucky or a wealthy suburb of Louisville; libraries are the ultimate equalizer. Since my childhood, I have spent countless hours in libraries, and in college, I realized that I wanted to be a part of that community during my professional career. I care deeply about fostering productive partnerships with libraries to facilitate the acquisition of materials and provide workflows that make collecting for end users as efficient and robust as possible.

What is the most interesting part about being a librarian by trade and working for a vendor?

I started my Master’s in Library Science thinking I’d be an academic librarian. I graduated with an emphasis in cataloging, taking every class offered! It was only through exposure to a different side of the industry, taking an alternative career path that my interest was piqued. Upon graduation, I started working on the vendor side of libraries. I quickly gained exposure to hundreds of different libraries and workflows. I loved the puzzles of approval profiles and how I could make an impact working with academic libraries by aiding in the process of finding the right content for their end users. The opportunity to meet, interact and work with so many different sizes and types of academic libraries meant there was never a dull day!

I have had the joy of working on the vendor side my entire professional career. I have met countless wonderful people who made me feel like I was an extension of their library. My time working as a Rep and Director for YBP/GOBI gave me a big-picture view of academic library needs and workflows.

I am looking forward to immersing myself in the land of serials and learning about how I can positively impact the ecosystem in this role.

What is the most significant industry change you’ve experienced since being part of the information industry?

Definitely the shift to electronic. When I began my career, ePreferred Approval Profiles didn’t exist, NetLibrary was the eBook platform most used, patron-driven monograph acquisition was just an idea and the world I lived in was centered around print books. I can recall the first time I ever wrote an eBook Approval Profile, and it felt foreign! Fast forward fifteen years and most libraries have ePreferred Approval Profiles, buy more than half their monographs in eBook format and participate in multiple Demand Driven Acquisitions or Evidence-Based Acquisitions Programs. Over the years, the advent of new models has kept my job interesting! I am a person that loves data and decisions using past patterns and looking out into the future what-ifs. I entered the field of librarianship during the advent of e-books, and it’s made for such an interesting last decade.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

First, I’m an avid runner. I run every chance I get. During college, I ran my first marathon and loved it so much that I made a goal to run all 50 states before my 40^th birthday. I didn’t take into consideration a couple of years of no races due to a global pandemic, but I finished state 49 this month and am on track to reach my goal. I will run my 50^th state in 2023 (if you’re wondering, it’s Hawaii and I’m going to vacation a week thereafter!).

The second thing is that, like many of the great librarians of this world, I have a cat. I feel like it’s a bit of a requirement! My cat, Milo Steele (we just call him Milo, but there is a story behind his name!), is a 16-pound, very handsome orange tabby. He gives high fives when he wants treats…which is way too often. When I adopted him, he was described by the shelter as ‘an overweight couch potato’. He lives up to his name and is quite the lovely kitty! (He many even have his own Instagram account!)