Meeting customer needs in the digital age

Just a few months ago, Human Kinetics released our first electronic textbook, the Third Edition of Introduction to Kinesiology, edited by Shirl Hoffman. The book includes an online study guide that puts 100 learning activities a mouse-click away for students who want the opportunity to interact with content beyond the traditional printed book. That development was a good example of how Human Kinetics is investing in technology to meet our customers’ needs in the digital age.

Since that time, I have heard from authors and at academic conferences, from HK sales representatives in the field to publishing industry trade journals, an increasingly curious chorus of questions about the status of e-books. Instructors are beginning to ask if we offer certain books in e-format. Some course adopters want to have that option for their students. The time has not yet come for e-books, but we are generating far more speed in 2009 toward that time than we ever have before.

Now, a few months later I’m saying the same thing again with the Web site - that Human Kinetics is investing in technology to meet our customers’ needs in the digital age. As HK gets bigger, we are not straying farther away from our customers. Instead, we are finding there are many ways to stay connected to our customers, our authors, and with the field as a whole. On the new HK site, you can still purchase our print books, courses, and journals, but you also can listen to our authors, read and respond to experts speaking out about the physical activity field, buy e-books, watch video and audio clips (To give you a taste, David Shields talks passionately about true competition on our site and in his new book) and read excerpts of our high-quality content in all its forms, and join the HK community to stay informed.

The technological advances HK is making in its content delivery and in staying close to our customers is an extension of the quality you have always expected from us. We’ll keep doing that, no matter what changes in technology occur in the years to come. Enjoy the new-look Web site and drop me a line at myless@hkusa.com if you have any comments about the academic and professional textbooks and reference books we produce, and any book ideas and content suggestions for the kinesiology field. We want to hear from you.

Myles Schrag, Division Director
Scientific, Technical and Medical Division