At WiLS, we want to bring valuable information to our library partners, including information about the missions and big ideas of the vendors they may already do business with. Each month, WiLS interviews a vendor partner in order to bridge the gap and open the door to valuable collaborations. This month, we are delighted to share insights from Eric Fitzgerald, Vice President of Sales at Capstone Publishing.
If you have any questions about this interview, or would like to suggest a vendor partner for us to interview in the future, contact Andrea Coffin at acoffin@wils.org or 414-979-9457.
Tell us about your company’s background. We Create Awesome Learning Experiences. Helping children develop a love of reading and learning, no matter their ability level, is at the heart of what we do at Capstone. Our passion for creating inspired learning has made us the most trusted publisher of children’s books and digital solutions for libraries for more than 20 years. Capstone’s content comes in a variety of print and digital formats including board books, picture books, interactive books, apps, audio and PebbleGO Databases. Whether print, online, or new, yet-to-be-discovered formats, Capstone provides children and young adults with the content they love through our family of imprints and divisions. We are proud to be a family company based in Minnesota. Follow us on Twitter!
Why do you, personally, choose to work with libraries? I think most of us at Capstone would say our favorite thing about working with libraries is all the wonderful people. Librarians are unique and have so much that they give and share with their students and staff. I really love how librarians spark a true love of reading and learning in their students. When I am working with a customer in their library and have the opportunity to see students seeking out more information and truly engaging in their own learning, it is hard not to be proud and excited about what is happening. I also love my coworkers at Capstone; we have so many committed and talented people that feel a genuine connection to the mission of supporting our customers as they work with kids. Beyond the people, I really love the concept of a library. Libraries have always been places where communities are built. In a school it is one of the only places where groups can come together to learn, create and share. I always get the feeling that kids are seeing and learning things that they would never have experienced without that library.
What do you like to know about the libraries you work with? What helps you better understand their needs? We have always had very collaborative relationships at Capstone. Our job is ultimately to help libraries connect with kids. We do that by creating the books and digital resources that will engage kids and give them the information they need in a way that they enjoy. We are also very committed to freeing up our customers so they can spend more time with the kids. Things like free shelf ready processing, collection analysis, helpful representatives and customer service are ways that we can add value and save our customers time.
What big ideas are being worked on at your company? What problems are being solved? Capstone has always worked to be innovative and create new and engaging content and services. Right now our big focus is on digital, supporting Common Core and continuing to build our services. On the digital front we are working to launch an older sibling to PebbleGO called PebbleGO NEXT for grades 3-6 and expanding the features and functions of Capstone Interactive eBooks beyond the iPad app we launched a few months ago. From there we are looking at ways to make access and discovery even easier beyond the MaRC record support we provide to our digital content. With Common Core we are feeling good that libraries have always supported the concepts that are key to Common Core with our products, but, we want to call those activities out and make it more obvious how libraries are central to implementation of CCSS. On the services front we have just launched a completely new www.capstonepub.com with enhanced searches and filters to make it even faster to find exactly the right books and digital content.
How can librarians become partners in product or training development? Capstone has always been customer connected and we LOVE feedback. The best way for us to continue to innovate and support our customers is to listen. To that end we love when we get emails or in person ideas and comments. No email with a product or training idea goes unread at Capstone so keep the great ideas coming in!