AIP Publishing, a division of the American Institute of Physics (AIP), is pleased to announce the appointment of Judith MacManus-Driscoll as editor of its new open access, rapid publication journal, APL Materials. Affiliated with AIP’s highly regarded Applied Physics Letters (APL), APL Materials will build on the history and rich tradition of APL, now celebrating its 50th anniversary.

MacManus-Driscoll is a professor of materials science in the department of materials science and metallurgy of the University of Cambridge (UK). Her research focuses on the properties of complex oxide materials and nanostructures with wide-ranging functions. During the last 20 years of her career, she has published more than 250 papers in this area. She is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the Institute of Physics (UK), a member of the Materials Research Society, and a long-term visiting staff member at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

“I am extremely pleased and proud to take on the position of editor for this new open access publication,” commented MacManus-Driscoll. “APL Materials is being launched at a very exciting time for materials science and a similarly exciting time for academic journals. We are only at the beginning of this exciting journey of condensed matter design and control. The journal will communicate the most valuable and timely research in the field, enabling us, for example, to further our quest for ever-higher-performance functional products and to address needs that range from healthcare to our urgent demand for clean energy.”

“Under Professor MacManus-Driscoll’s editorship, APL Materials will rapidly become one of the premier publications serving the materials science community,” stated John Haynes, vice president of publishing at AIP. “The second of AIP’s gold open access journals, APL Materials will span the entire breadth of functional materials research, covering chemical, biological and physics topics.”

Just as nature does not apply rigid borders to science disciplines, neither will APL Materials. The journal will publish both experimental and theoretical articles on materials with a range of functional properties including, but not limited to, electronic, optical, electrical, magnetic, biological, ionic, multifunctional, and emergent phenomena. Manuscripts focusing on materials aspects of small‐length‐scale phenomena and devices are also invited.

Aries Systems, the developer of workflow platforms for scholarly publishers, is pleased to announce that it has renamed its production tracking solution from “Preprint Manager” to “ProduXion Manager.”

Aries’ cloud-based workflow solutions have been adopted by more than 4,800 scholarly journals and are used to process millions of manuscripts.

The ProduXion Manager module improves the efficiency of manuscript workflow by administering metadata, tracking files, and enabling issue and vendor management. ProduXion Manager has been adopted by dozens of publishers including the world’s largest Open Access journal (PLOS ONE), Nature, the American Meteorological Society and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

As a result of integration with third-party solutions, the system processes, ingests and transmits increasing volumes of XML data. Richard Wynne, VP Sales and Marketing at Aries, explained, “XML has become so central to manuscript production tracking that the name change to ProduXion Manager will help communicate the value offered by the system.”

Caroline Kennedy has been named the 2013 Honorary Chair of National Library Week (April 14-20, 2013), according to the American Library Association. During National Library Week and throughout the month of April, libraries of all types—public, school, academic and special— hold special events to highlight the unique role libraries play in American society and encourage the public to use their resources. Those resources include computers, books and e-books, homework help, assistance with resumes and job searches, accurate financial information, adult education courses, support for immigrants and more.

As Honorary Chair, Kennedy will appear in public service announcements (PSAs) promoting National Library Week. The PSAs, developed by the American Library Association’s Campaign for America’s Libraries, will be placed in magazines and online throughout the spring. ALA will also offer free customization of the PSAs for libraries.

An advocate for reading, literacy and libraries, Kennedy has written or edited 10 bestselling books on American history, politics and poetry. Her latest book, “Poems to Learn by Heart”—due to be published in March 2013 from Disney-Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Publishing Worldwide with original illustrations by award-winning artist Jon J Muth—is a companion to her New York Times #1 best-selling collection “A Family of Poems.”

In addition, Kennedy is scheduled to speak at the 2013 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 27. More information regarding her appearance is available on the ALA Midwinter Meeting website.

In December 2011, Kennedy spoke at the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award ceremony in New York City. . In that speech, she said that many librarians she has met are “professionals who are excited about their changing role in a changing world – who are dedicated to serving others, who respect scholarship, and who understand that you are our guides on a lifelong journey of intellectual collaboration and collaborative composition… . Your work is truly life changing.”

McGraw-Hill has confirmed an agreement to sell its education business to Apollo Global Management for a purchase price of $2.5bn, however, did not fetch the $3bn price for which the group had originally hoped

The McGraw-Hill Companies today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its McGraw-Hill Education business to investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC (NYSE: APO) (collectively with its subsidiaries, “Apollo”), for a purchase price of $2.5 billion, subject to certain closing adjustments. As part of this transaction, McGraw-Hill will receive $250 million in senior unsecured notes issued by the purchaser at an annual interest rate of 8.5%. The transaction, which is expected to close in late 2012 or early 2013, is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions.

Upon closing, McGraw-Hill, which will be renamed McGraw Hill Financial (subject to shareholder approval), will be a high-growth, high-margin benchmarks, content and analytics company in the global capital and commodities markets. With customers in more than 150 countries, McGraw Hill Financial expects 2012 revenue of approximately $4.4 billion with nearly 40% from international markets. The Company will provide 2013 financial guidance for McGraw Hill Financial when it announces its 2012 fourth quarter and year-end financial results.

“After carefully considering all of the options for creating shareholder value, the McGraw-Hill Board of Directors concluded that this agreement generates the best value and certainty for our shareholders and will most favorably position the world-class assets of McGraw-Hill Education for long-term success,” said Harold McGraw III, Chairman, President and CEO of The McGraw-Hill Companies who will lead McGraw Hill Financial once the transaction is complete. “We were able to secure an attractive outcome and create additional balance sheet flexibility for McGraw Hill Financial.”

Mr. McGraw added, “McGraw-Hill Education is a leader in digital learning with world-class content and enormously talented and committed employees. As we begin the next chapter in our rich history, I am very proud of and grateful to all the McGraw-Hill Education professionals who are contributing so much to the company and to educators, administrators and students all over the world. I look forward to seeing their continued success with the expertise and support of Apollo.”

“We are excited about this announcement and what it means for McGraw-Hill Education,” added Lloyd G. “Buzz” Waterhouse, President and CEO of McGraw-Hill Education. “Apollo is a leading global alternative investment manager and its affiliated funds have made significant investments in learning companies for more than a decade. McGraw-Hill Education’s expertise and premier brands coupled with Apollo’s resources represent a powerful combination.”

Larry Berg, Senior Partner of Apollo said, “With a longstanding track record of investing behind leaders in education, Apollo is pleased to be acquiring a marquee business that has been a pioneer in educational innovation and excellence for over a century. McGraw-Hill Education has a deep and impassioned management team, and we share their enthusiasm and strategic vision for the business. We look forward to leveraging the company’s leading portfolio of trusted brands and innovative digital learning solutions to drive growth through the ongoing convergence of education and technology on a global basis.”

“Today’s transaction marks a transformative time for our company, shareholders, customers and employees,” Mr. McGraw said. “This move builds on McGraw-Hill’s strong legacy and gives us an unprecedented opportunity to focus on accelerating the growth of our iconic brands and leading franchises such as Standard & Poor’s, S&P Dow Jones Indices, S&P Capital IQ, Platts and J.D. Power and Associates. The strong trends driving global financial markets create enormous growth opportunities for McGraw Hill Financial. As markets become more interconnected, as more borrowers around the world fund growth through the capital markets, and as technology produces more and more data in a complex world, our leading brands provide essential intelligence and independent benchmarks across asset classes and markets.”

Upon closing of the transaction, McGraw Hill Financial will have considerable balance sheet flexibility. The Company will use the estimated proceeds of approximately $1.9 billion, net of tax and certain closing adjustments, from this sale to sustain its share repurchase program, to make selective tuck-in acquisitions that enhance McGraw Hill Financial’s portfolio of powerful brands, and to pay off any short-term borrowing obligations.

Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company will classify and report results of McGraw-Hill Education as discontinued operations. As a result of this transaction, the Company anticipates a non-cash impairment charge in the fourth quarter of approximately $450 to $550 million relating to the School Education Group.

The McGraw-Hill Companies announced in September 2011 it would separate into two industry-leading companies following a year-long strategic portfolio review. This decision was a key driver of the Company’s Growth and Value Plan, which also included a commitment to generate $100 million in cost savings and a significant share repurchase program. On November 2, 2012, the Company provided an update of its progress on these initiatives and will do so again when it announces its 2012 fourth quarter and year-end results.

McGraw-Hill received financial advice from Evercore Partners and Goldman, Sachs & Co., and legal advice from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Clifford Chance.

Apollo received financial advice from Credit Suisse, UBS Investment Bank and BMO Financial Group. The financing is provided by Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, Jefferies, UBS Investment Bank, Nomura and BMO. Apollo received legal advice from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and Morgan, Lewis and Bockius LLP.