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We Are ProQuest:ProQuest is only as successful as its staff. The ProQuest difference is people behind-the-scenes using their skills to create products and features to provide the optimal research experience from kindergarten to post-graduate to life-long learner.We Are ProQuestfeatures profiles of some of our talented team members. Today let’s meet Editor Tom Mason!

Tell me a little about your life and work history before coming to ProQuest.

I grew up in a small town in southern Kentucky. I graduated from Western Kentucky University with a Mass Communications degree and a minor in Economics. I worked on a farm. I was in the U.S. Navy for a while. I worked as a photographer’s assistant, and I worked at a large bakery for about a year.

How did you come to work at ProQuest?

I was looking for a way in which to use my degree. I knew a bit about Data Courier, so I applied. (Note: When I began my career in 1991, the office in Louisville was calledUMI/Data Courier. In 2001, the name changed to ProQuest.) My first job was as a Copy Editor working on theABIproduct. I then became an Editor. Then an Editorial Coordinator, and now I work as an editor ineLibrary.

What is your current position, and what are some of your job responsibilities?

As an Editor in eLibrary, I create and edit Research Topics; I correlate topics to state educational standards and Common Core standards; and I add files and help maintain our Topic Tree. I write blogs occasionally. I also help maintain the History Study Center product.

What do you most enjoy about your work?

The great people I work with. I also enjoy the research I do on an almost daily basis. I research a wide range of topics, which I find very interesting.

What do you do for fun in your spare time?

I like to read. I very much enjoy throwing baseball, and I have a large baseball card collection. I do a lot of walking. I have two cats that I somewhat enjoy.

What might others be surprised to learn about you?

I have been through the Panama Canal (Hot!) and the Straits of Magellan (Cold!).