Meet Lindsey Atkinson

It's all a matter of rights, says Lindsey Atkinson. A photo librarian at Bonnier Corporation in Florida, Atkinson is used to dealing with photo rights. But for three months she is trading pictures for books, and Winter Park for Munich, Germany, where she faces new challenges at publishing house Piper Verlag. "Photo rights are straightforward and fairly simple, whereas book publishing rights are obviously more extensive," she says.

Atkinson likes the change of pace - instead of daily constant work with photo details, she works more in the long-term, researching American publishers for possible rights sales and the creation of a foreign rights catalog for the backlist. But the exchange is at least as much about meeting new people and a new culture as they are about different work. "Living in Munich has been wonderful all around, but my absolute favorite thing about the exchange has been making good friends at Piper and chatting with them about life in Germany," she says. "I feel that my experience here has been enriched by their life stories and insight into German culture."

The beauty of the city has also been a huge draw, Atkinson says. "I love that there is so much to do outside of work - museums, theatres, parks, concerts, palaces, monuments, bars, cafes - and it is all so accessible on foot, by bike, or by subway," she says. By bike being one of her favorite modes of transportation.

"I was amazed by the number of bicyclists!" she says. "It's wonderful to see bikes sharing the roads alongside cars and to have so many well-paved bike lanes. The weather has been beautiful and I've enjoyed exploring the city by bike. Plus one of the world's largest urban public parks, the Englischer Garten, is just across the street from my apartment and I frequently go there for cycling, sunbathing, reading, or jogging."