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Rank: Member
Groups: Member
, prof writing moderator
Joined: 12/18/2007
Posts: 11
Points: 33
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Writing for the profession is a great way to boost your professional visibility and credibility, plus it's just a lot of fun! Here's some of the writing I've done over the span of my LIS career: book reviews in numerous publications, articles in online newsletters ( ALA-APA, LIScareers, Freepint, Info Career Trends), articles for the state library association publication ( Colorado Libraries), write-up of a presentation for a professional organization newsletter ( AIIP - Connections), several books (most recently Rethinking Information Work/Libraries Unlimited), columns (for Info Career Trends and my own website), my blog, and research guides for an online, virtual library ( Jones e-global library). How about everyone else? What writing have you done, what writing have you enjoyed the most, and what writing has been the biggest boost for your career? And what advice would you give someone just starting out writing for the profession? If you haven't done any writing yet but you're interested, what questions can we answer for you to help you get started? The profession needs your ideas! Some useful resources for those just starting out: "The SDI Session on Writing for the Profession," Stephen Abram and Judith Siess; "Writing for the Profession," Rachel Singer Gordon, Freepint No. 166, Aug 26, 2004; and Rachel's excellent book on the topic, The Librarian's Guide to Writing for Publication, (Scarecrow, 2004).
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
, Resumes - Moderator
Joined: 1/3/2008
Posts: 38
Points: 114
Location: http://talkingbookslibrarian.blogspot.com
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I am just getting started with blogging and have not done much professional writing... yet! But stay tuned! :) I would definitely be interested in learning how to get started with professional LIS writing!
Check out my blog on Talking Books at http://talkingbookslibrarian.blogspot.com
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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 1/3/2008
Posts: 3
Points: 9
Location: Van Nuys, CA
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I am still trying to enter the profession. I graduated from library school last May. I don't have anything else to write about yet. I have given a presentation on my findings in medical library trends in my last internship. My job hunt is not much to write about. I would like to write about the profession if I ever find a job.
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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 1/4/2008
Posts: 1
Points: 3
Location: Rochester, NY
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I have written some video reviews for Educational Media Reviews Online (EMRO), http://libweb.lib.buffalo.edu/emro/search.asp, and co-authored a few chapters in the book, Teaching Information Literacy Concepts: Activities and Frameworks from the Field (2001), but other than that I have had a very hard time dedicating time to publishing, as much as I would love to write professionally. I work very closely with an Anthropology professor (embedded library instruction) and we have tried multiple times to work on a journal article together, but time is always an obstacle. Despite holding faculty status, as a librarian, I do not have winter breaks or summers off where I can focus on research/writing. Luckily, I have had many opportunities to present at workshops and conferences, but I would also like to channel my creative energies into writing. For those of you who write professionally on a regular basis, how do you find the time and/or carve out the time to work on publishing?
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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 1/4/2008
Posts: 1
Points: 3
Location: Chicago
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I've actually been pretty surprised at how many opportunities are available and range of those opportunities as well (from scholarly to entertainment). I'm a new librarian and got my publishing feet wet by submitting a pretty light piece to LISCareer. This online journal is more casual and almost conversational in tone, so it was a great option for a first try. I didn't feel that I needed to do any heavy research, but it was a good chance to share my experiences as a new librarian.
Since then I've taken a scattershot approach to publishing and have had a paper accepted for presentation at a national conference.
The opportunities are out there and they can come to you if take advantage of listservs and message boards like this.
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Rank: Administration
Groups: Administration
Joined: 11/5/2007
Posts: 67
Points: -410
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Also check out the "call for papers" section of Beyond the Job -- we post anything we run across. As Jenn mentions, there's a huge range of opportunities and topics, from national conferences to book chapters to local newsletters. If you haven't written for publication before, get your feet wet by starting small with your state association newsletter, division newsletter, or online publication like LIScareer.com or Info Career Trends.
Rachel Singer Gordon / rachel@lisjobs.comFind a library job: http://www.lisjobs.comThe Liminal Librarian: http://www.lisjobs.com/blog
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member
, Resumes - Moderator
Joined: 1/3/2008
Posts: 38
Points: 114
Location: http://talkingbookslibrarian.blogspot.com
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Ah yes, the state association newsletters or state newsletters are a great idea! In addition, many regional or subregional library systems publish newsletters. (Some of them are almost desparate for articles!) That would be a good starting place to at least get your name out state-wide or regionally, and then build from there.
Check out my blog on Talking Books at http://talkingbookslibrarian.blogspot.com
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Rank: Member
Groups: Member
, prof writing moderator
Joined: 12/18/2007
Posts: 11
Points: 33
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Has anyone considered doing any writing (for pay) outside the LIS profession? I just wrote a post on this for my Rethinking Information Careers blog, and I'd be interested to learn if anyone is/has done this?
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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 1/3/2008
Posts: 7
Points: 21
Location: Quad Cities, IA
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Kim Dority wrote:Has anyone considered doing any writing (for pay) outside the LIS profession? Kim, what do you mean by this? Writing about LIS in for pay markets like newspapers and general magazines, or writing non-LIS related material in for pay markets like general interest articles, short stories, fiction/non-fiction books?
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Rank: Member
Groups: Member
, prof writing moderator
Joined: 12/18/2007
Posts: 11
Points: 33
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I had in mind writing articles for any publication that's not related to the library/information science profession. That might be a local newspaper, an association or nonprofit magazine, a consumer publication, a special-topic monthly (for example, something like Beading magazine), or a for-profit newsletter that deals with a topic in which you have expertise, among other options. Also, any online writing, such as writing articles, short pieces, or blogs for for-profit (ad supported) websites, e-zines, e-newsletters, etc. Two examples: I wrote an article on info resources in the cable television industry for a cable industry publication, and wrote a piece on how to support online adjunct faculty for an online learning institution (my expertise came from the fact that I'm an adjunct faculty member).
Another example: I'm now working as the VP of Editorial and Content for a company called Disaboom (www.disaboom.com) that's creating an online resource of info and community for people with disabilities. I'm recruiting several of my LIS colleagues to write articles for me that come out of their personal experiences with family disabilities - how to research a condition, what the best info resources are, etc. So essentially, they're using their LIS skill set, but writing for a non-LIS audience.
Is that a better description of what I had in mind? Sorry to be unclear previously!
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