Tag Archives: Writing

Podcast

Episode 314: Research and Writing

Fountain pen writing (literacy)

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Introduction

Welcome back to Season Three of Linking Our Libraries! We are Central Minnesota Libraries Exchange, and we are here to share information with all types of libraries, archives, and other nonprofits working to build their skills. This season, we are working on building a toolbox of leadership skills and ideas. By the end of this season, you will have fifteen specific skills that will make you a stronger leader and manager in your organization.

This week we discuss Research and Writing. Joining us is Guest Host Rhonda Huisman, Dean of the Library at St. Cloud State University.

The Basics

Talking about research and writing is not typical for management development; but sharing your experience is an important part of being a good library leader. Remember that you are not “just” a manager in your Reference department, or of your hospital library, or working in your grade school; you are also part of a profession. That means you get some great benefits in being part of a large group; and you have some responsibilities back to that group. Carrying out research, and communicating the good and bad experiences you have in the profession, are ways to fulfill that responsibility.

This is a surprisingly tough sell for many library people. They worry they are not doing things that are important enough to share, or that they are not good writers, or that they just do not know where to start.

Fortunately, these problems are easily overcome. In our profession we have a lot of people who are active in publishing their work – in journals, in blogs, in newspapers, in podcasts, or other venues. You can find all sorts of resources on good writing and on publishing to help you get started. And it does not matter at all how big or how small they are – every single library we have ever visited is doing something interesting and unique. Never worry that you have nothing of value to say.

In libraries and archives, research is all about finding ways we can help our organizations to function better, and do more to reach out to our communities. Just like everything else we do, it is about solving problems and connecting people with the right information. As a manager, you want to be actively involved in solving problems and finding answers to different issues that will arise in your organization. Understanding some basics on research will let you do this.
Continue reading Episode 314: Research and Writing →

Communication

Day Seventy Two of the CMLE Summer Fun Library Tour!

Melk - Abbey - Library

Part of being in the library profession – maybe the main part – is sharing what you know. Blogger Jessica Olin has formalized one aspect of that sharing: passing on professional experience to newer library people. And, she invites you to share your experiences as well! Her blog is called Letters to a Young Librarians, and I encourage you to check it out and to consider contributing!

Here is an excerpt from her blog article on what she is doing:

Why I Decided to Start a Blog

“I had a realization recently: I have reached the end of the beginning of my career. After eight years as a professional librarian, it’s both comforting and intimidating to realize that I frequently (although not always) know what I’m talking about. The same events that helped me recognize this are also inspiring this blog. You see, I’ve been spending a lot of time talking with new and student librarians recently. Some of it has been in person. I work at a college near a university that has a library school, so I’ve been lucky enough to supervise a couple of students in their culminating experiences. Most of my interactions have been online, though, an experience that has been just as satisfying and frustrating as working one-on-one with graduate students.

Having people ask me to explain how I do certain parts of my job, or how I found my first professional position, or even how I decide what to wear to work on a daily basis, has helped me clarify so much of what I love (and hate) about librarianship. I know that it is basic pedagogy – teaching something you know helps solidify that knowledge better than almost any other method – but my reaction still startled me a bit. I found myself thinking about a book I read last year: Letters to a Young Poet (yes, the title of this blog comes from that book). I was standing in Rainer Maria Rilke’s shoes, and I think I understand what he may have felt: that a mentor gets as much out of the relationship as a mentee. I hope that what I’ve shared has helped others navigate their career path, but I know that being able to talk about my experiences and my philosophy has been invaluable to me. I have a clearer understanding of where I want to go next with my career, of what is really important to me. This blog is going to be a big part of that.I want this blog to be about more than an experienced librarian dispensing advice to the new kids, however. In my conversations with individuals and groups who are joining my profession, it seems that there is a gap between what library programs are teaching and what new professionals will need to know in order to be successful.”

Writing

Share your ideas: Challenging the “Jacks of All Trades but Masters of None” Librarian Syndrome

Whist-type trick

We are passing on this call for your contributions! Remember: if you want to write something up, but are not sure where to start, we can help you from CMLE Headquarters!

Call for proposals–EXTENDED

Advances in Library Administration and Organization
Challenging the “Jacks of All Trades but Masters of None” Librarian Syndrome
Publication due 2018

Series Editor: Samantha Hines, Peninsula College

Volume Editor: George J. Fowler, Old Dominion University

Librarianship may be said to be facing an identity crisis. It may also be said that librarianship has been facing an identity crisis since it was proposed as a profession. With the advent of technology that lowers barriers to the access of information, the mission of a library has become indistinct.  This volume will explore the current purpose of librarianship and libraries, how we become “Masters of our Domains”, develop expertise in various elements of the profession, and how we extend outward into our communities.

Continue reading Share your ideas: Challenging the “Jacks of All Trades but Masters of None” Librarian Syndrome →

Children's services, Writing, Young Adults

Tech Resources for Poetry

April is National Poetry Month! Poetry can sometimes be intimidating to students, but there are fun ways to get them involved in appreciating and creating poetry.

This article from School Library Journal is packed with a ton of unique ideas for helping students uncover the delights of poetry. Some of these ideas include:

Plus, the article describes initiatives different libraries are taking to incorporate poetry into student activities. It’s always encouraging to see the cool things that happen in libraries across the country.

Happy Poetry Month!

 

 

Communication, General, Resources, School Media Specialist, Writing

Notable Date to Celebrate: April 10th is Encourage a Young Writer Day!

You probably already know that at CMLE, we offer a service called “Notable Dates for your Noggin” which feature special holidays and birthdays of authors, as well as publications of well-known books. In an effort to help you get more from this service, we’ve decided to select one “Notable Date” each month to feature. We will include a few fun programming and activity ideas too, all for you to use!

April 10th is Encourage a Young Writer Day.

There are lots of ways to encourage a young writer in your classroom, library, or life.  Check out these great gift ideas for young writers or find some neat journals from Amazon. If you’re feeling crafty, work together and make your own book to write in!

Looking for words of wisdom on the subject? This article is written from a homeschool perspective but has great suggestions for encouraging writing in kids of all ages. Check out what author Anne Lamott has to say to aspiring writers, or read this article specifically aimed at helping teen writers.

Of course, the best way to get kids writing is to make sure they read! Going to the library is probably the best encouragement of all! 🙂