Tips on Getting Published

Great question in the comments today, and my answer ended up being so long that I'm going to make it an actual post. (Thanks, Joan!)

Question: Any tips on how to get involved with publishing. I've been a librarian for 2 years now.

Hi, Joan!

Note: with many thanks to Dr. Marc Cutright and his Fall 2008 EDHE 6500 "Essentials of Academic Publishing" course.

Well, what I did was subscribe to a couple of blogs that compile librarian publishing/presenting opportunities. When I found calls for chapters, articles, or book reviews that fit my interests or job duties, I always submitted something.

Here are the two I read the most:

• A Library Writer's Blog
  
• Dolores' List of CFPs

Book reviews are a great way to get started. They are usually short (about 1,000 words is average), you sometimes get a book for free, and editors are often dying to get someone to offer to write them. Most faculty lean toward writing articles because they often count for more toward tenure--so there is a lack of good reviewers out there.

Look up a journal online that you read a lot, or that fits your interests/job well (for instance, I chose the Journal of Web Librarianship because I'm interested in digital collections and distance learning). Find the contact information for that journal's book review editor; they are often posted, but if not, write the journal editor and request that information for the review editor.

Write up a professional inquiry letter, expressing that you're interested in reviewing a book for them. You can suggest a book you already have in mind, or they may have a list of books on the website that you can choose from, or you can simply ask if they have books that are in need of reviewing. Sometimes they will give you a free copy; if they don't have one available, you can also contact the publisher directly and let them know you're reviewing it--sometimes they will then send you a copy. (I have had both experiences.) Sometimes you're on your own, although I've written five book reviews and haven't had to pay for a book yet.

In the letter, also clearly state your professional credentials. If the journal has a particular focus, mention how that is related to you and therefore why they'd be interested in having you as a truly qualified reviewer. For instance, when I wrote to the Journal of Web Librarianship, I mentioned that I am a digital collections librarian. When I wrote to the International Journal of Comic Art, I mentioned that in addition to my MLS, I have a MA in Art History and am an avid comic reader--pointing out that I have some critical, scholarly background in the visual arts.

The cardinal rule is to never, ever, ever, send out an unsolicited book review or article in its entirety, until the editor agrees to publish it. Just send out a letter first, inquiring if they are interested. I've heard horror stories where three months go by without a response from the editor, so the person sends the review/article out to another editor, who then publishes it just as the first editor decides to publish it, as well. Huge problem. If you've just sent a letter, there's no risk of mutual publishing.

That's a huge long mess of information, and trust me, I've got more if you're interested--just leave another comment, or email/IM/tweet me. I just took a course in academic publishing last semester, so it's fresh on the mind!

This Year in Publishing

I kept wondering for awhile if any of my writing work would pay off. I've been writing and submitting things for over two years, and I'm just now beginning to see the results!

I submitted two encyclopedia articles two and a half years ago, and they are finally being published in the Facts on File Encyclopedia of American Popular Fictionm due out any day now (eee!). Two book reviews that I completed in 2006 and 2007 but had delays were also just published in the Journal of Web Librarianship, released in January at the same time my book chapter with Suzanne & Annie came out.

I've now got two book reviews pending completion--one submitted and one in the works, one for the International Journal of Comic Art, and one for ImageText. And then I'm working on two research projects, and one more on hold until summer, that I'm hoping to send out starting in May. Whew!

Presentations are certainly easier to pitch and have quicker pay-off, but I'm determined to shift my professional development toward publishing. I have a far smaller travel budget now, and even more so I simply don't have the time for traveling as much, with the course load I've got. I'm hoping to make a habit of having several writing projects going on at once, in order to produce a good body of work each year. We'll see how it goes.

I simply struggled for a long time to find things to write about. Book reviews are pretty simple (and I really enjoy them--getting encouraged to read and discuss books, what's not to love?), but my article ideas tend to require an inordinate amount of research time that it's difficult for me to commit at the moment. Two of my current research projects take quantitative analysis, and one is a qualitative study.

I'm curious to know what other academic librarians are publishing.

• Are you writing similar research-oriented articles?
• Or focusing on library issues and practitioner-type pieces?
• If you have faculty status at your institution, are your articles ranked by type as far as tenure or a performance review?
• How pressured do you feel to publish--or are you motivated to publish for your own reasons?

IFLA: Presentation Done!

Well, that was a fantastic experience! I was fortunate to share the session with five great panelists working on very similar projects, and we had a bunch of insightful questions--some of which had me jotting down notes to consider later. I got to meet some people interested in our CyberCemetery--always great to be able to share and exchange ideas. In fact, I even got to meet someone from the Congressional Research Service, which of course had me geeking out a bit, as I do whenever I see something stamped with "CRS."

Note to any attendees or those otherwise interested: I"ll be posting the Powerpoint for my presentation later, and I'll happily provide other documents as you're interested. I know one woman was interested in the metadata schema we use for CyberCemetery websites, so I may just post the current version to my wiki to make it accessible to everyone. I'll link all of that content back here--I think it also might be good for me to include the questions and answers I got, for future reference. And I hope tomorrow to be able to type up and post more of the notes that I've taken in other IFLA sessions (including the other presenters from my session).

I also have to add that that IFLA's wifi connection here is quite nice--it actually inspired me to drag my laptop down here and I'm currently taking notes. Er, back to those notes.

(And also: Quebec is beautiful, I must come back!)

How Is It August?

Yes, you, too can create your own READ poster.

I got the green light for some travel funds for IFLA next week in Quebec City, so I'm in a flurry of preparation. I was already trying to catch up after having been at Interagency last week, and now knowing I'll be gone for another week is... yeah. I'm racing to complete this year's Albino Squirrel Calendar, catch up on emails, and get some things posted to the GODORT wiki.

I got all the month pages completed today: that just leaves the "other" pages (6 of them), the cover, and listing out all the relevant dates to include for each month.

At least my IFLA paper has been written for months--but I do need to pull some screenshots together for an interesting Powerpoint... and to reduce my 6-page paper into something that I can state in 15 minutes or less. Slowly, since there will be simultaneous translation.

Interesting... this summer, my blog has become my to-do list. Sigh. At this point, folks, I'm just crossing my fingers until September--the return of a regular schedule (albeit one that includes three classes), and only one professional trip (that I know of). Whew.

I was hoping to blog about how awesome Interagency was, and all the fellow librarians I met (particularly the geeky crowd), and maybe even the touristy DC things we did on the weekend... Yeah. Just like all my to-do photo editing and uploading, it will just have to wait.

Oh! One fun tidbit, however: the book for which Suzanne, Annie, and I wrote a chapter, Academic Library Outreach: Beyond the Campus Walls, is set to be published this December, a month earlier than expected! Hurrah!!

On My Way...

...I'll shortly be departing for the DFW airport, Philadelphia, and ALA Midwinter. I'll try to send some updates soon--this past week was a hectic mash of dealing with post-holiday work and preparing for ALA, but there is news to be had.

And here's the first bit: the Texas Library Association has used several of my photos of the Transforming Texas Libraries Summit for their cover image for this month's edition of the Texas Library Journal! Woohoo!

The real cherry on top was my husband's laughter when he saw that, as he predicted, they used my hotel-bathroom-mirror self-portrait for my photo credit. Ah, well. That's what I get for making myself so public on Flickr and continuously photographing myself in ridiculous situations.

A big thanks to my pal Kristen for first breaking the news, to Gayla for bringing a copy to show me (while mine was on its way), and to TLA for using my images. Won't this be a fun addition to my portfolio?

Getting Published!!

I'd planned to be too busy working to blog, but this was too good not to share:

I'm going to have a chapter in a book published!! Woohoo!

Suzanne (my awesome boss), Annie (our awesome Outreach Librarian), and I submitted a chapter proposal on academic library collaboration with public libraries, and I got word this morning that it was accepted! Yes, I did a little happy dance. It's to be published by Libraries Unlimited sometime around January of 2009, and it's an entire volume about outreach in academic libraries.

So... now if we can just get 5,000 words written before the end of next March, we're set.
Yay! (Happy dance again.)

Playing in the Pro League

This has been a great week for me, professionally. I've been invited to speak on Library 2.0 themes at the San Antonio Public Libraries' staff development day, finished a book review for JWL on an amazing guide to writing web content, and was just informed that my proposal for an educational program at the Fall DLC meeting has been accepted.

Hooray! (Oh wait... does this mean I actually have to write the presentations now?)


Incidentally, if you need a good guide for writing online content, buy Ginny Redish's Letting Go of the Words. In fact, just go out and buy it regardless--even if you think you don't need this book, it's unbelievably useful and so clearly written that it sparkles. I, who groan at the thought of trying to read something on top of my already-hectic schedule, flew through this book and enjoyed every moment. You need this book. Just trust me.

And while you're ordering things, get a subscription to the Journal of Web Librarianship. If you're a librarian who uses the internet, this periodical is relevant, no matter how web-savvy you are (or aren't). And if you're a librarian who doesn't use the internet... maybe you should start reading up on that.

I've Got Mad Web Administrating Skilz!

Yes, that's right, I got the ALA GODORT Web Administrator position--woohoo! It's an appointed position with a three-year term, and it also leads the GODORT Web Managers group, which meets at ALA Annual and Midwinter. So, I'll be responsible for posting content to ALA's CMS for GODORT, requesting content be sent to me, holding meetings of the other web managers, etc. etc. I talked to Lesley Pearce this morning, the current web admin, and she's spectacularly nice and helpful, so I feel a bit more confident.

I've sadly had to cut short my participation in our library's new Book Cart Drill Team, and they have a killer of a theme, sigh. But my professional responsibilities are more important at the moment, particularly to my long-term career, and considering I'm looking at that PhD application, I don't think I want to take on a bunch of "fluff" commitments just yet. I'm learning to say "no," but it's awfully hard and not much fun.

However, I hope to be free at TLA during the competition so that I can photograph/film the team and cheer them on!

...So, I didn't use my three days off to edit/post photos and finish my ALA blogging. Really, is anyone but myself surprised at this? I will try to get those up in a reasonable amount of time.

Closer to Completion

Check out my new, improved, no-longer-just-my-Portfolio website, aka your Portal to all things Geeky Artist Librarian.

And, um, yeah I still need to add in my previous positions under Experience, etc etc, but I'm just happy that I finally made the portal page I'd dreamed of for the past year.

Now, if I can only get my snazzydecor.com domain to point to it...

Updating ePortfolio

By the way, in case you've been trying to reach my mural business website, Snazzy Decor (http://www.snazzydecor.com), or my professional ePortfolio, my web server's been down for several months.

However, I'm temporarily porting my ePortfolio over to webspace at UNT (see link). I'm still missing several pages, but will grab them soon. Also, the index and contact pages have updated information, but all other pages are probably 6-12 months out of date. I hope to have this project completed by the end of next week.

Notice that I've changed my design to a more nifty one? That's because I stripped the last remaining formatting out of these files and have fully embraced the glory of CSS.

Oh, and if you don't have an online portfolio? It's a really good idea, IMHO.

Triumph!

I've completed my first professional book review, for the Journal of Web Librarianship.

Now I can get back to that long list of to-do items... like organizing my office so that I can find those to-do items.

Lincoln's Blood

It poured yesterday.

Despite that, my colleague Clarice and I drove down to Corsicana for the North Texas Documents group meeting (NORDOCs) at Navarro College. We had a really good meeting, and it was nice to not be the newest docs librarian there.

Susan showed us around their gorgeous new library (windows everywhere!), and then took us to Navarro College's amazing Pearce Collection of Civil War artifacts. It is an amazingly, gorgeously put-together exhibit (the lights that lead you through it get redder as the chronology of the war got bloodier). I loved the introductory film, which was not only interesting and quality-produced, but uniquely displayed. There was a normal rectangular screen for the film itself, and below it were two shaped screens: one an oval, and the other in the shape of the eastern half of the United States. The oval screen displayed photographs of individuals and the names, dates, and places of letters written as they were talked about in the film, and the map screen starred locations as battles and letters were mentioned.

The collection, which consists of over 15,000 documents, is primarily letters by ordinary soldiers. They're funny, heart-rending, and touchingly human. I read an account by a young surgeon who told of his first two "maiden surgeries" on the field--amputating an arm and a leg.

There were several official government documents, including a typed eyewitness account of Lincoln's death, and a letter written by Lincoln on "Executive Mansion" stationary. And there next to it was a towel with two dark brown spots--blood from his mortal wound.

There's something about being that close to a historical relic--being one sheet of glass and two inches of air from a piece of something important more than a hundred years old. It reminds me, and don't laugh, of a scene from First Contact.

Picard: It's a boyhood fantasy... I must have seen this ship hundreds of times in the Smithsonian but I was never able to touch it.
Data: Sir, does tactile contact alter your perception of The Phoenix?
Picard: Oh, yes! For humans, touch can connect you to an object in a very personal way, make it seem more real.

On a lighter note, we stopped by the famous Collin Street Bakery on our way back--you may have heard of their DeLuxe Fruitcake. Clarice, whose grandmother lived in Corsicana, showed me through the quaint downtown area--I loved those brick streets.

That's Ms. Councilor-Alternate to You!

Yes, that's right, I was elected TLA GODORT Councilor-Alternate. Hooray!

I've also volunteered for the TLA GODORT Website Committee.

Let's Review...

I'm about to begin my first professional book review for The Journal of Web Librarianship, and thought I'd share that their review editor, Phillip M. Edwards, has written a great guide to professional reviewing.

I'll be slapping material for the review up on my wiki periodically.

Currently Reading The Human Side of Reference and Information Services in Academic Libraries: Adding value in the digital world Edited by Lesley S.J. Farmer

Other highlights today...

• I was asked to be in an ALA promotional video. Apparently, I'm young and hip-looking. Methinks I should break out my new pack of "The Illustrated Librarian" temporary tattoos.
• Still trying to get all my materials together for my first annual review. Whew!!
  
• I'm working on a large calendar with photographs of UNT's beloved albino squirrel (may he rest in peace) for our CyberCafe on the first floor. We're opening an Albino Squirrel Memorial on the 16th (sadly, I'll be in Denver).

The Wonderful World of Wikis / The "How" of Wikis

Yes, folks, the archived version of our presentation is already up!!! You've got many different flavors of access to it:

• streaming audio, text chat, and presentation slides (playback time: 55 minutes)

• native WMA audiorecording (8.4 MB file; playback time of 55 minutes)

• converted MP3 audiorecording (22.2 MB file; playback time of 55 minutes)

• Chad's Powerpoint slides

• My Powerpoint slides

• text chat transcript

My gracious thanks to my talented co-presenter Chad, and to Meredith, Amanda, Tom, and the OPAL folks for this great opportunity!

Publicity, Of Several Kinds

This week Catherine Cuellar, a reporter for local NPR affiliate KERA 90.1, interviewed myself along with Cathy Hartman (assistant dean of UNT Libraries) and Garret Rumohr (UNT-L Web Server Administrator) about UNT's CyberCemetery (which I maintain). The 4 to 5-minute story will air soon on KERA's "Morning Edition" show, perhaps as early as Monday, 2/19 (the show runs from 5am to 9am). You can also listen to KERA streaming online.

For more about the CyberCemetery, see the recent UNT InHouse story on it.

I've already mentioned the Denton Reads blog, but wanted to stress that there have been a number of updates to it and the official Denton Reads website, such as the addition of Book Club information and publicity materials.

Monday, I'll be testing the OPAL webcast software (along with my nifty new headset/microphone) in preparation for my March 1st Five Weeks to a Social Library presentation on "The How of Wikis." (Hopefully by then I won't still sound so stuffy--I had the flu earlier this week, and I still sound ridiculous.)

Just Like a Librarian

There’s nothing like four hours or so of office re-organization. I feel like the cobwebs of my mind have been cleared, as well—just wish that I could reorganize my whole home in the same amount of time it takes to do one office. (And that’s also considering only six months or so of office artifacts, versus six years of objects settling into the strata-like layers of my house.)

Luckily, I chose to do it all today. The past two days were a madhouse of catching up, and next week the chaos begins as students return, courses begin, and our service desk opens again. Today was intensely quiet and miraculously interruption-free, perfect for labeling file folders and overflowing my paper recycle bin.

Going through my papers, I found my “$100 folder.” I started it when I read this blog post by Steven Cohen last June. This is going to be a great resource when PAC (Personnel Affairs Committee review) time comes around at the UNT-L. I print out particularly pleased patron responses to email reference answers, photos of any library displays I’ve worked on, and examples of applied ideas and accomplishments (with specific number comparing before/after, if possible). For instance, before vacation my former boss changed our online comment form to direct all email to me. Two days before Christmas vacation, I got 35 messages in a row, all of which were spam. I requested that one of our LAN guys add a CAPTCHA feature to the form to verify human vs. computer entries. Since he implemented it, I’ve received just 6 emails, none of which were spam. Success!