NMRT (New Members Round Table)

last person joined: yesterday 

The mission of the New Members Round Table (NMRT) is to help those who have been association members less than ten years become actively involved in the association and the profession.

Learn more about NMRT on the ALA website.

New Writers' Support (Disbanded) 

Feb 29, 2016 08:17 PM

About the Committee


Welcome to the new website for the New Writer' Support Ad Hoc Committee! We are an ad hoc committee that operates under NMRT and our mandate is to gather resources that are relevant to and useful for librarians who have an interest in professional research and publication. Part of this mandate is served by our listserv NMRTWRITER, a discussion list for new librarians interested in publication, and we hope that our website will now also serve as a valuable resource to those new to professional research and publication.


Books & Articles


Alley, Brian, and Jennifer S. Cargill. Librarian in Search of a Publisher: How to Get Published. Phoenix: AZ: Oryx Press, 1986.


Block, Karla J. "From the Editor's Desk," LIScareer, February 2004.


Bowman, Vibiana. "The Battle of Getting an Article Published ... Notes from the Front," LIScareer, January 2004.


Carter, Ruth C., "How to Get Research in Cataloging Published," Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 19, no.1 (1994), 107-117. --provides guidance on finding topics and the writing process. It also provides a sample checklist of evaluation criteria used by reviewers and comments.


Crawford, Walt. First Have Something to Say: Writing for the Library Profession. ALA, 2003.


Cubberley, Carol W., "Writing for Publication," in Tenure and Promotion for Academic Librarians (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1996), 83-97. -This outlines types of publishing and gives some ideas for fostering collaboration among colleagues within one's library.


Di Vecchio, Jerry, "Transforming an Oral Presentation for Publication," Library Administration & Management 12, no. 3 (Summer 1998), 138-141.


Etches-Johnson, Amanda. "Look Mom, I Got my Name in Print! Lessons Learned by a Publishing Neophyte," LIScareer, March 2004.


Giesecke, Joan, "Preparing Research for Publication," Library Administration & Management, 12, no. 3 (Summer 1998), 134-137. --this presents tips for writing, mistakes to avoid,


Gordon, Rachel Singer. The Librarian's Guide to Writing for Publication. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2004.


Haas, Lesllie, Milton, Suzanne Miltton, "Surviving the Publishing Process: A Beginner's Guide," RQ, 36, no.2 (Winter 1996), 230-246. --surveyed 50 librarians and editors on acceptance rates, waiting periods, timeliness of response to article submissions.


Janes, Joseph. "On Research: The Early Stages: Ideas, Questions, and Getting Started," Library Hi Tech, 18, no.3 (2000), 289-291.


Jones, Wayne. "Getting Published," LIScareer, December 2001.


Schroeder, Carol F., and Gloria G. Roberson, eds. Guide to Publishing Opportunities for Librarians. New York: Haworth Press, 1995. --this is a little outdated but still helpful in providing submission policies for the major journals in library science. Some journals included have since changed names.


Sellen, Betty-Carol, ed., Librarian/Author: A Practical Guide For Getting Published. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 1985.


 


Web Resources


A Library Writer's Blog http://librarywriting.blogspot.com/


The Researching Librarian http://www.researchinglibrarian.com/


Suggested Topics for Library Science Research and Publication http://www.bsu.edu/libraries/ahafner/awh-th-researchtopics.htm


 


Writing for Non-Library Publications


Does writing for a peer-reviewed scholarly journal seem too intimidating? Want to expand your focus beyond library publication? You can still indulge your desire to publish by writing for a general interest or non-library-specific journal, magazine or newsletter. Not only can this can jumpstart your writing career and provide you with the experience of writing for publication, but it can also provide great public relations for your institution and for libraries in general.


Start by looking around your office, on your desk or in your living room. What publications do you read that might publish a library-related article? An academic librarian in an architecture library might write a book review column for the newsletter of the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects or an article about recently published monographs in a national architecture journal.


Since public and school libraries tend to have many interested stakeholders in the community, librarians in these institutions can especially benefit from writing in publications beyond the professional library literature. A YA librarian in a public library might write an article about her Teen Book Club for the local public school’s PTA newsletter, then integrate statistics concerning recent literacy trends into the same article for the local newspaper, and then survey other teen book clubs around the country for an sent to a mass-market teen magazine.


You can also adapt your own interests or hobbies into pieces that draw on your professional knowledge as well. If you love cats, write an article about the best reference works on cat breeding for Cat Fancy. If you like photography, suggest writing an article about biographies of famous photographers for an online journal in the field. You could also relate how the use of a digital camera has transformed your library in the “Technology” section of your local newspaper. Or maybe you could submit a piece to the local school district’s newsletter about the best beginning photography books for high school kids. The possibilities are almost endless.


The best thing about writing in unusual markets is the marketing potential. You are letting the world of non-librarians know that librarians have something to say that is important to the rest of the world. So get creative and get writing.



  • Newsletters


Newsletters are almost always looking for articles so they are a great place to start. Writing for newsletters usually involves small pieces, generally not more than 250 words. Look through your own mail for newsletters from associations or organizations of which you are a member. Think of community organizations, PTAs, garden clubs, Rotary, co-ops, etc.




    • Resources



Bivins, T. H.. Fundamentals of successful newsletters: Everything you need to write, design, and publish more effective newsletters. Chicago, IL: NTC Business Books, 1992.


E-zine Universe—Email Newsletter Directory http://ezine-universe.com/


Newsletters in print. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc. Printed annually.



  • Newspapers


Look to your local newspaper for publishing opinion pieces or informative articles. Newspapers will also often have a special “Book” or “Technology” section once a week that could be an appropriate forum for a librarian-penned piece.




    • Resources



Friedlander, Edward Jay, and John Lee. Feature writing for newspapers and magazines : the pursuit of excellence. New York : Longman, c2000. 4th ed.


Newspapers: A Great Source of Freelance Opportunities http://www.writing-world.com/freelance/newspapers.shtml


Internet Public Library—Newspapers http://www.ipl.org/div/news/


Newspapers US & Worldwide-Refdesk.com http://www.refdesk.com/paper.html



  • Local & National Magazines


Writing for a local or national magazine could mean a short 100 word blurb, a book review, or a feature-length article. Make sure to read the publication’s writer guidelines and read some back issues before beginning. Most publications will also expect a query letter for the article that you wish to write. Check into local writing groups or clubs for more information on writing for magazines.




    • Resources



Tips on Selling Your Work to Magazines http://www.write101.com/magtips.htm


Writer's Digest - Guidelines http://www.writersdigest.com/SubmissionGuidelines/


The writer's market. Cincinnati: F & W Publications. Published annually.


Writing Groups—Google Directory http://www.google.com/Top/Arts/Writers_Resources/


Freelance Writers How Tos, Samples and Tips http://freelancewrite.about.com/library/blpages/blsamplesix.htm


#Section4Committees

Library Entry Statistics
0 Favorited
0 Views
0 Files
0 Shares
0 Downloads

Library Entry Related Links

No Related Resource entered.