Info Newsletter Index

SIS INFO
Vol. 18, No. 3/4
July 2004

If you would like to submit articles for future newsletters (a great way to communicate with local colleagues in all types of libraries!), please e-mail me at aliciae@tampabay.rr.com Thanks!   - Alicia Ellison, Editor 

Next Meeting

Our August meeting will be on Thursday, August 12, 2004, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  It will be an informal dutch treat dinner (separate checks) at Dino's Grill & Bar in Pinellas Park (4300 Park Blvd., Pinellas Park,  727-541-6356.) This is a great opportunity to get to know one another, catch up on the latest news, and share in general discussion. Email Karen Wilber if at wilberk@tblc.org you plan to attend.  An RSVP is not required, but the restaurant would like an approximate headcount.

What Else Can I Do With this Library Degree?

Elizabeth A. Curry is currently in the doctoral program at the University of South Florida Communication Department. She is a trainer and consultant who specializes in leadership, collaboration, team development and strategic thinking. She has worked with all types of libraries in her roles as Executive Director of SEFLIN, Marketing Manager for SOLINET, State Library consultant and public librarian. Elizabeth has also served in a variety of roles with professional associations such as president of the Florida Library Association, Editor of Southeastern Library Association journal, Board member of ALA Interlibrary Cooperation and Networking Committee and others. She has been involved in community outreach, training, partnerships and collaborative projects for over twenty-five years. Elizabeth’s research interests center on empowerment, appreciative inquiry, collegiality, compassion and narrative interpretation.

Robin Del Guidice spent 18 years as a Children’s librarian in NJ before coming to Florida. Her last position there was Coordinator of Youth Services for the Somerset County Library, where she built the program into one of the busiest in the state. While in NJ, she was also an active member of the New Jersey Library Association, serving on the Executive Board, as President of the Children’s Services Section, and as chairperson of numerous committees. Currently Robin is an independent consultant doing several things that take advantage of skills developed during a career in libraries. One is with a global career services firm helping clients who have been downsized through their career transition. She also does special collection development projects for Brodart Books. "A strange mix," Robin says, "but one that works for me!"

We are deeply grateful to these two outstanding professionals for their willingness to share their fascinating stories and real-world tips with SIS members. This panel discussion will take place in Hillsborough County. Stay tuned to SIS-INFO, the SIS-L discussion list, or our website (http://www.tblc.org/sis/) for RSVP information, location, time, and cost.

Alicia Ellison
October Program Planner

If You Missed Our Last Meeting, You Missed a Good One

Past Meeting: "Professional Publishing" - June 16, 2004

SIS’s June meeting was held at CAE USA with an excellent turnout, a fantastic program, and (as always) fabulous food.

A group of 26 assembled in the cafeteria for a catered buffet and conversation. Robin Leigh called the meeting to order at 6:30.

Upcoming programs include: "What else can you do with an MLS degree?" which will be held at Berkeley Prep in Tampa and hosted by CD McLean. The program will feature panelists who have pursued alternative career paths. Stay tuned to the SIS e-mailing list and newsletter for details. A future program at the Dali Museum is still being discussed.

Safety Harbor Public Library will be hiring a part-time Reference Assistant. The Academy of Holy Names is looking for a Media Specialist to serve as an advisor to teachers implementing technology in their classrooms.

Our panel brought a wide variety of experiences and viewpoints to the group, covering everything from getting started, to writing for peer-reviewed journals, to publishing books, to publishing on the web. Each panelist brought a unique perspective and background to the discussion. They shared helpful advice for getting started and practical lessons learned along the way.

Alicia Ellison – Hillsborough Community College, Ybor City: Recently published an article in Innovation Abstracts, a newsletter of practical teaching tips for community college faculty, put out by the University of Texas-Austin College of Education (read the article here: http://dell4hied.com/nisod/pdf/pdf_150.pdf ).  An expanded version of this article will be appear in the peer-reviewed journal, Community and Junior College  Libraries, Vol. 12, Issue 2.

Cheryl Dee – Professor at USF SLIS: Section Editor of Medical Reference Services Quarterly; Assistant Editor of Biomedical Digital Libraries, an Open Access peer-reviewed online journal; currently working on several articles for peer-reviewed journals.

George Morgan – Aha! Seminars, Inc.: Genealogy columnist and author of the recently published How to Do Everything with Your Genealogy (Osborne-McGraw Hill), which has sold over 51,000 copies through Amazon.com

Shirl Kennedy – MacDill AFB: a writer who became a librarian, she has written for several Information Today publications as is currently editing Gary Price’s Resource Shelf (http://resourceshelf.com)

Each panelist presented practical advice for aspiring and experienced writers. Here are some of the selected tips:

• Find journals that you really like. Read them to find out how they are written. Study the style of writing, the type of articles published, the usual length of articles, the citation/bibliography style. Use this information to tailor your article for the publication. Write what they like to publish.
• Consider your audience. Are you writing for a practitioner publication? For a peer reviewed journal? An online column? This will affect your style.
• Consider what you’re writing. As you read, consider the difference in structure between a column, a 2-page article, a chapter, and an entire book. Plan your work accordingly.
• Create an outline. Take a concept, consider the projected length and audience, and outline your project. Build your article from the outline with paragraphs and transitions. Put those lessons learned in English composition class to use. Have someone else read and edit your work. When proposing an article or book to a publisher – add additional details to each section of the outline so that they have an idea about the potential product.
• Share what you know. Cheryl Dee stated that everyone in SIS is good at something and has something exciting that they can publish. Write about what you know. You may just provide an interesting angle that a reader hadn’t thought of before.
• Don’t worry about being perfect. Shirl Kennedy shared her experience as a writer – sometimes just good enough is fine. They’ll send it back to you if it needs work. Deadlines are a sure cure for endless revising. Don’t be afraid of failure. Challenge yourself to learn from it.
• Put your copyright statement on everything that you create. Until you have a contract with a publisher all of the content belongs to you. Keep a copy of your work with © 2004 Your Name on the page.
• Get published where you can. Write for local and regional publications to gain experience and begin building a portfolio. George Morgan wrote his first genealogy columns as part of an online forum, for free. After he had established a reputation in this area he was able to leverage his proven success into a paid column.
• Practical applications are appealing. Share your experiences and lessons learned with others. Your story of how you met a challenge in your library will appeal to others facing similar situations. Your article may be just the thing someone else is looking for.
• For practitioner publications – write the way you talk. Alicia Ellison said to imagine yourself writing to a friend to make your article more engaging. After all, you want your article to be read by others.
• For peer-reviewed publications – be prepared to do some additional editing. Certain reviewers will love your work, while others will offer pages of suggestions. Evaluate their criticism and use the suggestions to tailor your article.
• For peer-reviewed publications – count something and write about it. Do some research and compare your project or program against standards or against another similar program.
• Aim for publishing in a journal that is indexed. Your article will continue to reach an audience long after you’ve written it.
• Content used in one article can be repurposed for another. You may be able to write several articles from the same information. Ask the first publication if there are any restrictions on using the information in articles for other publications. You may want to negotiate this in advance.
• Build a portfolio. Ask for a copy of the final publication. Maintain a collection of your published pieces. Build a body of your work that may be shared with a publisher. Your portfolio may one day become the basis of a book or presentation.
• Network with others. Read what others have published. Offer to help edit their articles. Talk to publishers. Make connections now that you can use in the future.

Though the group could have continued talking with the panelists through the night, we disbanded at 8 p.m. See you at the next meeting.

Respectfully submitted,
Karen Wilber
2004 Secretary

Calling All Candidates

SIS Nominating Committee gears up to prepare a slate for the October elections.

SIS members Wanda Barrett and Harriet Thompkins have agreed to serve as the SIS Nominating Committee for 2005 officers. They are seeking nominations for the following positions (descriptions for elected postions are taken from the SIS By-Laws):

• Vice-President/President Elect
• Secretary
• Treasurer

If you are interested in running for office or know of someone who you'd like to nominate for office, please contact Wanda (wanda@everlove.net) or Harriet (hthompkins@pplc.us).

Further information about nominations and election of officers is found in the Suncoast Information Specialist Membership Directory. The By-Laws are at the beginning of the Directory, or you may click here: http://www.tblc.org/sis/bylaws.htm.

Feel free to write to any of the current officers if you have any questions.

-Robin Leigh
2004 President