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But I Want To Hold It In My Hand! Print Resources
Crawford, Walt. First Have Something to Say: Writing For The Library Profession. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2003. ISBN 0-8389-0851-9. $29.00. Purchase from Amazon.com.
Welcome to Writing in Walt's World! A senior analyst at RLG with 13 other books and 300 articles under his belt, the columnist of American Libraries' "Crawford Files" offers us his personal advice on writing for the library field.
In nineteen short chapters, a useful resources appendix, and selective bibliography, Walt addresses: selecting the right writing publications and sources (refereed journals, magazines, library periodicals, books, electronic discussion lists, book reviews, blogs, and 'zines) building confidence in what you have to say; the necessity of retaining your personality in articles and speeches; navigating the basics of copyright and contracts; interacting with referees and editors; knowing when to go out on your own; and, that writing for speaking is a compositional style in itself!
Those looking for instructions on how to write, grammar rules, writing style checklists and a book proposal sample will be disappointed. However, if you are interested in writing library-related nonfiction, you can use this book as a starting point for thinking about if you really have something important to say and how to say it.
Reviewed by Zahra M. Baird, Children's Librarian, Chappaqua Library, Chappaqua, NY.