Tony FonsecaSerials Librarian

Nicholls State UniversityACRL-LA President Elect

An ACRL-LA 2008 Mini-Conference Presentation

This presentation assumes you already know how to write, but either

have no idea how to turn your multidisciplinary interests, ideas, and initiatives into articles,

feel that you have nothing valuable to add to the professional literature, and/or

are still on the fence about the value of scholarly publishing.

I will discuss ways to break into the world of published writers and ways to advance your career as a publishing academic, while writing about what you like and know.

Started out in literature (M.A., 1989; Ph.D., 1993).

Wrote my dissertation on mainstream authors who use horror imagery.

Taught composition, writing, and literature for three years

Between 1992 and 1997, was attending various literature and pedagogy conferences.

Got my M.L.I.S. in 1997. Got my first librarian position as a special

library Systems Administrator in 1998, becoming a second career librarian.

Became an academic librarian in 2001 (Information Literacy Coordinator).

Got my present position as a Reference, then Serials and Electronic Resources Librarian in 2005.

Became heavily involved in faculty development in 2005.

Questions for the aspiring academic librarian in a faculty rank, tenure track position: How can I stay current and advance in my

day-to-day job while researching, presenting, and publishing?

Is it possible to do both well? Can I afford to not do both well? Am I “cheating” my library by dividing my

time between my “job duties” and my research, conferencing, and publishing?

Can I write in areas that emphasize my multidisciplinary background and interests?

Myths associated with being in an academic librarian position with faculty rank (tenure track):

There are two types of academic librarians: those who publish and those who “man the fort.”

Researching and publishing is a selfish act. Review writing is an academic librarian’s

priority; we shouldn’t have to also publish articles to get merit.

Faculty rank and tenure track are not necessary.

This struggle is challenging because we must also meet our obligations to our patrons.

The tension between these two conflicting obligations leads us to ask,

Can an academic librarian serve his/her primary function & meet the demands of tenure?

The answer is "yes." If we budget our time well, plan,

network, collaborate when necessary, and accept our role as equals to teaching/research faculty, we can find ways to get published.

This will benefit not only the individual, but the library as well, not to mention the institution as a whole.

This strategy has nothing to do with shirking our duties as librarians.

We are actually performing beneficial service to both our institution and to the profession, both of which are essential in the Assistant Professor track.

There is no single way to get started publishing, but these may work for you: Finding a mentor Researching journals for

appropriate fits Conferencing Other Networking Collaborating

A few academic libraries in Louisiana have processes in place whereby experienced published librarians assist the less experienced.

ACRL-LA is working on a formalized mentoring program that will allow mentees to choose mentors based on specific needs, including publishing.

Help a mentee develop an idea into an article or reference essay.

Help refine a mentee’s writing for a specific audience and purpose.

Help a mentee network in order to find friendly journal editors and acquisitions editors.

Suggest the best matches for a publishing idea.

Help a mentee deal with editorial suggestions and sometimes with rejection..

“Incorporating the Internet into Traditional Library Instruction.” Computers in Libraries 20.2 (2000): 38-42. With Monica King.

King was named a “Super-Librarian” by Karen G. Schneider in her American Libraries Column for November 1999.  At the time, she was the Young Adult Services Coordinator for Ouachita Parish Public Library in Monroe, Louisiana, and had developed an authentication technique. We met while receiving training for computers being donated to the state’s public library system by The Gates Foundation. We worked on this article together by corresponding via e-mail and ICQ.

In any academic discipline, the first lesson of publishing is to match your article or book idea to the right journal or publisher.

There is still no better way to do this than to research publishing trends per journal. To find a book publisher, use your knowledge of collection development to determine which publishers work in the niche that most fits your ideas.

“He Said, She Said: A Survey of Men’s and Women’s Views of the Genre and Its Sex Roles.” Dissections: The Journal of Contemporary Horror 2 (Feb., 2008). *Peer reviewed online journal out of The University of Brighton.

“Beats and Bongos: Making the Library the Cultural Center of Academe.” Louisiana Libraries 71.4 (Spring 2008): 49-53. With Melissa Ursula Dawn Goldsmith and Van P. Viator.

On the first of these, I got lucky. While attending the Annual International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, I met Gina Wisker and Mike Arnzen, two of the journal’s editors. They suggested that my presentation on horror readership might fit their journal (Dissections) well. I looked into it, and found that they did like cutting edge academic horror studies.

On the second, I found out that Louisiana Libraries was devoting a special issue to outreach programs. Viator was already working on such an article, and I was already presenting with Goldsmith, so we decided to team up.

Use networking to find out what you can about journal editors and acquisitions editors.

Don’t be afraid to contact someone out of the academic librarian’s “comfort zone.”

While university presses are the normal outlet for academic publishing, very few specialize or even dabble in academic librarianship literature.

Co-Author. Hooked on Horror: A Guide to Reading Interests in Horror Fiction (Genreflecting series). Revised, Updated edition. Westport, CN: Libraries Unlimited, 2008, 2003, 1999. With June Michele Pulliam, LSU.

Co-Author. Read On… Horror. Westport, CN: Libraries Unlimited, 2006. With June Michele Pulliam, LSU.

Part of the Greenwood Publishing Group, LU serves the needs of the profession through quality publications for LIS students and faculty, practicing librarians, media specialists, and teachers. It publishes bibliographies and reference books, library science textbooks, information science materials, and practical handbooks, monographs, and manuals for librarians.

Back in 1998, after hearing that Libraries Unlimited was looking to expand its Genreflecting monograph into a series of genre specific books (through one of my SLIS instructors), I contacted their acquisitions editor. Working with one of my colleagues with whom I was team-teaching a class in vampire fiction at the moment, I drafted a book proposal. The most important lesson I learned from a decade of working with LU’s Barbara Ittner is that publishers are willing to bend if writers have an idea that they are highly interested in. Authors have to be flexible as well. One cannot become too enamored of one’s own writing style, and it important to pick and chose your battles carefully when you work with an editor.

Make special note of publishers and editors who offer constructive feedback. These may prove of great benefit.

Find a colleague or colleagues who is/are willing to share notes with you. While your idea may need work or get rejected, others’ ideas may be just what that editor needs.

This is a ‘win-win situation” for you and your colleagues, as you can help each other.

Consider presenting at both librarian and multidisciplinary conferences, based on your interests.

As a rule, presenting a paper is not intimidating, since audiences are normally receptive.

It doesn’t hurt to have a friendly colleague sit in the audience.

Read the attendees list ahead of time, and attend sessions where editors are presenting.

As a session participant, have a good question at the ready (since abstracts are usually available up front). This may be your first networking opportunity with an editor.

Don’t just do the statewide conferences. There are always regional and national conferences.

Don’t be afraid to submit to these as well. It’s tougher to get accepted, but a hot topic could succeed, and you are likely to network better at this level.

Various encyclopedia entries (24 total) for Supernatural Literature of the World: An Encyclopedia. Ed. S. T. Joshi and Stefan Dziemianowicz. Westport, CN:Greenwood. 2005.

“The Doppelganger.” Icons of Horror and the Supernatural: An Encyclopedia of Our Worst Nightmares. Ed. S. T. Joshi. Westport, CN: Greenwood, 2006. 187-213.

“The Psychic.” Icons of Horror and the Supernatural: An Encyclopedia of Our Worst Nightmares. Ed. S. T. Joshi. Westport, CN: Greenwood, 2006. 409-39.

Various reviews (12) for Necrofile: The Review of Horror Fiction. Providence: Necro Press, 1997-2000. Various reviews (6+) for Dead Reckonings.

Sunand Tryambak Joshi is a literary critic, and a leading figure in the study of H. P. Lovecraft and other authors of weird and fantastic fiction. Joshi has written about Ambrose Bierce, H. L. Mencken, Lord Dunsany, Algernon Blackwood and M.R. James, and has edited collections of their works. He is the past editor of Necrofile: The Review of Horror Fiction and the current editor of Dead Reckonings: The Review of Horror Fiction. I have never met him in person, but through networking at conferences, I met one of his writers, who got me to work for Joshi.

“Emphasizing Research Strategies Using Nosich’s Theories of Fundamental and Powerful Concepts.” South East Philosophy of Education Society Conference (SEPES 60). Baton Rouge, LA. Feb. 4, 2008.

“Board of Regents, SACS, and Information Literacy Requirements and Expectations: What Does It Mean to My Institution?” The Louisiana Technical and Community College System Leadership Development Conference. With Debra Rollins and Jessica Hutchings. Baton Rouge, LA, Aug. 13, 2007.

“Escaping the Island of Forgotten Faculty: When the Academic Librarian Becomes Visible.” Louisiana Libraries Association. With Van Viator. Baton Rouge, LA. March 8, 2007.

I have been unable to find a home for this yet. Most journals are calling it too theoretical and are looking for something with an original survey or what they call “original research.” This is forcing me to rethink the article to better fit what the publishers seem to be looking for.

Identify mentors and mentees Get to know people personally Cultivate allies through friend-of-

friend networks Bring visibility to your work Negotiate the academic system

“Maxine Hong Kingston.” Dictionary of Literary Biography: Asian American Writers 312. Ed. Deborah Madsen. 2005. 163-80.

“Garret Kaoru Hongo.” Dictionary of Literary Biography: Asian American Writers 312. Ed. Deborah Madsen. 2005. 117-22.

Various Reviews (3+) for Screening the Past (2007- ).

These happened through the friend-of-a-friend network. A colleague of mine from graduate school recommended this contract to me, and even contacted the editor on my behalf. This was probably the worst experience I have ever had with an editor in general. I wrote more drafts of these two reference essays than I care to count, but the end product were two well-received pieces of writing, one of which has been cited.

Screening the Past is an international, refereed, electronic journal of media and history published with the support of the La Trobe University (Australia) Publications Committee and the Media Studies Program in the School of Communications, Arts and Critical Enquiry. I was introduced to the editor by a colleague who knew of my interest in film and media.

Addresses the trend for increased interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers.

Brings scholarship in line with the evolving broader definition of what constitutes publishable scholarship (Examples: general handbooks, guides, directories).

De-emphasizes the problem of limited, individualized perspective.

Allows new writers the chance to work with experienced writers.

Allows each contributor to utilize his/her strength, whether it be research, writing, organizing, or editing.

Don’t think that you are not qualified. You all have an idea that others in the field will want to read about.

You don’t have to have advanced degrees; years of experience is a great teacher, and of all academics, we are the best researchers.

Turn your interests into a librarianship issue.

Correspond with editors via e-mail. You will first prepare a “query” to

the editor, to see if they are interested.

You can send the query before you have completed the article.

Always be looking for ideas to publish.

If you have spent time researching something, why not document it and try to publish it?

Remember that before submitting for the first time, it is a good idea to have a colleague or mentor review your article.

Tony Fonseca

Serials LibrarianACRL-LA President-ElectNicholls State UniversityTel: 985/448-4675Email: tony.fonseca@nicholls.edu