I sat in on Joe Janes’ class yesterday (perched on a cloud in the biblioether), and was delighted to see he is continuing his tradition of subverting the dominant paradigm among generations of new librarians. Being among library students also reminded me how much I love the classroom, which if you are even half a teacher forces you to constantly think and learn. To teach is to be a student many times over in new and unexpected ways.
The class also emboldened me to plan the class I want to teach, even as I saw it shift-shaping in my head. Instead of “reading, writing, and research” — which continues to strike me as two separate classes (writing for librarians, and research for writers) — this class would unapogetically focus on writing for librarianship in all its manifest glory, from the humble business letter to writing for advocacy publication, online and print, with special attention paid to my ‘umble theory that in the war of ideas, better writing often wins.
I would teach the fundamentals of creative writing and how to apply them to library writing: scene, image, dialog, metaphor, telling, showing, point of view; the art of revision; habits of effective writers; the possibilities are endless. (I saved all my notes from the MFA program and not long ago finally keyboarded the last of them into Word.)
This class would also feature the Dreaded Workshop, where students would share and critique writing. A good writer has the humility to welcome critique — and to provide constructive but honest criticism to others. But now I’m getting ahead of myself, on a post I am planning about what workshop teaches writers.
Obviously, I wouldn’t be able to teach this class right away — library schools have their fall assignments set — and if I have a new full-time job, I may need to park the class for another year, though I’ll teach bits and pieces of it (not a bad way to build a class). But somehow, sitting in class with Joe’s students yesterday both fixed a problem and pushed me forward.
Anyway, add “draft syllabus, run by trusted friends” to my to-do list for July.
Posted on this day, other years:
- The Links of Love are in Your Eyes - 2008
- Kibbles and Bits - 2006
- Are CDs, DVDs, Books, and Newspapers Obsolete? - 2005
17 Comments
If it’s offered virtually, I’ll definitely sign up!
Now, here is a class I once would have loved to teach. You can make it happen. I hope you will.
I thought of you, GraceAnne. I hope you’re doing well!
Reasonably so. I had a very big, very round birthday (I turned 60) a month ago, and I spent it with ten of my nearest and dearest — in Las Vegas. It was stupendous. I am teaching children’s and young adult literature (mostly the latter) online for Rutgers SCILS. My hair is almost entirely silver.
I’m so impressed that you have notes from your MFA program. I’m not at all sure they taught us anything in mine.
Wonderful idea, save me a seat!
Your teaching must be fun, GraceAnne! Ok, all, I am now highly motivated. I’m pushing through the checklist of Other Things, hoping that Tuesday-ish I can take a break and work on this syllabus.
Laura, I have many many many notes from the MFA… I had some wonderful instructors. My workshop notes tend to be brief, but there’s some juicy stuff in those, as well.
Which Joe Janes class did you observe? The class you’re dreaming of sounds great–advocacy plus creative writing, two of my favorite things…I’d happily sign up if you were teaching at the U of W or online.
Er… I’m not sure what class it was! Probably reference, I’m guessing?
Hi Karen. The class you’re imagining sounds great! Maybe a web writing component, too, yes? It would help with too-verbose reports and subject guides
Mike, absolutely: online writing skills would be a crucial component of this class — equally if not more important than “writing for paper.” (This fall I am teaching a one-day workshop on writing for the Web.)
Offer it online Karen! I’ll sign up! Now that I read other people’s writing more often, especially when I’m seeking a good example of something to crib from, I am amazed how quickly a great idea can get buried in bad writing.
I would include a performance evaluation component - how to describe the good, the bad, and the ugly of library work in words non library folk understand and get.
Your class sounds refreshing compared to the style of writing required in my MLIS classes (American Psychological Association). Boring!
APA isn’t really a style, though — it’s a style guide, useful for preparing some kinds of reports …though I mostly use Associated Press, a habit from my five years at Former Place Of Work Minus One. A class about writing would include citation — in fact I can see that being an entire session.
As all kinds of libraries scramble for funding, and as ‘evidence-based practice’ impacts the budget decisions made by bean-counters, research data must be used to improve/support the reports submitted by librarians. Yet rarely do the LIS courses teach HOW to write those reports effectively!
So a “Creative Writing for Librarians” course would certainly appeal to a wide variety of *already-working* librarians, especially if offered as an online course for CE /Professional Development. Business letters might be too basic, but newsletters, annual reports, press kits, grant proposals, articles for professional journals and local publications, etc., are all workshop-worthy possibilities.
Alice, thanks! I know teaching it as a full three-credit class is a long shot, but if I design the syllabus for 3 credits, then it’s ready, and I can always trim it down to 1 credit, a day-long course, short online course, etc. Also, I think it would be good for me to design it as a three-credit course, only if to get my head around “these are the possible topics for this type of instruction.”
On business letters… I think that’s a lost art, actually. That which is basic can be the most difficult. It’s also a good diagnostic for some of the fundamental writing problems, particularly getting-around-to-it-itis.
The suggestions for other forms are great — I’ll work those in.
Hi,
The class was called “Rethinking the Library”. Its purpose, as it seemed to me, was to rethink the image of the library, given the changing information environment and other factors, and how the library was to continue to have relevance in the changing society. I was one of the students in the classroom who got to listen to (and take notes on) many of the points that the FreeRange Librarian made during her hour-long call. It was a fascinating class, and Dr. Janes had many people talking to us about libraries and how we should be ‘rethinking the blob’.
I’d had my reservations about the profession, given my own vivid memory of being a pager during my high school years, and my vibrant personality. I wondered whether I would fit in. I’m happy to say that being in Dr. Janes’ class let me see that the librarian stereotype needs to be bashed against the wall and thrown out the window.
Thank you for answering my questions! I hope they didn’t seem too redundant.
Cheers!
Janene
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