Jumping on the bandwagon
Walt Crawford has been getting a lot of blog press lately. However, I think he deserves every bit. Nonetheless, I've been holding off on my own 'giving of props' because I did not want to risk comparison to other, more well-written paeans.
Well, pfui on that. Here are some reasons I read and appreciate Cites & Insights, Walt's zine, every chance I get and why you should too:
1) Chock Full O'Goodness
Walt is a technology analyst at RLG, creators of RLIN and Eureka. And he apparently takes his job home with him.
If you're interested in information technology in libraries, read C&I
If you're interested in copyright and the public domain, read C&I
If you're interested in open access to scholarly workers, read C&I
If you're interested in technology-focused legislation that affects libraries, read C&I
If you're interested in CIPA and Internet filtering, read C&I
If you're interested in computer hardware and software that's used in libraries, read C&I
If you're interested in e-books, read C&I
And, if you're interested in organized, engaging, skeptical and unpretentious writing about library issues centering around technology, read C&I.
2) Fast, cheap and out of control
Okay, the third one is a complete lie, but I'm an Errol Morris fan.
Walt writes for a gaggle of publications. And doggone, I can't afford them all (especially the ones published by Information Today ... haven't they heard of student rates??). C&I is free. And archived and indexed. And even if you do read his columns in paid media (which you should ... we need to support library media when we can), C&I allows him a larger canvas to paint a deeper picture of issues than he can do in one page (even if it's 3-column, 10-point type).
3) It's portable
About the one thing that Walt consistently gets grief about: 'Why is C&I only available in PDF format?'
Well, I like it in PDF format. It's a very clean layout and it downloads/prints well without bloated to unconsciable megs due to funky typefaces. I tend to print it out, two pages per sheet, and stick it in my backpack/bookbag/etc. For a while, I tried crafting a Green Eggs & Ham-type tribute to C&I's format:
I can read it on the BART
I can read it on a cart
I can read it on a plane
I can read it in the rain
In a boat or in a car
I can even read it in a bar!
Not a poet and I know it. Nonetheless, I do tend to drag out my copy in the middle of BART trips to Berkeley or before SLA meetings (local and national) or during lunch. When there's something that really strikes my fancy (or has me scratching my head), I write notes in the margins. I would also cite directly from it (a couple of times, at least) in my LibSci classes.
4) Fabulous cultural taste
Walt is a fan of Joss Whedon's work ... don't be surprised to run into mentions of his DVD collection of Buffy or asides on the latest plot twists of Angel. Come on! Show the love!
5) He's very responsive.
I've fan-boyed (or fan-girled) him. I've questioned his judgment (politely, I hope). And I've asked him silly questions before bothering to research it for myself. He's been very helpful and gracious and cool in every instance. Given me publishing advice. He even gave me a shout-out in his latest special issue, a glossary of library and technology terms.
So if you're not reading C&I, you should start ... today.
Comments
What can I say?
Thanks.
Although, in fact, (apparently taking my job home with me), what I talk about in C&I is only rarely related to my day job (OpenURL is a major exception: that *is* part of my day job). That's true for most of my library involvement, which is one of those strange situations... At work, I mostly work on Eureka interface issues, statistical analysis of usage and log analysis to improve the interface, OpenURL, new standards for user reports, and various side issues where my ridiculous time-at-job is valuable.
Most of the more general technology-and-libraries reading and thinking (copyright, public domain, open access, censorware, computer stuff, ebooks) is on my own time. (It doesn't hurt that my wife, who unlike me DOES have an MLS, is also a library person--and also an analyst at RLG, in other areas of our operation. ILL Manager and the next-generation technical processing client, to be specific. Yes, we do talk about work over dinner sometimes.)
I actually only write for three publications on a continuing basis. Would that they all posted my stuff online (AL does; EContent sometimes does, after a delay, dunno about Online, but I'm only there three times a year)...
(That's all done at home too, as is preparation for most speeches.)
On to midwinter...
Posted by: Walt Crawford | January 2, 2004 05:22 PM
I'm still reminded of the infamous ad that started: "After a long day at the library, the last thing Margaret needed to unwind with was a good book .."
Posted by: misseli | January 2, 2004 11:38 PM
One other thing:
I'm not sure "out of control" is a complete lie, at least as it applies to Cites & Insights in 2004. With a 26-page issue followed 10 days later by a peculiar special issue, and with another possible special issue already looming over the horizon, and with no sense as to whether I'll keep going with this for the longer term, "out of control" sounds just about right.
(I don't know who Erol Morris is, but I have a weakness for lines from songs at relevant points, so I respect the instinct in any case!)
Posted by: Walt Crawford | January 4, 2004 10:10 AM