In Praise of Slow Reading

In our efforts to absorb information as quickly as it comes at us, we tend to skim, skip, glance, and peruse articles and books rather than sit and read them. All our gadgets, facebook pages, news feeds and twitter feeds do is provide snippets of information, tantalizing bits of news and current events. In the end, we know a little bit about everything. "Wait" you say, "that's what librarians do, they know a little about everything. What's so bad about all the skimming and quick reads?" Well, I must confess I too dip and skim, but that's not reading, it's not absorbing information, facts, and provides no time for wrestling with the essence of an article. You must slow down and read deeply.

There are two terms used somewhat interchangeably "Slow Reading" and "Deep Reading". They refer to the concept of taking your time, reading and thinking about what is in front of you. Slow and deep reading provides time to absorb and analyze the information, to hear the words within your head and contemplate upon their meanings. Slow reading means ruminating, fixating, and often re-reading again and again until you 'get it' and actually learn what you are studying. Here's a nice definition of the deep reading http://grammar.about.com/od/d/g/Deep-Reading.htm Scroll below the definition for some quotes in context.

Jeanne Whalen's article "Read Slowly to Benefit Your Brain and Cut Stress: At Least 30 Minutes of Uninterrupted Reading With a Book or E-Book Helps." Wall Street Journal  (Sept 16, 2014): http://online.wsj.com/articles/read-slowly-to-benefit-your-brain-and-cut-stress-1410823086 promotes reading without distraction for long periods of time. There are some tests and quizzes to determine the speed at which you read and absorb information. Try them out. See how well you do. 

In terms of school, you need to read in uninterrupted chunks of time, in a non-distracting place. Not in front of the TV or computer screen, unless of course you are reading on that screen. Read without the distraction of facebook, e-mail, and phone. Take your time. Think about the concepts you are learning, test the ideas and techniques against what you already know, apply the techniques to the exercises and subjects you are studying. 

Slow and deep reading is important for absorbing what you read and for enhancing your long term memory. Try it and let me know what you think.

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Here are some other articles that talk about deep or slow reading:

Coleman, John. "For Those Who Want to Lead, Read"
Harvard Business Review (Aug 15, 2012): http://blogs.hbr.org/2012/08/for-those-who-want-to-lead-rea/ 

"Defining "Deep Reading" and "Text-Dependent Questions" Turn On Your Brain blog (March 29, 2012): http://turnonyourbrain.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/defining-deep-reading-and-text-dependent-questions/ This article has a nice video about the subject.

Carr, Nicholas. "The Death of Deep Reading." BigThink  (April 20, 2013): http://bigthink.com/in-their-own-words/the-death-of-deep-reading

"Why Johnny Can't "Deep" Read." NPR (April 21, 2010)  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129348373

Learn Something New Every Day

You all know my mantra for librarians is to learn something new every day, with every reference interaction, with every project. How do we do that? By keeping an open mind, by not tuning out when answering reference questions, particularly repetitive ones, by thinking "outside the box." I once asked a colleague how he could stand doing repetitive research, particularly after 40 years in the same field. He said, "There's always something new to learn from the encounter, from the research." I took that attitude to heart and starting looking beyond the repetitive projects to understand "why." I began to really understand how the records worked, how the information was really arranged. I went beyond practice to understand the theory, the rationale behind the ideas and routines. It's made me an expert in various types of records. So the next time, you think something is routine, (other than directions to the restroom or elevator) think about how or why the database works in a particular way, why the information is arranged just so, or why you always have to ask for the information twice.

The New York Times has a great blog / service that can help you learn something new every day and stay current. It's their Learning Network. While the website is geared for K-12 teachers, librarians can learn a thing or two from it. Here's the link to the NYT Learning Network "How to Use Our Blog" page http://nyti.ms/1q72sTI . I'm intrigued by the literacy skills. The piece is entitled "I Hate These Word Crimes" http://youtu.be/8Gv0H-vPoDc

 What have you learned today?

A few books, a few new facts

As the semester begins, we'll be learning a little bit about librarianship. You know that's what librarians and archivists know, a little bit about everything, or almost everything, and, more importantly, where to find what someone else is looking for. 

That notion brings me to my find of the day, Harlequin, yes Harlequin Books has a new publication Let’s Get Lost http://harlequinforlibraries.com/2014/08/introducing-the-ultimate-lets-get-lost-educator-librarian-and-book-club-guide/  At first I thought it was promoting the idea of 'getting lost in a good book', but it's actually a guide to a book about traveling and discovering new things along the way. While I'd prefer the first, I'll take the second because you can always learn something new along the way, on the journey to somewhere else.

So as you travel up and down the highway on your way to class, think about who you meet, the new things you are learning, and try not to get too lost along the way.

Librarians as Knowledge Workers

It should not come as a surprise that Librarians are Knowledge Workers. We help individuals find the information they seek. We provide assistance as others seek to increase their knowledge of a subject, be it a period in history, the species or name for a flower, or the definition of a word. Part of what we do is work with others to navigate the all too complex databases designed by librarians or companies. We listen to questions and research problems and help our customers or patrons or users (whatever name you select) to work out a research strategy that will help them obtain the information and knowledge they seek. As the knowledge seeker develops skills for ferreting out information, so the librarian or knowledge worker must learn about new resources and techniques. 

Paula Krebs in her post "Why You Should Talk to the Librarians" https://chroniclevitae.com/news/673-why-you-should-talk-to-the-librarians?cid=VTEVPMSED1 notes that librarians know the most recent sources in a subject area, along with current research strategies and resources. The librarian will share his/her knowledge with researchers and students of all ages. All the researcher has to do is ask.

What's our job as librarians, archivists, and knowledge workers? To learn the new resources and reference tools, to be curious about subject areas we know little or nothing about, to discover new tools and learn how they work. Most of all, we need to follow one of our profession's matra, "to know a little bit about everything." After all, for knowledge workers, information scientists, librarians and archivists, it's less important that we KNOW something, than that we know WHERE to look for the information.

So go off and learn something new today. See where you quest for knowledge takes you. Enjoy the journey.

Write a little every day

As librarians, grad students, and professionals, you'll be asked to write memos, reports, press-releases, news, reviews, and so much more. That means you should practice your writing skills regularly. Hone your knowledge of sentence construction, spelling, and grammar. Learn to proof-read your own work and that of others.

If you take a tenure track, academic librarianship job, you'll be writing articles for journals, and even books, to get that desired tenure and promotion first to associate professor then full. Again, that means writing and more writing.

No matter the position, you'll need to be able to craft a memo, letter, review, and report so that it is readable and to the point. The written piece should be in the correct style; academic, formal, or informal, formulaic or free-form. Once you master the writing style of your current position or institutions, you'll move on and have to master a new style, a new set of guidelines and expectations.

Gregory Semenza writing for the Chronicle https://chroniclevitae.com/news/616-the-value-of-10-minutes-writing-advice-for-the-time-less-academic has some sage advice. Write for 10-15 minutes every day. In that short time, you'll get something started, honed, or even finished. In the short block of time, you can focus on your topic and stay focused. 
 









 Thomas Eakins, The Writing Master



I know when I sit down for a short writing session, it often morphs into a longer, very productive session where that task I've put off is accomplished. Ten minute increments are great for the short, quick items on your 'to-do' list. Instead of complaining you don't have the time, sit down and do it.

William Zinsser, the famous writing essayist who wrote "On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction " and "Writing To Learn ," recommends writing clearly and concisely, eliminating all the flowery flourishes and jargon.

If you don't like these books, I have lots of others with great writing advice, including A Beginning, a Muddle, and an End: The Right Way to Write Writing, a very cute story.

In the end, the best way to hone your writing skills is to write regularly. Try different styles, work your ideas out "on paper." If you cannot get the words to flow on paper or the computer screen, try a recorder. Talk to a friend about your ideas while recording yourself, transcribe your notes, then edit and polish.

Are you a Library User?

PEW Internet Research Project  is running a survey between now and the beginning of September.
Are you a library user? Fill out the quiz, contribute to their survey.  Here's the Link: PEW Library User Survey