The other day I came across a review of a book I co-authored with a colleague. The review appeared in the latest issue of one of the top scholarly academic librarianship journals. Well that’s nice, I thought. But then I wondered to myself, is anyone actually going to read this review? I’m sure someone will, but I suspect the number of people who read it anytime soon is going to represent just a tiny segment of our profession. But I might be wrong. Perhaps more of you are reading these journals than I suspect.
So to get a better grasp of the situation I created a survey that may provide some insight. I’d appreciate it if you’d take just one or two minutes to respond. There are only four questions – and a fifth if you want to add additional information. I’ll report the results in two weeks or so in another blog post. Go to the survey now!
I suspect more people would read it if you posted it here than if you published it in a journal. For maximum exposure, publish in the journal then self-archive here.
By posting online you can monitor the views. It’s harder to gauge views within the journal, but knowing circulation figures could help.
I’m not reading them yet – still in grad school and using journals solely for research.
During interviews, I listen for evidence that candidates read professional lit – journals, blogs, etc. Our best new hires are the ones who read blogs and journals and the Chronicle. What people read – even which TOC’s they skim regularly – shows their interests and commitment to keep learning.