OBS/TS Research Roundtable
Come to the ninth annual OBS/TS Research Roundtable on Sunday, July 18th! Bring your lunch and we’ll provide the drinks at the Marriott Hotel from 11:45am to 1:00pm. (Check the conference schedule for the exact room location.) Chris Long (Indiana University-Indianapolis, (clong@iupui.edu)) and Becky Lutkenhaus (Drake University, (rebecca.lutkenhaus@drake.edu)) host this year’s informal roundtable for you technical services law librarians interested in research and publication ideas, issues and information. Brian Striman (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, (bstriman@unl.edu)), outgoing OBS Chair and founder of the Research Roundtable, and Corinne Jacox (Barry University of Orlando, (cjacox@mail.barry.edu)), Chair of the OBS/TS Joint Research Grants Committee, plan on attending also.

Writing Advice
A recent ALPSP survey shows that resume building and personal recognition is increasing as a motivation for professional writing. Two-thirds of 3,000 authors surveyed "agree that the purpose of scholarly publishing does seem to be changing. It is seen as moving away from knowledge dissemination to the building of an author’s curriculum vitae/resumé or reputation." The survey summary further states, "The main objective for publishing … remains communication with the author’s peers. Enhancing career prospects is the second most common reason, followed by gaining personal prestige and funding for future work. Direct financial reward was only given as a reason by a tiny minority of respondents." Alma Swan, What Authors Really Want: The ALPSP Author Survey 1999 [Preliminary Report], http://www.alpsp.org.uk/swan.pdf, summarizing What Authors Want: The ALPSP Research Study on the Motivations and Concerns of Contributors to Learned Journals (Falmouth, Great Britain: Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers, 1999).

The survey also examined where authors publish. "When authors are considering which journal to submit to, there is a range of factors which are of importance. First among these is the reputation of the journal. Its impact factor, international reach and the coverage by abstracting and indexing services follow, very close together. The journal’s circulation, subject coverage and publication speed were also cited by a substantial number of respondents."

As an aside, a recent complementary work to the authors survey is Betsy Lerner’s The Forest For The Trees: An Editor’s Advice To Writers (NY: Riverhead Books, 2000). Ms. Lerner critically explains from an experienced editor’s perspective how to improve one’s writing.

More advice on writing may be found at:

Joseph M. Moxley, "If Not Now, When?" in Writing and Publishing for Academic Authors (1992), pp. 3-13.

Inkspot: The Writer’s Resource, http://www.inkspot.com/index.html

Legalnews.net’s Writing and Publishing links and books, http://www.orderinthecourt.com/time/WritePublish/index.shtml

A Guide to Indispensible Writing Resources, http://www.quintcareers.com/writing

Guide to Grammar and Writing, http://ccc.commnet.edu/HP/pages/darling/original.htm

William Strunk, Jr.’s The Elements of Style, http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html

Promotion & Tenure
On a completely different topic, I’d like to share some statistics on TS/OBS members seeking tenure. Combined results from the TS-SIS and OBS-SIS 1999/2000 membership surveys show that 20% of the 178 respondents are in tenure-track positions, and 75% of them already have tenure. Of those in tenure-track positions, 56% require (or required) research and publication while 83% require(d) professional involvement to obtain tenure. Outside of tenure-track positions, 19% require research and publication, and 46% require professional involvement for promotion or salary increases. Finally, 43% (of those not in tenure-track jobs) have been promoted to the top of their possible ranks. In other words, achieving tenure based on scholarly publishing is a current concern for relatively few of us, and most TS/OBS members are past that point in their careers.

For those seeking guidance on tenure issues, I’d suggest the following:

Carol W. Cubberley, Tenure and Promotion for Academic Librarians: A Guidebook with Advice and Vignettes (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 1996).

Gail Levin Richmond, "Advice to the Untenured," 13 Nova Law Review 79-88 (1988).

Mary Kay Kane, "Some Thoughts on Scholarship for Beginning Teachers," 37 Journal of Legal Education 14-25 (1987).

Priscilla K. Shontz and Jeffrey S. Bullington, "Tips for New Librarians: What to Know in the First Year of a Tenure-Track Position," 59 College and Research Libraries News 85-88 (Feb. 1998).

Council for Advancement and Support of Education Tenure: Links to Related Sites, http://www.case.org/flshfils/tenulink.htm

CASE Tenure: Bibliography, http://www.case.org/flshfils/tenubib.htm

ARL, AAUP and the American Council of Learned Societies. The Specialized Scholarly Monograph in Crisis, or How Can I Get Tenure if You Won’t Publish My Book? (Summary, presentations, and papers from last September’s conference of the same name, sponsored by the American Council of Learned Societies, the Association of American University Presses and the Association of Research Libraries.), http://www.arl.org/scomm/epub/program.html

The Chronicle of Higher Education "Issues In Depth: Tenure and Labor Relations in Academe" (compilation of links to CHE articles; requires a paid subscription), http://chronicle.com/indepth/labor

Come Join the Research Roundtable
Finally, come to the OBS/TS Research Roundtable at the AALL conference! It’s an excellent support group and network of those interested in research and writing (including anyone required to write for promotion or tenure).

OBS Election Results
Vice-Chair/Chair Elect: JoAnn Hounshell
Secretary/Treasurer: Pam Deemer
Member-At-Large: Angelina Joseph
Vice-Chair/Chair Elect: Ishmael Gullon
Member-At-Large: Susan Chinoransky