Comments on: Cites & Insights: Any point in updating?

By: walt

walt — Tue, 10 May 2011 19:22:14 +0000

C&I is a labor of love. The loss of two jobs in a row, and the resulting lack of earned income, is a source of anxiety. The two are not entirely unrelated.

Of the suggestions in your second paragraph, well, watch for the next issue: I’m already ready to try one of them.

Steve–I guess I hope potential sponsors and other librarians don’t listen too closely to what seems to be your consistent advice and judgment, which I think I can properly summarize as “No library literature [with the exception of one $65 book on unconferences] is worth paying for.” I do applaud consistency. I guess.

By: Steve Lawson

Steve Lawson — Tue, 10 May 2011 19:01:24 +0000

Harking back to the initialisms on the original post, I’m going to go with DWYL: do what you love.

It has seemed for a while now like C&I is more a source of anxiety for you than a labor of love. Maybe you should take a break. Maybe you should do a four-page issue. Maybe you should publish just when you feel like it. Maybe you should write completely different kinds of articles like interviews or bibliographies or fiction.

I think it would be wonderful if you could make money on C&I, but I think that the amount and quality of free writing about libraries has destroyed any market that might have once existed.

By: walt

walt — Sun, 08 May 2011 17:44:07 +0000

Thanks both. Helpful in both cases. Keep ‘em coming.

By: will manley

will manley — Sun, 08 May 2011 14:10:53 +0000

Walt, I too enjoy and appreciate the work you put into C and I. I learn a great deal from your essays because they center on topics I know very little about. I do hope you continue. With regards to the Harper Collins “26″ issue I think that is a topic that every blogger beat to death. You brough fresh insights to the table, but there really was a general Harper Collins fatigue. Hope this helps.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 08 May 2011 08:33:52 +0000

I don’t have any solutions for you, just a wish that C&I continue. Your essays and commentary are insightful and interesting and I truly appreciate the work that brings together so many perspectives to cover a topic, as well as your own worthy opinions.

Keep up the good work.