“There are a lot of feels when anticipating the possibility of your own work being published.”

Terry Schiavone
MLIS Student (degree anticipated 2020)
Digital Processing Specialist 
Penn State University Libraries

Current iSchool student Terry Schiavone’s book review was published in the most recent issue of Libraries: Culture, History, and Society, the official peer-reviewed journal of the Library History Round Table of the American Library Association (LHRT).

Student Research Journal Experience Prepares Editor for Getting Published

Terry’s first experience publishing helps demystify the academic peer-review and publication process for graduate students. Luckily for Terry, his work as an editor with SJSU iSchool’s own Student Research Journal (SRJ) proved invaluable. SRJ is SJSU’s only double-blind, peer-reviewed, graduate-student run journal dedicated to LIS related research. Terry’s experience withSRJ prepared him for what to expect in terms of turn-around-time and constructive critique.

Instead of presenting a book to review to the journal, Terry reached out to the book editor and selected the book he reviewed, The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders by Stuart Kells, based on the editor’s advice. This is a great lesson for those interested in getting published: that just as much as they might want to submit academic writing for review and publication, the journal wants submissions. SJSU’s own SRJ is always seeking submissions and happy to recommend books for review; students can email the journal with questions about submitting an article or doing a book review.

Getting Published: Working Through Anxiety, Deadlines and Constructive Critique

The experience of being the author was new for Terry, as he humorously recounts, “there are a lot of feels when anticipating the possibility of your own work being published.” Terry worked through the post-submission anxiety by focusing on his awareness of the process and the benefit of peer-review. His insider knowledge as a content editor with SRJ provided him great insight into how to respond positively to constructive criticism and advance through the editing process to the final publication of his review.

Terry’s experience as an author demonstrated that the peer-review process has helped him become a better writer, benefitting from feedback offered by the editorial team. Here’s a choice excerpt from Terry’s review: “In a current climate of libraries transitioning to technology-focused spaces, Kells regales us with a narrative highlighting the triumph, tragedy, and perhaps even the envious obsession of bibliophiles” (230). Read the full review here.

Advice for iSchool Students: Do Internships, Submit Papers and Present Your Work

Terry’s advice for other iSchool graduate students is that “internships are essential.” Terry also attests to the importance of seeking out networking opportunities, such as his recent participation in the iSchool Community Poster Session during the June 2019 American Library Association (ALA) Conference. Students can email Student Outreach Specialist Sheila Gurtu with questions about how presenting a poster at future iSchool conference events. He further encourages students who wrote a paper and thinks it has value for the wider professional community to “submit to the SRJ.”

The journal is available as part of the exceptional MLIS and MARA programs at SJSU. As Terry adds, “Even if the work does not get published it is still a valuable learning experience,” that will prepare students to be a practicing professional in the field. Per the 2019 recent SJSU MLIS skills report, 68 percent of jobs seek communication skills and 22 percent research skills, demonstrating the value of gaining experience writing and getting published while still in school. 

Citation:
Schiavone, T. (2019). Review. Libraries: Culture, History, and Society, 3(2), 230-231. Doi: 10.5325/libraries.3.2.0230.