Publication analysis
About the publication
Title: Reading, Writing, Research
ISSN: N/A
Website: http://www.allpurposeguru.com/
Purpose, objective, or mission: Per the blog’s subtitle: “a librarian’s blog for anyone who needs to do research…or anyone who wants to use the library.”1 David M. Guion is an All-Purpose-Guru, author, and librarian who writes this particular blog to help civilians understand how to make the best use of libraries.2
Target audience: Anyone who uses the library or needs research or writing tips.3 Laypeople as well as librarians will find the blog helpful.
Publisher: Reading, Writing, Research.4
Peer reviewed? No.
Type: Civilian blog.
Medium: Online; blog format.
Content: Posts about libraries, research, writing, and everything that falls under these general categories. David talks about spelling and punctuation; how the American public uses libraries; library privacy regulations; new technologies in libraries; and e-librarians and the use of robots in libraries, among other topics.5
Frequency of publication: It varies, but generally around one new post per month.6
About the publication’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: Submission guidelines were provided by the editor via email.
Types of contributions accepted: “Reading, Writing, Research welcomes guest posts from librarians or LIS students that explain to non-librarians how to benefit from or support libraries. Please send queries to david [at] allpurposeguru.com and include the topic you want to write about.”7
Submission and review process: Email David Guion directly at david [at] allpurposeguru.com.8
- I can’t use PDF files or Google Docs. When I ask for an article, please submit it in Microsoft Word.
- Spelling, grammar, syntax, punctuation, etc. matter. I will not accept anything that requires extensive editing to make it readable.
- Please supply illustrations, along with the license to use them. The only formats I can use are .jpg, .png, or .gif.
- Be sure to use h2 and h3 headings rather than simply the bold and/or underlined version of the font.
- I prefer titles in sentence case like you’d find in a library catalog.”9
Editorial tone: Very civilian-friendly. The posts are relevant to today’s library users and don’t talk down to the non-LIS crowd, but are written in a way that anyone can easily understand them.
Style guide used: None referenced.
Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors
This is a purely helpful, informational blog that anyone can read to get up-to-speed on current LIS issues, and to check-in for help with library research tips. It’s ideal for LIS students, who can suggest posts about local library news (such as a post on Southern California and Nevada library systems helping residents with foreclosure information), library trends, and stories from the LIS trenches. Think about what you want library patrons to know about libraries: this is a great place to write to those patrons.
Audience analysis
About the publication’s readers
Publication circulation: Not available.
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: The blog is written in English and is generally US-centric, but the blog can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection.
Reader characteristics: Readers are interested in the library, and in reading about library resources, news, trends, and updates – local or nationwide. David Guion is a musician (trombone player) with degrees in performance and musicology; a certified lay speaker in the United Methodist Church; a librarian; and a sustainability/environmental expert who loves cooking, writing, fitness, travel, and, naturally, research.10
Knowledge of LIS subject matter: The blog is written by a librarian of 12 years11, but is aimed at civilians who need library and research assistance. Write to those readers, rather than LIS professionals or students.
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
LIS students could gain considerable insight into library patron’s needs and library use by regularly posting to the blog and following up on reader feedback. This is the only blog (that we know of) written by an LIS professional specifically for nonprofessionals12, and thus seems like a valuable resource to promote to other libraries and users.
Last updated: September 28, 2020
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