Now more than ever, librarians need good communication skills. They are no longer unseen collectors, classifiers, and cultural guardians. Information professionals are doing more public speaking at conferences, in meetings, classes, book talks and countless other situations, but many of them dislike, even fear, the thought of getting up in front of a group of people and giving a presentation.
Librarians and other information professionals can find in this work help in overcoming their hesitation. Part one offers basic principles for better speech preparation and delivery, discussing such topics as the importance of good listening skills to being a good speaker, doing the necessary research beforehand, applying organizational skills to a presentation, engaging an audience, practicing a presentation before actually giving it, and putting oneself at ease, among others. Part Two discusses the specific situations in which librarians often have to communicate, including interviews, interpersonal communication, library instruction, meetings and presentations to large groups.

Sarah R. Statz is a library assistant for the Madison Public Library system in Madison, Wisconsin, and a freelance indexer.

Sarah R. Statz
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 175
Bibliographic Info: appendices, references, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2003
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1546-5
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8436-2
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments     vii

Introduction     1

PART ONE: THE SPEAKING PROCESS

1 Lend Me Your Ears     7

2 Doing the Prep Work     13

3 Imposing Order (You Know You Want To)     20

4 The Calm Before the Storm     28

5 Overture, Curtain, Lights!     35

6 Discussion and Participation     44

PART TWO: THE SPEAKING ENVIRONMENT

7 Interviewing     53

8 Interpersonal Communication     63

9 Library Instruction     76

10 Meetings     89

11 Presentations to Large Groups     101

Appendix 1: Interviews with Library Professionals     109

Appendix 2: The Speaker’s Bookshelf     133

Appendix 3: Presentation Software Tips     146

Bibliography     153

Index     161

“from meetings to formal presentations, book talks, library tours, interviewing, this work would be a good jumping-off point”—Library Journal; “a reference for the professional shelf of any library”—Booklist; “very practical”—Library Media Connection; “helps librarians gain confidence…covers the basic principles”—American Libraries; “excellent…writing is informal and engaging…leads you from one point to another clearly and logically…very impressed with the contents and layout…instantly accessible for those under time constraints…a very engaging way of presenting ideas and resources and keeping the reader interested”—Public Library Quarterly; “excellent…practical, lively and intelligent…examples are helpful”—The Australian Library Journal.