ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


8  /  C&RL News

N ew sletters that w o rk , p a rt 2 : Content and 
im pact

Barbara Blake, director o f the Rowlett (TX) 
Public Library, presented the final session of
her two-part workshop, “Newsletters That 
W ork,” at the ALA Annual Conference in July. 
The first session dealt with newsletter pro­
duction and layout and took place at ALA 
Midwinter in February 1996 (C&RL News, May 
1996). That session focused on substantive 
rather than technical issues, such as writing 
style, objectives, content, and audience impact.

Blake reviewed the unique characteristics 
of an organizational newsletter. It should be 
like a letter to the reader, personal in style 
and commentary, designed to communicate 
specific information rather than impress. It 
should be brief and be able to be scanned 
and absorbed quickly so that it provides im­
mediate satisfaction rather than creating a 
burden. It should fill the void left by the de­
cline of letter writing, presenting recipients 
with something fun and interesting in their 
daily mail.

A  fe w  w ritin g  tips
Blake offered the following newsletter tips:

• Sim plicity. Use short simple declara­
tive sentences without introductory phrases 
and complex clauses. Be succinct in stating 
what your library is trying to accomplish and 
how others can help; don’t provide a lot of
background information. Indent paragraphs, 
rather than using a block style; and use “you” 
to create an intimate feel.

• Brevity. The longer the article is, the 
less likely it is to be read. Aim for a series of
telegraphs rather than essays. No article should 
be so long that it has to be continued on a 
following page. The reader should be able to 
absorb a whole article while waiting “on hold” 
on the telephone. Use lists. Avoid redundancy; 
make each word count.

• Clarity. Use the active voice and strong 
verbs. Avoid jargon, adjectives, and meta­
phors. Organize points logically, for example, 
chronologically or into “pros” and “co n s.” 
Double check for accuracy, correct spelling, 
and proper usage. Be direct, even when dis­
cussing library problems; don’t attempt to hide 
problems or explain them away.

 

 

 

Blake advised beginning newsletter writ­
ers to pace themselves, taking breaks when 
needed; to set reasonable deadlines and start 
projects early; to reward themselves after com­
pleting each article; and to avoid perfection­
ism. Newsletter writing is a skill that requires 
regular practice. It is also a job that eventually 
leads to burnout; after you’ve been editing your 
library newsletter for a number of years, pass 
it on to someone else with a fresh perspective.

Five b asic steps
Blake listed the five basic steps in newsletter 
writing: drafting, revising, typing or keying, 
editing, and proofreading.

She emphasized the importance and diffi­
culty of meticulous proofreading, and advised 
having somebody else proofread your writ­
ing if possible, or setting an article aside and 
proofreading it yourself the next day. She 
advised paying special attention to titles, 
headlines, subheadings, and first lines, which 
are particularly likely to have undetected er­
rors.

She distinguished among the three types 
o f su ccessiv e editing: co n cep t, line, and 
copyediting. Each type should be undertaken 
separately, with a short waiting period be­
tween each step.

Blake finished the session by answering 
questions about newsletter writing. She ad­
vised ameliorating the problem o f writing for 
multiple audiences by using several special­
ized columnists, bullets, and pull-out boxes. 
She suggested using the “let me interview you” 
technique to flatter tardy contributors and elicit 
needed information. She noted that newslet­
ter editors need to be sensitive to internal 
organizational politics and may want to con­
sider organizing issues and articles themati­
cally rather than by department, and quoting 
rather than paraphrasing the ideas of difficult 
colleagues.

Blake’s views on both content and produc­
tion are described at length in her Creating 
Newsletters, Brochures, a n d  Pamphlets: A How-
to-Do-It Manual, coauthored with Barbara Stein 
(Neal-Schuman, 1992).— M a rg a ret G ordon, 
University o f  California, S an ta C ruz ■



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