Book Reviews 555

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historical and case study information. I also was a part of the UC system during the 
turbulent time described by the author, chairing the Next Generation Technical Services 
(NGTS) Phase 2 Enterprise-Level Collections Management Services task force (see 
http://libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/content/ngts-phase-2-march-december-2010 
for the executive summary, final report, and appendix of this group). The UC libraries 
are known for their collaborative and well-organized inter-institutional teams; and, 
while numerous changes and reforms were initiated due to the economic and financial 
realities after 2008, many others that were more transformative and indeed inspirational 
were not implemented due to internal political and administrative issues. That said, it 
is interesting that both UC Davis and UH Manoa were included as case studies, given 
some of the personnel and human resources challenges currently ingrained in the librar-
ies at those universities, based on my own work experience with these two libraries. 
Their inclusion is understandable (based on the author’s life experience and current 
place of employment), so one may want to focus on the author’s “neither unusual nor 
exceptional, but representative” statement in the Preface regarding these two academic 
libraries in particular. The book, as it stands, can be viewed as a single person’s reflection 
on where librarianship and libraries have been and are going, similar to Our Enduring 
Values: Librarianship in the 21st Century (ALA Editions, 2000) by Michael Gorman, and 
Future Libraries: Dreams, Reality & Madness (ALA Editions, 1995) by Walt Crawford 
and Michael Gorman. A little bit of reality, common sense, and insider knowledge 
need to be mixed in when reading through the case studies; things are often not as 
innovative or forward-thinking as those involved in them seem to think, nor can those 
who are on the outside of those campuses have an understanding of current internal 
personalities or politics that are holding back change and reorganization.—Bradford 
Lee Eden, Valparaiso University

Christopher Hollister. Handbook of Academic Writing for Librarians. Chicago: Association 
of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, 
2013. 250p. Revised edition. Paper, $56.00 (ISBN 978-083898736-0).

Librarians are important contributors to the field of library science. Professional pub-
lications written by professionals in the field document and advance LIS theory and 
practice. A handbook to assist with the professional endeavor of writing and publishing 
in one’s field is a valuable tool. The Handbook of Academic Writing for Librarians aims to be 
an informative resource for LIS professionals and students. It is designed for beginning 
and experienced authors. The author has identified key elements of successful profes-
sional and scholarly writing and publication: developing an idea; writing competencies; 
making a professional contribution to the field; writing professionally; engaging and 
committing good academic writing; finding publishing opportunities; and communi-
cating scholarship in the current landscape of the digital age. The handbook’s ideas 
and arguments are rational, understandable, and supported with concrete examples.

The handbook’s content is based on the author’s knowledge and experiences as a 
reviewer and editor. Additionally, the author conducted interviews with a wide range 
of published authors in the field of library science. Integrating his own professional 
writing background as well as the perspectives and experiences of the interviewees, the 
author developed a framework to guide the reader through the writing process. The 
author’s intent is to ensure that prospective and current writers have the knowledge 
and competencies to produce scholarly academic writing. 

Five chapters with supporting examples take the reader from introducing and 
defining good academic writing to writing a scholarly book proposal. The chapters 
scaffold the learning process of academic writing in a series of building block chapters 
or steps for the reader. Each chapter also serves as a quick reference for or standalone 



556 College & Research Libraries May 2015

section on a topic. The author highlights key elements in the writing process. For 
example, the author notes that academic writing requires clarity. Hollister reminds 
writers of the need to be cognizant about the importance of one’s voice or presence in 
writing. Academic writing does not require an author to assume a neutral position to 
be considered scholarly. The handbook acknowledges, examines, and positions the 
importance of style manuals, reviewer guidelines, grammar, citation management, 
and revision in the writing process. 

All the chapters deconstruct the chapter topic into specific elements. For example, 
chapter 3 takes the reader through the structure and components of an academic paper. 
The chapter logically and purposefully guides the reader from the definition of what 
constitutes an academic paper to abstract to methodology to conclusion, as well as the 
value of appendices. The author offers a thorough and clear explanation of a scholarly 
paper’s foundational components. Additionally, examples serve to give deeper explana-
tion and understanding of the sections of a scholarly paper. The handbook recognizes 
the importance of journal selection for a writer. Often, writers rely on submission to 
journals they are familiar with and thus may inadvertently exclude a journal that is 
better suited for their research. In chapter 4, the author discusses the importance of 
making an informed choice about journal selection for one’s writing. As the author 
notes, librarians as researchers are skilled at finding and assessing appropriate publica-
tion titles. However, in the digital age of open access, multidisciplinary journals, and 
electronic journals, the process of journal selection for publication purposes requires 
more than research and evaluation skills. Librarians who write must approach journal 
title selection with greater flexibility and knowledge in choosing an appropriate and 
relevant title. The process of journal selection is one of complexity that requires due 
diligence on the part of the author.

The handbook is an essential resource for anyone considering or engaged in writing 
in the field of library science. It provides a comprehensive overview of the process 
including essential tools, the craft of academic writing, and the importance of good 
writing. This is a resource to be kept at hand, one that will serve the writer throughout 
one’s literary career. The handbook will remind librarians already published either by 
choice or by career requirements to consider the essential and higher-order implications 
of scholarly writing. Just as important, the handbook can guide a student or beginning 
writer through the process as a logical and progressive journey. The handbook may 
encourage librarians who consider writing and publishing as tangential to their pro-
fessional lives to engage with scholarly communication, thus increasing the diversity 
of LIS voices in the field.—Deborah Garson, Harvard University

Andrew Abbott. Digital Paper: A Manual for Research and Writing with Library and 
Internet Materials. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2014. 259p. Paper, $20.00 
(ISBN 978-0-226-16778-7). 

Andrew Abbott is a prolific sociologist, the Gustavus F. and Ann M. Swift Distinguished 
Service Professor at the University of Chicago, and editor of the American Journal of 
Sociology. He understands library research as most academic librarians do not (never 
disrespectful of librarians—his mother was one). After all, how can someone be com-
petent in something they have never done? Hence, the need for this book.

Don’t be put off by the author’s sometimes arrogant (he calls it “cranky”) tone; this 
is a book with which academic/research librarians should be familiar.

Abbott begins with what he describes as an ethnography of an academic library. He 
apparently does not know what the term “ethnography” means since this is definitely 
not one but rather autobiography. (Note that all his publications are library based; 
none are based on field work.) That being said, it is a useful autobiography. In it, Ab-

doi:10.5860/crl.76.4.556