Types of Writing in LIS

Overview

Every discipline has specific types of writing that are done within it (genres), and every genre has conventions (i.e., the features of that type of writing). We often recognize genre conventions when we're thinking about books or movies. You don't expect violence and action-packed chase scenes in a romantic comedy, but you do expect a fantasy book or film to have new worlds, magical creatures, etc. Genres apply to academic and professional writing as well. Once you recognize the writing genres in your graduate field of study, you'll be able to learn the genre conventions, which will help you write successfully.

Visit this page to learn more about the types of writing you'll do at the graduate level (and beyond) in the field of Library and Information Science (LIS). Note that this page focuses solely on writing types that are unique to this discipline. (For more information about general writing resources--such as materials about writing abstracts, literature reviews, and research papers--visit the Writing Center resources page).

Types of Writing in LIS

Book Reviews: Summaries and evaluations of published works that detail the authors’ background, overviews of the work, and information intended to generate interest in reading the works.

Booktalk Scripts: Short verbal presentations that introduce published works with the intention to generate interest in reading the works.

Blog Posts: Timely reports on upcoming events or programs at a library, promotions of specific parts of a collection, or summaries of services - all intended to generate interest, feedback and/or participation. May include images or graphics.

Exhibition Design: A written product that details how various library collections may be highlighted and showcased in an exhibit space. Often includes the design of exhibition collateral: brochures, catalogs, guides, audio tour scripts, etc.

Evidence Summaries: Short, concise documents that present the results of a research study for use by information professionals in decision-making and to heighten awareness about timely topics. Evidence summaries focus on findings and larger picture takeaways from research studies.

How-to Guides: Instructions or step by step details that assist library users in accomplishing various tasks on computers, in the catalog, or other services provided by the library.

Institutional Advocacy: Persuasive documents that demonstrate institutional relevance, intended for internal and external stakeholders to advance policy, funding, collections, etc.

Institutional Policies: Policy statements for a specific institution that detail information on procedures related to operation, collection development, circulation, technology use, and appropriate user behavior.

Internship Logs: Chronology of time spent and activities completed during the course of an internship at a library or information center. May also include articulation of learning outcomes achieved.

LibGuides: Subject or topic based online guides for a Web-based content management system deployed as a means to share information by thousands of libraries worldwide. Content may be modular and re-mixed and re-used.

Library Histories: Written chronologies of a certain library’s formation, milestones, and notable persons who contributed to the institution. Also details the various collections, administrators/staff, and supporters of the library. Might focus on an individual library, a library system, or consortium.

LIS-Specific Magazine Articles: A written overview of a current library trend, evolving library service, new initiative, or chronology of a project intended to be shared with other professionals in LIS in a periodical such as Library Journal or American Libraries.

Pathfinders: Bibliographies created to assist library users in exploring specific topics. May include terms to use for searches, notable authors related to the subject area, lists of resources in print or electronic format, and more. Some detail specific shelf location.

Podcast Scripts: Written guides for recording a podcast. May include listings of specific topics and associated background research or, more simply, a step by step roadmap of topics to be covered in the recording.

Project Proposals: Documents that explain a particular library project, including the objectives of the initiative, how the project will be implemented, and how the project success will be measured. May be internal (focused on staff) or external (focused on library users).

Project Reports and Evaluations: Documents that detail how a particular library project was carried out, what the project accomplished, and implications for future projects based on evaluations of successes and limitations. May be internal (focused on staff) or external (focused on library users).

Public Relations & Outreach: Written statements, press releases, marketing messages and speeches intended to inform and educate a library’s constituents/users/community.

README.txt files: Digital text files that provide additional information or metadata for digital files (images, video, data) located in the same directory.

Social Media Posts: Short written narratives, factoids, or requests for participation intended to be shared on social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc). May include images or video.

Text for Image-Based Artifacts: Concise supporting texts created to enhance infographics or other image-based documents. May also include citations, web URLs or QR codes.

Text-Based Reference Services: Written interactions supporting digital question services for library users via email or text message. May include pre-written standard responses and referrals to web-based resources.

Vlogs and Video Scripts: Written guides for recording videos for internal or external library use. May include detailed shot listings, dialogues, transitions, or more simply, a step by step roadmap of topics to be covered in the recording.