Publishing's future role?

Glendower: I can call the spirits from the vasty deep.
Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man;
But will they come, when you do call for them?”
― William Shakespeare, King Henry IV Part 1: Third Series

Clay Shirky flat out states that professional "publishing" is going away:

Publishing is not evolving. Publishing is going away. Because the word “publishing” means a cadre of professionals who are taking on the incredible difficulty and complexity and expense of making something public. That’s not a job anymore. That’s a button. There’s a button that says “publish,” and when you press it, it’s done. Clay Shirkey (via Assorted Stuff and Dangerously Irrelevant)

I find this statement somewhat ironic, not to mention short sighted, given that Amazon shows Shirky having four professionally-published books for sale. Indeed, anyone can "publish" by simply placing work on the Internet and making it publicly available. But, to paraphrase Hotspur above, "Why, so can I, or so can any man; But will they read it, when you do publish?"

I've always felt that as a writer, I work for publishers rather than them working for me. But I sense these roles may be reversing. I depend on my publisherers for market analysis, for editing, for design, for printing or e-book creation, for marketing, for distribution and for sales - all things they are good at and for which they take 85% of the revenue from my sales. I could learn to do all these tasks to a degree, but do I want to take the time not just to learn, but to DO them, and do them well? Few authors want to be a one-person publishing house.

But with the rise of Lulu, iBook Author, and other avenues that make self-publishing easier than the traditional vanity presses, it may be the case that authors can contract with publishers rather than publishers contract with authors. Vanity presses like Beaver's Pond already work like this for print books. And I am sure plenty of entrepreneurs are starting to provide online publishing expertise. 

Professional publishing will be around for a very long time.

15 educational experiences my granddaughter won't have

Avram Piltch identifies "15 Technologies My Newborn Son Won't Use" in a recent Gizmodo/Laptop post. (Read it - it's fun.) These are:

1. ADSL (wired Internet access)
2. Dedicated Cameras And Camcorders
3. Landline Phones
4. Slow-Booting Computers
5. Windowed Operating Systems
6. Hard Drives
7. Movie Theatres
8. The Mouse
9. 3D Glasses
10. Remote Controls
11. Desktops
12. Phone Numbers
13. Primetime Television
14. Fax Machines
15. Optical Discs

About half of these things are nearly extinct already - at least in many households. My landline is gone, I no longer have a desktop computer at home, my laptop has a flash harddrive, and my movie theater attendance is probably 10% of what it once was only a few years ago.

The LWW and I are expecting again this summer. Or should I say, our son and daughter-in-law are expecting a baby girl whose due date is my birthday. (Should be an easy one to remember.) So Piltch's article put me in mind of  15 educational "experiences" that I hope this little girl won't encounter:

1. Textbooks (replaced by interactive content management systems that are tailored to her needs)
2. Paper library books (replaced by libraries of interactive and assistive e-books  downloadable to any device)
3. Paper worksheets and study guides (replaced by online guides that can be collaboratively completed)
4. Classroom lectures (the lectures are on YouTube, discussion and group work are the class activities)
5. Standardized tests (who cares but the politicians - I want an IEP and authentic assessment of individualized goals)
6. Age-divided classrooms (replaced by flexible, changing groups of interest and ability)
7. Video and audio in physical formats (the DVD is the 8-track tape of 2015)
8. Report cards and parent-teacher conferences (replaced by real-time, online communications and reporting)
9. E-mail (replaced by educational networking sites modeled on Facebook - or a Facebook that can be segregated into professional and personal accounts)
10. Social networking blocking (How 2010!)
11. School-owned/provided computing devices (replaced by inexpensive but powerful personally-owned devices, purchases subsidized for low income families)
12. Drill and practice software (replaced by games that call for collaboration, planning, creativity and construction)
13. Libraries (replaced, in concept if not in name, by Learning Commons providing a range of services students need.)
14. GPA, class ranking, SAT/ACT (replaced by student-built portfolios of original and creative work that demonstrates competency and values)
15. School experience as drudgery, punishment, or time-wasting (replace "Do I have to go to school today? with "I can't wait to get to school today!"

All schools will need to make these transitions to stay in business. But some, especially private, charter and magnet schools, will do it sooner. Those are the only schools I want my granddaugher to experience.

What experiences do you want your children or grandchildren to NOT have?

BFTP: Why I belong to ALA/AASL

A weekend Blue Skunk "feature" will be a revision of an old post. I'm calling this BFTP: Blast from the Past. Original post, May 15, 2007. My renewal notice from ALA came this week, so I thought this might be appropriate. The sentiments hold true, still, but writing that damn check gets harder every year, especially since the SIGMS group at ISTE is vibrant (and a lot less costly). While this is about ALA, any educator reading this should take heed: you are not a professional unless you belong to a professional organization. Yeah, I'm old school about this...

Yup, I complain about at ALA and AASL.Vociferously, broadly and publicly. I think the $180 or whatever is way too much for annual dues. I think American Libraries, the OIF, and the ALA legislative committee ignore school libraries. I've stopped attending the Midwinter Conference and I've given up any hope that ISTE and ALA can figure out how not to schedule their summer conferences on the same dates.  The AASL Executive Director and all her staff are probably grossly over paid and treat money like it grows on trees. The ALA Board spends way to much time on resolutions that have little to do with libraries - like human rights in Guatemalan nunneries and such.

You want more?

But I still pay my dues, have done so for the past 17 years and probably will do so for the next few. Here's why:

1.  Paying dues is how I show my support for the ideals of intellectual freedom. ALA is the one organization brave and organized enough to be listened to when censorious legislation or commentary comes up. I love ISTE, but it doesn't have this sort of conscience going for it. If ALA goes down, it will take a lot of peoples' rights to read and access information with it. That to me is absolutely horrifying.
2. Paying dues gives me complaining rights. I get to complain about the organizations to which I belong. If you don't belong, if you don't work in the organization, if you don't speak up - you don't get to piss and moan. Simple as that. Non-members bitching is like somebody trying to redecorate a house by throwing rocks at it from the sidewalk.  If the organization isn't perfect, it isn't because I didn't try to make it better. 
3. Paying dues supports national library standards. AASL is the national organization that represents school libraries and as such has some gravitas on issues like standards and guidelines. These are often helpful at a building level when the "voice of authority" is required. (Although, AASL needs to do a 180 degree turn back toward practicality in the standards for both programs and student skills.)
4. Paying dues gives me opportunities for inter-species communications. Reading American Libraries and attending ALA conferences put me in contact with the sometimes bizarre habits of librarians of other types - public, academic, and special. (Often very special if you know what I mean.) This interaction mostly makes me very thankful that I chose to become a school librarian. 
5. Paying dues shows that I honor quality writing for children and young adults. Yes, ALA gives the Newbery and Caldecott awards (and Printz, King, Edwards, etc.) So OK, the books chosen usually suck as far as most kids are concerned, but at least someone is saying that we should be worried about quality when writing for kids. 
6. Did I mention paying dues give me complaining rights? Lets see you form a better organization to support school librarians.
   

Joining a professional organization is not necessarily about the good we as individuals get from membership, but the differences our contributions in both money and time make to the profession as a whole - and to those whom the profession serves. It isn't always about you!

Yes, $180 or whatever is a chunk of change. You could instead buy:

• one McDonald's grande latte every week for a whole year
• 2 or 3 nice suppers out with your significant other, depending on how picky you are about your wine selection
• 2 pairs of shoes, 4 dress shirts or a cheap sports jacket when on sale
• a 2 day pass to DisneyWorld
• almost a color Nook
• 4 tanks of gas
• 9 copies of The Classroom Teacher's Technology Survival Guide

I'm not going to convince anybody to join or not to join. Just stating my reasons. I don't feel like a sap for paying my dues, but like someone who is contributing.

And I am among the most cheap and cynical people I know.