Can you determine what an academic book is about in five minutes? At a workshop this week we gave it our best, taking this quiz after “reading a book” for 5 minutes. Some say that seminary education is a three year course in learning how to read. We agree, in part, at the Pitts Theology Library, and during a Wednesday Workshop this week we took some time to focus on this essential task of reading. The stated agenda was to learn how to read, but much of the conversation was about learning how not to read. That is, we discussed strategies for consuming the argument of books quickly, without starting at page 1 and reading to the end. We learned how to read catalog records and shelf browse (even virtually), research an author’s other publications, find book reviews, and read from the outside in, studying the guideposts around the book (titles, tables of contents, indices) as a guide to the content within. We also discussed strategies of critical reading for content, including taking positions of “creative agreement” and “creative disagreement” so as to ensure our biases about the book, subject matter, or author don’t hinder us from critical engagement. In the end, we all took away strategies to help us read, though it might be more accurate to put “read” in quotation marks. Want to learn what we did? Check out the slides from the workshop here.
-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Peter Wosnik on August 2016 Event: Reading Erasmus’ Bible
- Yeojin Kwak on Summer Reads: Vol. 4
- Susan Engle on Summer Reads: Vol. 3
- Lily Yu on Library Survey: Let us know what you think!
- R. G. Pettey on Library Survey: Let us know what you think!
Archives
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
Categories
Meta