Tips for Writing the Book Review

1. Take good notes (interesting points, good quotes, your opinions, etc.) when reading the book. I would suggest that you type them up as a file so you can cut-n-paste later on.

2. The book review should be 3-5 pages, double spaced.

3. The first part of the review is a summary of the book (who, what, where, why and how)

4. The second part of the review is a statement as to why this book is interesting to archivists. Why should an archivist read this book and what would they take away from it?

5. The last part of the review is your assessment of the book overall. What is your opinion of the book?

6. Don't just read the review to yourself on the computer screen. Print it out and read it carefully in a quiet spot.

7. Put aside the review for a day or so and go over it again. I'll bet that you pick up typos, awkward phrases, etc. that you missed earlier.

Unsolicited Advice for getting a good grade!

1. Review your class notes within 24 hours while they're still fresh in your head. Leave space in your notes to expand or explain further during review.

2. Get started on an assignment right away. Jot down some ideas after class. Get Something down on paper immediately even if you put away the assignment until later in the semester.

3. Keep chipping away at a big assignment (like the presentation), even if it's only 30 minutes a day.

4. You're not going to always be at your mental peak every day (there's only so much caffeine will do for you) so when you are active and alert work on your ideas and when you're tired do something that requires less mental effort. For example, something repetitive that you could do while watching Lost.