Speaking of Books:
Connecting with Faculty through
a Campus Author Series
Timothy Hackman
University of Maryland
thackman@umd.edu
Outline
• History of “Speaking of Books…” at
University of Maryland
• Benefits of an author series
• Publicizing your author series
• Future directions
“Speaking of Books” at UMD
• Began informally in 2005-2006 with
talks by two English professors
• Funded by UM Libraries and College of
Arts & Humanities for 2006-2007;
focus on Arts & Humanities faculty
• Funded by UM Libraries from 2007 to
present; expanded to include all
schools and colleges
“Speaking of Books” at UMD
• 14 events since 2005
• Average 50 attendees per event
• Departments/Colleges represented:
Agriculture & Resource Economics
American Studies, Communication
English (4), Government & Politics
History (3), Journalism,
Public Health, Public Policy
Benefits of an Author Series
• Provide a forum for great scholarship
• Create positive publicity for the
Libraries
• Provide a service to the departments
and the faculty to improve relations
• Foster the image of the Libraries as a
“learning space”
Benefits of an Author Series
• Brainstorming: Can you think of other
benefits of hosting a faculty author
series at your library?
Getting Started
• Start Small
– Gauge interest of your community
– Learn the ropes of planning
– Build administrative support
• Have a Plan
– What are your goals?
– Who is your primary audience?
– How can you most effectively reach them?
Publicity Ideas
• Don’t do it all by yourself
• Make personal connections
• Use the power of the network
• Look for opportunities to collaborate
• Think outside of campus
Publicity Ideas
• Brainstorming: Can you think of
publicity options available:
– On your campus?
– Through campus collaborators?
– Off-campus and in your community?
Where Do We Go from Here?
• Greater campus integration
• Greater campus collaboration
• Broadening the scope
• Turn attendees into donors
• Speaking of Books 2.0
– University of Mississippi
– University of Virginia
Thank You!
Background Image Credits
• Verlyn Flieger. Interrupted Music: The Making of Tolkien’s
Mythology. Kent State UP, 2005.
• Gene Roberts. The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle,
and the Awakening of a Nation. Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.
• Clare Lyons. Sex Among the Rabble: An Intimate History of Gender
and Power in the Age of Revolution, Philadelphia, 1730-1830. U. of
North Carolina Press, 2006.
• Robin Sawyer. Sexpertise: Real Answers to Real Questions About
Sex. Simon & Schuster, 2008.
• Psyche Williams-Forson. Building Houses Out of Chicken Legs:
Black Women, Food and Power. U. of North Carolina Press, 2006.
• Robert Friedel. A Culture of Improvement: Technology and the
Western Millennium. MIT Press, 2007.
Background Image Credits
• Barry Lee Pearson. Jook Right On: Blues Stories and Blues
Storytellers. U. of Tennessee Press, 2005.
• Jeffrey Herf. The Jewish Enemy: Nazi Propaganda During World
War II and the Holocaust. Harvard UP, 2006.
• Paul Herrnson, et al. Voting Technology: The Not-So-Simple Act of
Casting a Ballot. Brookings, 2007.
• Trevor Parry-Giles & Shawn Parry-Giles. The Prime-time
Presidency: The West Wing and U.S. Nationalism. U. of Illinois
Press, 2006.
• Vincent Carretta. Equiano, the African: Biography of a Self-Made
Man. U. of Georgia Press, 2005.
• Stanley Plumly. Posthumous Keats: A Personal Biography. W.W.
Norton, 2008.