Found an interesting post at the Daily Poetics blog, all about the debate about whether or not to write in books.  He calls people who hate the idea “Preservationists”, and people who defend writing in books “Footprint Leavers”.

I’m definitely a Footprint Leaver in my non-fiction books, and don’t feel guilty about it at all.  I only do it to books I own personally and not in library books or those I borrow from friends.  This is why I rarely borrow or loan books, and why I spend far too much money at Amazon!

Non-fiction books are classrooms in the hands, and can also be learning diaries when you write in the margins.  I underline sentences, but write next to them as well, much more useful than only underlining.

I have no problem with re-reading books I have written in long ago.  It’s easy to ignore my scribbles and lines and think about the text again in a fresh way.  But it is also useful to build on thoughts I had years ago and make lateral connections between my old and present self that would otherwise have been left unseen.  To inherit a book from a loved one with writing in the margins is a blessing, as it brings you closer to the previous owner, who has now gone.

As for writing in books lowering the value of them.  So what?!  I think buying a book to not read, but only to sell, is more sacrilegious than buying a book to devour and learn from.  Acquiring art and knowledge to treat merely as a commodity is an affront to learning to transform the world to the betterment of others, and not just to boost our own bank accounts.

Essays and Articles written for my research – May 2004 – November 2005 (PhD began in October 2004)

The following essays and articles (pdf downloads) explores some of the thoughts and issues I’ve been negotiating during the process of my research into the Community Media Sector so far. The main focus of the research is to analyse the cultural sustainability of educational activity within the community media sector, and attempting to find models of best practice which can be used as a tool kit for facilitators, companies, funders, and by communities groups themselves.

I am still in the early days of this research, and as it progresses I shall post up new writings as it develops.

The most recent ones are nearer the top.

Media Literacy in Community Contexts (November 2005)
Article written for the Westminster Media Forum Publication, in response to the Media Literacy Seminar (27.10.05) (pdf) click here
—-

Research Progress Update (May 2005)
Research Question- Aims & Objectives- Background to this Research- Methodology- Theoretical Framework- Taxonomy of Terms- The Houdini approach to research- Reformation of the Media- Identity, Power and Representation- My crossroads(pdf) click here
—-

Project Evaluation Diagram (April 2005)
This map-diagram attempts to show how many projects are evaluated, whilst highlighting areas of impact which are potentially missed by the majority of evaluation studies.(pdf) click here
—

Beyond Project: Community Media and Impact, Effectivity and Sustainability(April 2005)
Paper which explores the definitions of impact, effect and sustainabiliy, and attempts to challenge the “short term” mentality behind the concept of the word ‘project’.(pdf) click here
—-

Defining Community Media and Achieving Educational Sustainability (January 2005)
Abstract for Euricom Colloquium, Piran, Slovenia, 2005 (pdf), click here
—-

Negotiating Methods and Theories – Part 1 (January 2005)
Article, (pdf), click here
—

Key Questions to ask about the Community Media Sector (March 2004)
Initial themes, ideas and questions to ask Notes, (pdf), click here
—–

Hierarchies within Moving Image Industries (April 2004)
Image, (gif), click here
—–

Argument: The Community Media Sector is not the amateur cousin to Broadcast (April 2004)
Paper, (pdf), click here
—-

Exploration of Community Media Research Questions (November 2004)
Article, (pdf), click here
—-

Definition of Community Media (December 2004)
Paper, (pdf), click here
see also;

Community Media Structure Map (May 2004)
Image, (pdf), click here

Copyright Shawn Naphtali-Sobers

I’m now 2 years into my PhD looking into community media educational projects, and it’s time to lay everything out on the table and see what I have.

I’ve decided to start this blog and [try and] update it each day – whenever I’ve read something useful or thought a useful thought, to push it forward.

Also, to stop the research going as slow as it has been for the past 10 months.

I don’t care if no one reads this. It’s more for me to keep my thinking moving forward.

Wish me luck…..