Building a Library for Your Future Success
by Michael Franklin | January 26, 2010
A learner recently asked me what he should do with his books after each course: should he keep them or sell them? This question goes to the heart of what it means to become a successful doctoral learner, as knowing which books to keep requires your ability to anticipate future academic needs you may not be aware of in the present moment. Yet, the anticipation of future academic needs is a practice that you as an intellectual should be contemplating steadily.
The short answer to the learner’s question is that learners should hang onto books they are certain they will be revisiting in the future for the advanced research methods course they must take as well as for their Comprehensive Exam and dissertation proposal. Not every book will fall into this category, and thus you should sell some books so as to avoid cluttering your academic life.
But the introductory question raises other questions that ultimately require a longer answer: how do you know if you’ll need to revisit a book? Why should you revisit a book you’ve already read once for a course in which you made a good grade? Didn’t you already learn everything you needed to by reading it the first time?
In my other blog postings I’ve discussed the importance of creating an integrated coursework experience in which learners should actively work to integrate all of the knowledge encountered in courses in the spirit of their intellectual development. Put simply, you must take advantage of the fact that all of your courses are opportunities for you to familiarize yourself with the seminal theorists in your field and to hone your critical thinking skills that will help you pass your Comprehensive Exam. One tool of this process of integration that I’ve also written about is the cultivation of effective reading practices: for example, knowing when to skim systematically and when to read closely and analytically.
An additional aspect of creating an integrated coursework experience, then, that draws from effective reading practices is working to build a library that you draw from and contribute to regularly. The criteria for determining if you should keep a book goes hand in hand with the ongoing conversation you should continue to have with yourself about the development of your dissertation topic, with faculty members you proactively seek out to discuss dissertation ideas early in your program, and with doctoral peers in your courses and at colloquia.
Even if you have no idea what you’re going to write your dissertation about, keeping books you find invigorating and/or books you know are directly related to the field of your dissertation will propel this conversation you have with yourself and with others.
5 Responses to "Building a Library for Your Future Success"
Mary Zackius-Shittu says:
The benefits of a library go beyond the here and now to the next generation. Besides, referring to the text in every day interaction, both professional and personal, a library provides a historical glance at knowledge acquired. How does that benefit the next generation? It serves as an avenue for inquisitive thinking. When a developing mind is enveloped by knowledge, each book of information is a road to an unknown destiny. Yes, there are novels but man’s innate desire (even for the reading of the novel) is to understand man.
I am a beneficiary of my father’s library and I intend to leave the legacy of knowledge for my children.
Very good advice. You never know who will pick up a book and develop a different model for understanding man.
Annette O’Connell says:
I keep my books because I like having a reference library available to check for factual information on a subject. There are many times when I access books from prior courses especially when I want to introduce a cross-disciplinary perspective to emphasize or differentiate a point. On the other hand, I have seen learners who did not buy the course books but relied on the journal articles to complete the doctoral program. Needless to say, some of these learners did not make it to the finish line.
I mentor college students from different degreed program and my books serve as great tools for verifying information that have escaped my memory. Great Contribution!
Michael Franklin says:
Mary and Annette – Thank you both for your insightful comments! They definitely add to the conversation of the significance of having a library for others in your life and for intellectual growth and endurance.
Mary – I am thrilled you highlighted the significance of passing libraries from one generation to the next. My grandfather passed away about a year ago, and my family is in the process of going through his belongings, which included a sizeable library. Each book in his library in some way contributed to the truly singular person that he was, and in sum they represent how his contemplation of the ideas of others bolstered his ability to make an impact in his community. Preserving a living library for your own intellectual pursuits, then, can unexpectedly ripple out to positively impact the lives of those around you as well as those in your future.
Annette – Revisiting books you’ve consulted previously is a surefire way to measure your intellectual development. As you indicated, knowing even which books to consult as a way to introduce a new perspective or emphasize a point requires you to retain a knowledge of what each book has to offer. Yet, as you may have discovered, revisiting books can yield unexpected findings: concepts you did not understand or notice before, unexpected implications of an author’s argument, a note you made in the book’s margins that catches your eye because you suddenly see how much you can do with it in your own work. Thank you for sharing!
Jennifer says:
While going to school for my Master’s Degree, I could not believe the amount of students that did not keep their textbooks or would borrow textbooks, knowing they would have to complete the 50+ page capstone. I must agree with Annette and Mary. In addition to their reasons, I have used my textbooks for work reference as well. I have even used my textbooks for referencing as I got further along in both of my master degree programs. I have just started my doctoral journey, and plan to follow suit with my texts…. I hope this helps new students.
Evelyn Nkwantabisah, R.N. says:
I find it convenient and extremely important to maintain a home library. Books are my friends and I still have books from my baccularate courses in nursing through masters and to this PhD level. Actually, depending on the course I am taking, I reference those sources when necessary as long as they are within the 5-7 years range.