How to Proofread Part 2 of 2 http://plan.lib.fl.us How to Proofread Part 2 of 2 Mic Users: You can mute your mic at anytime by pressing the mic icon on the attendees list in the control panel. Most of the time, your mic will be muted once the webinar starts. Questions: If at anytime you have a question, please type your question in the text chat box on the lower portion of your control panel. Audio: If you are having trouble with the audio portion, please exit and log in again. If you need to call in, dial +1 (571) 317-3122, access code: 943-007-325. Good morning! Welcome to the presentation of the PLAN Quick Class How to Proofread, Part 2 of 2. I am Regina Burgess, the Manager of Continuing Education Services for the Panhandle Library Access Network, and I will be presenting the webinar today. If at any time you have a question, please type your question in the text chat box on the lower right portion of your control panel. If you want to ask a question verbally, let me know by typing that into the chat box, and I will unmute your mic. So that I can have an accurate headcount, if you are viewing this webinar with someone else, please let me know by emailing me the names of the people who are viewing with you. After the webinar, I will post the recording of the webinar along with this slide presentation and my notes on the website. I’ll email you the link as well.

http://plan.lib.fl.us This is part 2 of How to Proofread. If you missed part 1, you can view the recording on our website under the Training tab. Now let’s get started! This Quick Class is meant to provide tips and tricks to help you proofread, so you don’t have to apologize like this newspaper did.

Proofreaders’ Marks http://plan.lib.fl.us I find it helpful when I’m proofreading to use some of the more common proofreaders’ marks. You have to be careful when you use them with someone else’s work, because they may not understand what they mean! Also, different style manuals may recommend different marks. The important thing is to use them for yourself, so you can quickly mark your correction and know what it means when you go back through the document. Probably the most common marks I use are the delete, capitalize (three lines under the letter you want to capitalize), and lowercase (slash through the letter that should be lowercase).

More Proofreaders’ Marks http://plan.lib.fl.us Here are some more proofreaders’ marks. If you look at the Don’t delete example, the four dots under the word are called “stet” and means “let it stand.” You use this if you at first thought the text should be corrected, but then changed your mind.

Style Guide http://plan.lib.fl.us Another helpful tip is to create a style guide for your organization. A style guide is merely a set of rules or guidelines intended to ensure consistency of format, spelling, capitalization, abbreviations, word usage, and other technicalities. Published stylebooks, such as the Chicago Manual of Style, are excellent resources. But there are other style decisions specific to your library.

Spacing (single, double) Dates (01/07/2017, 1/7/17, January 7, 2017) http://plan.lib.fl.us Style Decisions: Font and size Page margins Spacing (single, double) Dates (01/07/2017, 1/7/17, January 7, 2017) Abbreviations (a.m., AM) Industry-specific words Some style decisions would include font type and size, page margins, spacing, how to handle dates, how to handle abbreviations, and industry-specific words, such as deciding whether to refer to library users as patrons, customers, users, or something else. Above all else, consistency is key!

http://plan.lib.fl.us But enough with the old-school proofreading! Let’s allow technology to help us out!

http://plan.lib.fl.us I’m going to start with Microsoft Office since that is probably the most popular commercial software suite. All Office programs can check the spelling and grammar of your files. You can check spelling and grammar all at once by running the spelling and grammar checker, or you can check spelling and grammar automatically and make corrections as you work. You can also turn the automatic spelling and grammar off as needed. Since Word is probably the most common program of the suite used, I will use it to demonstrate. You probably already know how to start the Spelling and Grammar checker. In most Office programs, click the Review tab, and then click Spelling & Grammar in the Proofing group. Word’s default setting is to check Spelling and Grammar as you type. Let’s look at how we can change some of our Spelling and Grammar settings. Go to File, Options, and Proofing. [Demonstrate] [Return to slideshow]

Add/Edit Words in Spell Check Dictionary http://plan.lib.fl.us Add/Edit Words in Spell Check Dictionary You can also add or edit words in the custom dictionary. Say your library system regularly uses an acronym in documents (such as WFPL for West Florida Public Library). Word doesn’t recognize this as a real word, so you can add it to the dictionary, and it will skip over it in the future. [Demonstrate] [Return to slideshow]

http://plan.lib.fl.us For those who use Google Docs, it has some of the same features as Word, but it’s not as robust. There are add-ins you can use, but they don’t seem to be all that great, either. [Demonstrate and compare] [Return to slideshow]

slickwrite.com http://plan.lib.fl.us A tool you may find helpful when proofreading is Slick Write. Slick Write is a powerful, free tool that makes it easy to check your writing for grammar errors, potential stylistic mistakes, and other features of interest. One thing that is good about Slick Write is that you don’t download anything to your computer. Instead, you copy and paste onto their website. [Demonstrate] [Return to slideshow]

http://plan.lib.fl.us A very useful proofreading app you can add to your computer is Grammarly. Grammarly is an English language writing-enhancement platform. Grammarly's proofreading resources check for a writer's adherence to more than 250 grammar rules. There is a free version and a premium version. For most of us, the free version is adequate. But, if you’re interested, you can get an annual subscription for $139.95. Grammarly works with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook. There are also extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. [Demonstrate] You can also use Grammarly in Microsoft Outlook. [Demonstrate] You can also download and use Grammarly offline. [Demonstrate] [Return to slideshow]

Grammarly Answers Grammarly Handbook Grammarly Blog http://plan.lib.fl.us Grammarly Answers https://www.grammarly.com/answers/ Grammarly Handbook https://www.grammarly.com/handbook/ Grammarly Blog https://www.grammarly.com/blog/ Other free products offered by Grammarly include Grammarly Answers, which is a community forum, the Grammarly Handbook, which is full of grammar rules, tips, and tricks, and the Grammarly Blog, which offers daily tips, commentary, and valuable insights into writing and grammar.

How to Write a Press Release http://plan.lib.fl.us How to Write a Press Release March 13, 2017 10 a.m. CST (11 a.m. EST) But remember, even the most sophisticated technology does not eliminate the need for a final, human review of your document. Does anyone have any questions? I will send everyone a link to the recording of this webinar as well as a link to a survey so you can provide feedback. Our next Quick Class on How to Write a Press Release is scheduled for March 13, 2017 at 10 a.m. CST. Thank you for attending! rburgess@plan.lib.fl.us