Journalist's 'pocket libraries': The enduring value of handwritten notes

A journalist reflects on the enduring value of small, pocket-sized notebooks, which they affectionately call their "pocket libraries." These compact companions have served as the repository for hundreds of reports compiled over a long career, capturing everything from crucial interview details to fleeting thoughts and verses.

Recalling the early 1990s, the journalist notes how official conferences often distributed bulky notebooks. The advent of smaller, more portable notebooks, designed to fit into a pocket, revolutionized note-taking for professionals. These smaller books proved more practical, though they presented their own challenges, such as the difficulty of writing while in the field without a stable surface.

The journalist shares an anecdote about a friend who uses a similar notebook not for writing, but as a wallet and contact list, highlighting the versatility of these simple tools. This friend found security in hiding cash within the notebook, believing it would be overlooked.

However, the article delves into the practicalities of using these notebooks for journalism. The journalist advises against verbatim transcription, suggesting instead to focus on key points and develop personal shorthand or abbreviations – a "secret code" – to quickly capture information. This method is contrasted with the older practice of exhaustive note-taking, which is now considered outdated, especially for investigative reporting where audio recordings are preferred for accuracy and to prevent subjects from denying their statements.