Engage in Public Scholarship!: A Guidebook on Feminist and Accessible Communication is a 384 pages long guidebook aimed at anyone involved in or aspiring to engage in science popularization as part of their studies or work, although it specifically targets professionals working in academia. The author actively advocates for scholars to make knowledge more accessible through various translation avenues. She emphasizes the importance of knowledge translation as an inherent part of research, rather than a possible complement.

The book is divided into two parts. The first one is more theoretical, addressing the importance of public scholarship from a feminist and accessible perspective. The author defines various forms of accessibility to consider and pleads for institutions to recognize the significant amount of work involved in knowledge translation and knowledge mobilization activities, often perceived as less prestigious than traditional scientific activities. Her reflections consider social, economic, and environmental conditions, both for those involved in creating knowledge and aspiring to disseminate it, as well as the target audiences of popularization initiatives.

The second part of the book aims to be more practical, offering reflections, technical advice, and references to actively engage in public scholarship to disseminate knowledge in a sustainable manner beyond the usual channels. This second part, while very relevant as an introductory guide to various dissemination platforms and communication channels, may potentially become outdated quickly due to the speed at which these platforms evolve (e.g., some information regarding TikTok already seems dated less than two years after the book's publication). Without going into details, the practical part of the book provides an overview to familiarize oneself with various popularization tools by presenting their basics, challenges, and respective advantages.

Although the book's excellent organization and the author's clear statements make for easy and enjoyable reading, individuals familiar with knowledge translation may feel that the book could have gone further in suggesting avenues to make knowledge more sustainably accessible. The presented methods remain relatively conservative and venture little outside the box. Additionally, even though the reflections and strategies presented are intended for anyone involved in knowledge translation as part of their work, the content focuses almost exclusively on the academic reality of professors (Fisher, 2023). This is a missed opportunity to equip research professionals, whether they are in academia or other research environments, who are often overshadowed in favor of those with a more "recognized" academic status.

Nevertheless, Ketchum's nuanced approach highlights the complexities of accessibility and sustainability in public scholarship by making connections between these different concepts and exploring tensions between them. Overall, the author succeeds in practicing what she preaches by offering Engage in Public Scholarship!: A Guidebook on Feminist and Accessible Communication completely free of charge in its digital form.

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Reference
Fischer, M. (2023). Brief Reviews of Books and Products: Engage in Public Scholarship! A Guidebook on Feminist and Accessible Communication. Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.31274/jlsc.16113