How do we create sustainable RA practices that empower staff and embed Readers’ Advisory fully into libraries? Even pre-pandemic, libraries were not only about lending books. Libraries are creative spaces, not only for individuals, but also teams and communities. They are idea incubators and learning hubs. They open doors for curious minds, and they help our
communities find the fuel and the spark to ideas and opportunities. Most of all, libraries are the entry points to the digital world. They are the way for everyone to embrace technology and seek to close the digital divide.

In 2015, while I was earning my MLIS degree from the University of Washington iSchool, I enrolled in a great readers’ advisory course for adult genres. Basically, every two weeks, the course covered a particular genre for adult readers. During the module focusing on graphic novels, I happened to cross paths with one of my colleagues at Multnomah County Library, who was then on the My Librarian team. I asked them if they had any graphic novel recommendations for me, and they obligingly launched into my first readers’ advisory interview in which I was the advisee, rather than the adviser. I ended up being really surprised by two aspects of our conversation: one was how surprisingly difficult it actually was for me to
articulate my own reading preferences.
Here is a sample of how it transpired:

Them: “Do you like plot-driven books or character-driven books?”
Me: “Ummm. . .“
Them: “Well, do you like books with strong female protagonists?”
Me: “Sometimes. . .? But sometimes I kind of find them annoying, too. . .?”
Them: [scratching head bemusedly] “I see. . . .”

The other aspect that I found both remarkable and surprising was how intimate the interaction felt to me. It seemed as if I was allowing them to enter into my own interior monologue – as a benign and helpful observer, but it still felt as if I was pulling back a curtain for them that I didn’t even realize existed.

Both the course and talking through the readers’ advisory interview taught me a great deal about the level of trust surrounding this process, and how those who participate in readers’ advisory must earn and sustain that trust.

Readers’ advisory provides us with a crucial opportunity to forge a space for patrons to become fully themselves as readers. In essence, readers’ advisory provides the opportunity to communicate, “It’s safe here. Let’s
explore and discover together.” It is a transformational moment, not a transactional one. A time to create the feeling that your next book is just around the corner – even more perfect than can be imagined.

As Ali Smith writes in her 2015 work, Public Library and Other Stories,
“This book wishes you well. It wishes you the world. It wishes you somewhere warm, safe, well-lit, thoughtful, free, wide open to everybody, where you’ll be surrounded by books and all the different possible ways of reading them. It wishes you fierceness and determination if anyone or anything threatens to take away your access to space, time, thought, knowledge. It wishes you libraries — endless public libraries.”[1]

Through reading, we all expand, and become expansive, as we open ourselves to new worlds and new experiences. Being present at the moment of connection, during the spark of creativity, is the highest privilege that I can imagine – and one of the many facets of my own library love story.
As Nick Hornby describes in the novel High Fidelity, that is the moment when working in public Libraries, for me, becomes “as routinely transcendental” as “a midwife or an artist.”[2] And that’s why I love Readers’ Advisory. And why I believe it deserves a valued place in each and
every library. But how, you may ask? The answer may be closer than you think. . . . Each library’s best resource is its staff. As a whole, library staff members tend to be an exceptionally talented group! Libraries that don’t harness and celebrate the talents of their staff leave an incredible amount of potential on the table. The key to all of this is time and training. Put in the time, put in the training, and form a real commitment with library staff.

We Can Do This By:

Emphasizing openness and authenticity with patrons.

Providing an environment of welcome, acceptance, and trust.

Sharing practical guidance, ongoing maintenance of RA resources, and opportunities to practice

This is how to play and win the Readers’ Advisory Short Game, where you give your staff the training and tools they need to meet their community’s RA needs.

To play and win the Readers’ Advisory LONG Game, you have to prepare for the future. You have to preserve the hard-won knowledge of innovation-on-the-fly and embrace the possibilities even after the current crisis subsides. A lot of RA activities can be pretty easily incorporated into this pandemic-filled world. In my experience during this time, I’ve found that what our customers really, really miss most is the ability to browse. So, how can we integrate, replicate, and adapt the act of “browsing” into the virtual world? In terms of emerging technologies, fields like virtual and augmented reality are changing the way we think about the experience of browsing. Augmented Reality (AR) is a hot topic in the tech world and people are curious about its deployment in various domains, from medicine to gaming. So why not implement it in libraries too and combine digital with reality? AR’s ability to enhance what already exists is what makes it a perfect fit for libraries. One of the future perspectives of library services is a personalized interaction between the system and the user. Whether this is an interactive game projected onto the floor for children to find their next book, digital exhibitions featured on screens, big screens in libraries that can be used to inspire users to find certain books or even a simple display that allows taking a ‘selfie’; libraries can use technology to create a digital experience for the user.

What Makes RA Daunting for Library Staff?

Let’s talk about some of the common barriers to RA that public library staff face. According to a survey developed in 2013 by Library Journal with NoveList and the Readers’ Advisory Research and Trends Committee, the biggest cause of RA anxiety is just keeping up with books and genres. Just the sheer volume of materials published can be really overwhelming, Nearly as many respondents also noted their discomfort with unfamiliar genres. In addition, the majority of respondents felt good about their adult RA work, but when it came to advising children and young adults, significantly fewer respondents thought that their abilities were up to par. Circumstances and frustrations like these are completely understandable. These concerns are really even more applicable with each passing year, in which the “book world” now includes even more publication sources and formats to keep up with. Overcoming this particular barrier is where RA tools and resources can really make a difference. Resources like understanding how to apply factors like Nancy Pearl’s four doorways, or NoveList appeal terms and themes, provide a practical basis for recommending titles — even in genres which might not be the staff member’s absolute fave, or with which the staff member might not be familiar.

Is It the Fear of Getting it Wrong?

Library staff might find RA intimidating because they really don’t want to recommend a book that a patron absolutely hates! There can also be the fear of a “trickle-down” effect, where they may be apprehensive that a negative RA experience could damage the patron’s relationship with the library itself or with library staff. And there’s a definite vulnerability and an
underlying trust that comes with RA territory. Library staff want to respect that trust, and they definitely don’t want to lose it. To overcome this particular barrier, we can work to change the perception of “failure” in
Readers Advisory, by changing the perception of “success.” Success in RA is the connection and conversation that is established with the patron. Even if a patron doesn’t love a title you recommend, or it doesn’t exactly change their life, it’s pretty likely that they’ll want to tell you all about it. In this way, the RA connection and conversation continue – which actually
translates into “Success!”

Is It Not Having the Right Tools or Training?

Not all library staff thrive at RA in the same way, using the same tools, the same approach, or the same methods of communication. Each of these approaches can be valuable, and each can be supported in different ways, with different tools and opportunities. How do we help – not just to overcome – but to banish these barriers? Well. . . here’s a radical thought. What if . .? We thought of Readers’ Advisory as a Sixth Law of Library Science? We all know and love the Five laws of Library Science as the theory proposed by S. R. Ranganathan in 1931, which detailed the principles of operating a Library System. [3] But what if we re-framed Readers’ Advisory as an essential aspect of operating a library system, and one which is supported by all five of the original “laws of Library Science?” Now, I’m not expecting them to re-write all the Library Science textbooks! But I think it may be worth considering. When considered in this light, each of the five laws of Library Science lends itself effortlessly to the skill, the art, the gift of Readers’ Advisory.

The (Six) Laws of Library Science

Within some library environments, not every staff member can be expected to offer extensive, direct, or possibly even indirect RA, based on their job classifications. However, even within the structure of staff hierarchy, I believe that all library staff can participate, to some extent and at some level, with RA initiatives — even if it’s just a particularly warm referral to another staff member. For those of you who have Clerks, or Pages, or Shelvers, or any classification where RA isn’t expected, these folks are still in the stacks and interacting with your customers. These folks also need to know about your Book Bundles, open RA hours, staff databases – whatever RA options that your system offers. These staff will come across these RA questions with your customers, and so these staff will also need to know how to answer them – warmly, kindly, efficiently, and – to some degree – knowledgeably.

You can empower your staff at all levels – and this is how. Wrap your staff in the armor of RA knowledge and send them forth to conquer any and all RA needs in your community! And if you happen to be a library staff member in one of these classifications, and you’re actually salivating at the thought of having more of a Reader’s Advisory part to play; you’re in the right place. Professional development through engaging fully with topics on your own time, or library associations can provide experience with aspects of library work that you may not be able to find in your current library role.

Citations

1. Smith, Ali. Public Library and Other Stories. Anchor Books: New York City; 2015.
2. Hornby, Nick. High Fidelity. Riverhead Books: London. 1995.
3. Ranganathan, S. R. 1931. The five laws of library science. Madras: Madras Library Association.

The post Readers Advisory Reimagined first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

by Melissa Elliott
Melissa teaches young adult literature and readers’ advisory services as an adjunct professor for the MLIS program at University of California, Los Angeles. She is also a library consultant through her business, The Book Adept (http://bookadept.com). This article originally appeared in the March/April 2020 issue of Public Libraries.

Librarians used to be the gatekeepers to knowledge. Forty years ago, if you were in need of information for a school paper or a corporate report, you would go to the reference desk and the librarian would help you find it.

Then came the internet. And speaking from the newly found ability to word-search anything they wanted to know, people in authority made pronouncements about library culture and resources about which they had little understanding: Libraries are no longer necessary—we have Google! Never mind that the level of information from Google washes up on a shallow shore; people who didn’t understand how information retrieval worked seemed perfectly happy with their results. It was like when everyone bought a Macintosh, and corporate newsletters went from being works of art produced by designers to hideous amateur tabloids with bad hyphenation.

The response of librarians was to seek desperately for relevance. Talk ensued about the library as a community space, a meeting place, a source of free resources. Libraries focused on programming to entice patrons. Libraries picked up the slack from the schools by addressing new initia- tives such as STEM, and install- ing makerspaces and 3D printers. Never mind that librarians weren’t trained to provide those services; they would simply have to reinvent themselves to meet the challenge. It provoked a lot of anxiety and second-guessing.

Service at the reference desk now consists of helping people with Microsoft Word or assisting them in downloading a photograph or a resume. Librarians hand out headphones and act as police officers to ensure everyone has their turn at the express computer.

Meanwhile, what is happening at the library school? Despite these cataclysmic shifts in career relevance, library schools continue to require that every student take a reference class. There are courses offered in such up-and-coming areas as data and asset management, community engagement, and digital literacy, but one of the core skills that public librarians are expected to use daily isn’t being taught.

When I decided to get my masters’s degree and become a librarian, my focus was reading. I had always been an eclectic and voracious reader, and I believed this would give me a symbiosis with library patrons. One of my first classes was young adult services, and the assigned reading, The Fair Garden and the Swarm of Beasts: The Library and the Young Adult, by Margaret Edwards and published in 1969, immediately resonated. Edwards documented how she created a profession (teen librarian) based on the idea that reading is paramount, and she trained her assistants accordingly. Teen librarians were not allowed to work “on the floor” until they had read 200 books and book-talked them to Edwards so she knew they had done their homework.[1] The big difference between Edwards and other librarians of her day was that she was not focused on making teens read in order to better themselves; rather, she knew that if they found books that sparked their interest, there would be no need to force them.

Edwards became my hero, and I based my subsequent decade of teen librarianship on her principles. With the help of a like-minded colleague, we built up the teen book clubs from two to three (with 20+ teens in each); and every program that we designed and produced for the library was reading-oriented, from readers’ theater to Book Café, with spectacular results. Most young adult librarians are surprised and grateful if a dozen teenagers show up for their programs; we regularly attracted between 45 and 65 teens to our Book Café sessions, had waiting lists for our book clubs, and teens clamored to be a part of our readers’ theater productions.

While I was doing all of that, I was also working at the reference desk a few hours each day, and finding it a thankless task. The only ray of light was when a patron would ask for help finding a book to read for pleasure. My mostly self-taught readers’ advisory skills would kick in, and I would happily spend as much time as I could talking to that person about what they liked to read and finding them something that would please them. I began to see that the reason we didn’t get more requests for help in that area is that our own customers didn’t know that finding them a good book was one of our jobs.

I started talking to, and listening to, other librarians, and discovered that although they enjoyed helping patrons find books, they didn’t feel truly competent at it. The mystery readers could help someone find a mystery but were helpless in the face of a request for literary fiction, romance, or fantasy. I went further and asked what kind of training they had had in library school to do readers’ advisory, and the majority of them said that a class wasn’t offered, was offered infrequently, or wasn’t emphasized as important to take, so they hadn’t.

If you talk to both library administrators and librarians, you will find that they have a vague belief that readers’ advisory is a prerequisite skill; but if library schools aren’t providing it, and librarians aren’t working at it on their own, and the skill isn’t emphasized as an important part of the daily job or given time and space to develop, then how exactly is a reading culture to occur in the library?

If you talk to library patrons, you will also discover that most patrons have developed their own self-selection skills, whether it’s best-seller lists, award-winners, reading what their friends recommend, or simply browsing the shelves for something likely; but when none of those skills pan out, it still doesn’t occur to them to walk up to the reference desk and ask a librarian. Why is that? That is the question that started haunting me.

My conclusion is that, amidst all the desperate grasping at relevancy, the entire profession has lost its way. In the rush to maintain status, readers’ advisory was overlooked. Many libraries and librarians, if they think about readers’ advisory, assume that it’s an incidental perk to library service, an insignificant stepchild. But here is an important statistic: According to a 2017 Pew Research survey, between 64–73% of library users say they go to the library to check out a book. [2] Here’s another: In a NoveList secret shopper survey, 75 percent of patrons answered “no” when asked if a librarian had offered to help them find a good book.[3]

My next step was to start questioning and encouraging librarians to think about readers’ advisory. What I discovered was that most felt guilty that they weren’t better at it, but didn’t have the time to remedy that on their own.

A RADICAL PROPOSAL

I’m going to propose what some may see as a radical departure from current library culture, while others may scoff at it as old-fashioned: The most important part of your library is your readers, both on your staff and in your patron base. The symbiotic relationship between the building that provides storage for a host of knowledge and entertainment and the librarians in charge of that building has been lost. Our purpose isn’t to keep the physical plant running; it’s to make use of the wonderful, eclectic, amazing array of stories contained within it by sharing them with our users. In order to do that, we have to have training, whether we cultivate it in ourselves or get it from a variety of sources. Then, we have to reach out to our patrons and let them know that rather than continuing to have a haphazard experience, they can be assisted by library staff to consistently satisfy their reading desires.

In order for these things to happen, though, we have to let go of some ideas, practices, and routines, and cultivate new ones. We have to believe library relevance is still tied to books. We may also have to look past some old service models and some new fads in the interest of time management. I am not advocating that all innovations must go in order to create a reading culture; but I am saying that you can’t do it in a few scant minutes stolen from your “regular” routine—you have to commit to it.

Let’s look at the advantages of a reading culture: If 68 percent (an average based on the previously cited 2017 Pew study) of your patrons are coming to the library to find a book to read, what might be that majority’s response if they suddenly found that process easier and more pleasant? What if, when they walked through the doors, they were confronted by beautiful up-to-date displays of books, with staff recommendation cards attached? What if, instead of having to brave the reference desk, they now queued at a readers’ advisory station, where a librarian with an OPAC and some finding aids and custom-created booklists was ready to help them find the book they wanted and assist them to expand their horizons  with read-alikes? What would happen when they found out that librarians would actually take the time—not three minutes but thirty—to discuss their preferences, enter thoroughly into their enthusiasms, and listen in turn to their recommendations?

What if, in this reading culture, there were book clubs for people who wanted that social experience? What if the programming at this library was primarily focused on reading, so that marvelous authors could come and talk about their books? What if the library held Book Cafés that brought people together to book-talk what they’re reading to one another while enjoying a cappuccino, or gathered a group of aspiring actors to produce a readers’ theater version of a popular or classic novel to entertain and engage those whose reading skills might be poor but whose appreciation of story is rich?

What if, at this library, social media was focused  on the collection? What if the blog writers directed readers to the library catalog at the end of each review, so the book could be put on hold that instant? What if the Facebook page publicized all the library’s events with added details about what readers could expect from them? What if Instagram or Pinterest provided readers with custom-themed lists so that they didn’t have to rely on bestsellers but could focus on their library’s collection and have instant gratifica- tion when it came time to check one out? What if librarians on Twitter shared a book of the week, or a great quote about reading? What if outreach librari- ans spent their time book-talking to every demo- graphic, from children to seniors, and thus carried this reading culture out into the community?

What do you think would happen at this library? My belief is that the 68 percent who come for a book would keep coming, would derive immense satisfaction from the experience, would tell others, would positively gush about their library, and the transformation that began with the library would be completed by the readers.

It’s a powerful vision, isn’t it? But apart from the personal satisfaction it would give me, as a librarian, and maybe you as well, to know that my primary mandate was to find the right book for everyone who came in, let’s think about the political and financial aspects of this “plan.” First of all, let’s return once again to that 68 percent of patrons looking for a book, and imagine that they have reacted as I predicted: Do you think, when it comes time to vote for more funding for the library, that your citizens will be more likely to say yes if their reading habits have been treated as the most important priority of the library? Do you think that a citizenry that has become involved through programs, book clubs, and a regular habit of visitation will be more or less likely to see the library as a necessity? Will they realize that although they can take a coding class or learn to draw at a variety of venues, the only place where their reading needs are met, and met for free, is the library?

Now let’s look at our own part in this transformation: Do we need to write a grant to make it happen? Do we need to buy anything other than what we’re already buying? Do we need to hire extra or different people to make it work? The truth is that nothing but a change of mind, a shift in emphasis, is needed to create this atmosphere. Although training will be necessary for some staff, the real transformation is the simple encouragement of everyone who works there to think of the library as a source of reading and to act accordingly. And for those who bristled when I mentioned coding and art classes in a context that might indicate dropping them from the curriculum, I’m not proposing exclusivity to that degree. What I am proposing, however, is that every class or workshop can have a focus that causes circulation to rise. At your art classes, pro- vide a display of books that will further your participants’ knowledge of what they have learned in the class. Not all your participants will avail themselves, but if you check out five more books, that’s five more towards your total statistics. And along with citizens’ approbation, circulation statistics are among the most prized measure of whether you are doing your job. We all know that circulation has generally declined in recent years, and we tend to blame it on various things; but if we have not been doing our best to feature our collection and let our community see our commitment to them as readers, then we know there is another reason—it’s on us.

I’ll leave you with the reiteration that no matter what else it is or does, a library is a giant box filled with books. A library’s patrons, 64–73% of them, are just looking for a good one. You are at the cusp of where those two facts meet. What are you going to do? PL

References

1. Margaret A. Edwards, The Fair Garden and the Swarm of Beasts: The Library and the Young Adult (NY: Hawthorn Books, 1969), 54.
2. John B. Horrigan, “Library usage and engagement,” Pew Research Center, September 9, 2016, www.pewinternet.org/2016
3. Duncan Smith, NoveList, workshop speech, Ontario, Canada (November 2016).

The post Reader [R]evolution first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Whatever your guess, a recent article from Reader’s Digest references a Barnes & Noble survey that names the day before Thanksgiving as the busiest reading day of the year, a title that makes sense given how many people tend to spend time commuting that day.^[1] Author Meghan Jones notes that 77 percent of those surveyed admit to reading then, and 28 percent rely on what they’ve read to help distract from drama-ridden Thanksgiving dinner conversation topics. Jones also includes a copy of the retailer’s accompanying infographic, which offers book suggestions for different types of travels.

Although the November and December holidays may be over, this article still provides some clever ideas for reader’s advisory that librarians can tailor to their own patrons. The infographic format is a great way of offering bite-sized recommendations for specific circumstances (e.g. “Small Journeys” through “Very Long Journeys”) without appearing dense or overwhelming. It is also visually appealing and on-trend with current digital marketing practices.

Recently, I created an infographic to highlight some of my library’s titles that would be suitable as holiday gifts.^[2] Our patrons responded well to it when it was posted to our website and social media accounts, and I plan to make more in 2018. Such graphics are easy to make using free online tools like Piktochart and Canva, and they can work for any type of reader’s advisory. Want to serve up a list of readalikes to popular TV shows? Create an infographic with sections for different shows. Interested in a list of fairy tale retellings? Your creation can contain sections for various story archetypes. The possibilities are endless.

Much of the information in Jones’ article and Barnes & Noble’s suggestions can also prove timely if recycled during the summer, when travel again hits a peak. Seasonal content helps make us more relevant to patrons in their everyday lives, and they will appreciate your suggestions!

Have you implemented infographics in your reader’s advisory strategy? Tell us about it in the comments!

References

^[1] Jones, Meghan. “The Busiest Reading Day of the Year Has Been Revealed.” Reader’s Digest. Accessed January 2, 2018. https://www.rd.com/advice/travel/busiest-reading-day-year/.

^[2] “Best Books to Gift in 2017.” Worth-Pinkham Memorial Library. December 9, 2017. Accessed January 2, 2018. https://hohokus.bccls.org/news/best-books-to-gift-in-2017.

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The post Readers for Social Justice first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Chicago was more than ready for the merriment that thousands of librarians brought to the American Library Association’s 2017 Annual Conference. Keep the spirit of Chicago alive this summer with some of these books, films, podcasts, and cultural touchstones.

Genre authors love to use Chicago as a backdrop for rapid-pace thrillers, contemporary romances, and wise-guy crime fiction. If you haven’t read Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City (2003), don’t step o the “L” until you do. And you may miss your stop anyway. This riveting serial killer true crime story set against the glittering façade of the 1893 World’s Fair would keep any commuter hanging on until the last page.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips has made Chicago the setting for her linked series of romance novels featuring characters connected to the fictional Chicago Stars football team. If you only read one of these witty romantic comedies, then pick up Match Me If You Can (2005). Professional matchmaker Annabelle tries to marry off billionaire sports agent Heath. We can all guess how it ends, but enjoy the quirky ride from one of the romance genre’s most decorated authors.

For more darkly comic fun, follow Mark Bergman and John “Doonie” Dunegan, two Chicago homicide detectives in Some Dead Genius (2014) by Lenny Kleinfeld. They may not know art, but they know what they don’t like: a seven-year string of talented up-and-coming artist corpses strewn all over the city.

Visit the Windy City leafing through two seminal works from two of Chicago’s favorite literary daughters, Gwendolyn Brooks and Sandra Cisneros. Brooks held the post of Poet Laureate of Illinois from 1968 until her death. Sure, you know “We Real Cool,” but how about Brooks’s only novel, Maud Martha (1953), a small book about a girl with a big imagination. Cisneros’s signature work, The House on Mango Street (1984), offers hope for a better life through the wisely observant eyes of budding writer Esperanza and the life stories of her Chicago neighbors.

Need to relive Chicago in all its Second City glory? No one has more fun in Chicago than John Hughes’s merry band of truants in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986). And no one takes Chicago more seriously than Spike Lee in his update of Aristophanes’s Lysistrata, Chi-Raq (2015). Brush up your “Cell Block Tango” and credit the inspiration to the award-winning Chicago (2002).

On your next visit to Chicago, cue up the “A Lot You Got to Holler” podcast from Newcity Design. Then gaze down on the rooftops of some of Chicago’s most iconic buildings with the voices of architects, artists, and designers providing thoughtful commentary on the history and development of the skyline.

Or drop into the Magic Tavern’s podcast. hosted by Arnie, who fell through a portal into the land of Foon. He interviews wizards, monsters, and adventurers. You may see Harry Dresden having a pint here when he’s not working one of his own cases.

Librarians love museums. If you missed your chance in June, plan to visit the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, the Midwest’s largest LGBTQ circulating library, next time. Or seek out the Oriental Institute and Research Archives; stop at the Leather Archives and Museum it’s a stunning room. And librarians who are hellbent for leather better make a pit stop at the Leather Archives and Museum.

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I arrive at the local pub on a Wednesday evening in April ahead of the night’s book discussion to prepare the space for our eclectic and boisterous group. Tonight, we’ll be spread out along an upcycled wooden table, sipping coffee, wine, and local craft beer, and diving into the nineteenth century provincial society of Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary.

Regular group members and newcomers roll in, complete with dog-eared paperbacks lled with sticky notes or underlined passages ready to get started on tonight’s classic novel.

“I have a bundle of books to get through with tragic women characters,” says one woman who is thrilled to be able to mark another title off her ambitious to-read list.

“French history is awesome,” another replies. And so it goes among the group of people gathered around the table this evening.

It’s another gathering of Poudre River Public Library District’s (PRPLD) newest discussion series, Rekindle the Classics.

Once per month, from September to May, program participants discuss literary powerhouses like Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. The program is a collaboration between PRPLD, the English department at Colorado State University (CSU), and a local Fort Collins (CO) business, Wolverine Farm Letterpress & Publick House. Graduate students and faculty from the English department are our expert guides, providing background on the author, historical period, significance of the work, and thoughtful prompts for discussion. The program is drop-in and open to all community members.

The Collaboration Begins

The Rekindle the Classics series was conceived by Ellen Brinks, CSU professor of literature. The idea for the series was sparked by Brinks’ involvement in another successful PRPLD program in which classic authors including Dickens and Shelley “came alive” in a Chautauqua-like presentation.

“I was so impressed with the community interest and appreciation for the ‘Literature Comes Alive’ program and the high level and seriousness of the discussions I had with participants. I never forgot it,” Brinks explained.¹

When Brinks later became the graduate programs coordinator for the CSU English department, she sought ways her department could serve the Fort Collins community while fostering graduate students’ experiences in local public arts. She remembered the positive collaboration between the CSU and PRPLD for Literature Comes Alive.

“I thought that—with library interest—Literature Comes Alive could be tweaked somewhat: a reading club with graduate students or department faculty selecting old and new classic texts and leading discussions of them in the library setting,” she said.

Brinks, along with a motivated graduate student, pitched the idea and I quickly jumped on board. Together, we added a twist to the typical book club model: a hip, off-site venue.

I found the perfect space in Publick House, a casual, community- and arts-centered space that also happens to serve fantastic beverages. Owner Todd Simmons graciously donated the use of the venue’s eight-hundred-square-foot meeting room for discussions. The Letterpress & Publick House is Wolverine Farm’s creative outpost: part letterpress print shop, part community event center, part coffee shop, and part beer-and-wine bar.

“We view the Publick House as a cultural, environmental, and educational facility with really good concessions,” said Simmons. “It’s a place to learn, celebrate, and practice the art of living in a mindful and engaged manner.”²
His generosity allowed the Rekindle the Classics program to enjoy zero costs for supplies, equipment, or space, and brought increased visibility to this burgeoning local business.

Revisiting Classic Stories

We launched Rekindle the Classics in January 2016 with a graduate student-
led discussion of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Nearly twenty people attended the rst discussion including many who had not previously attended library programs, two library book club regulars, a retired couple, various young professionals, a high school teacher who teaches the novel in her classroom, and a handful of graduate students. Subsequent book discussions have enjoyed similar attendance.

For many at the table, Rekindle the Classics is not a typical book group but a unique opportunity to reignite their passion for some of the best works of literature, a passion they might not have known existed when they first read these books, often in high school or college.

“I like that the discussion is on a peer level,” said Lauren, a CSU graduate student and that night’s discussion facilitator. “These are perceptive discussions and not just critical. Plus, there are no papers to write or tests to take.”

Susan, a frequent participant in the program, said, “I’m all up in this! I need to talk about these books. There’s so much to unpack and discuss.”

“These stories are so ingrained in our culture and people are familiar with them,” she explained. “Some readers might think it will be hard to read and discuss them, but they aren’t. They’re just layered.”

For people who read or re-read classic literature—whether on their own or as part of a group like Rekindle the Classics —the draw can be the name recognition of the author or novel or a memory of having encountered the book when they were younger.

Having slogged through some of The Canterbury Tales in high school, I totally missed the point. Rekindle the Classics provided me the chance to give Chaucer another try. And, of course, I loved it the second time around—hilarious and bawdy! Who knew?

The “Better Person” Outcome

In addition to the simple enjoyment of a rousing tale or compelling character, some argue that reading literary fiction makes us better people. According to Science magazine, a 2013 study indicated that reading literary fiction gives readers enhanced “theory of mind,” or the ability to understand the “beliefs and desires” of people unlike themselves.³

After our discussion of The Scarlet Letter, Brinks said, “I loved that someone brought up the judgement that comes not only with women who are sexually expressive but who are simply trying to get through the world as single parents.”

Another evening’s discussion of Madame Bovary moved in a similar direction as participants reflected upon the changing roles of women in society and the social norms and morals of nineteenth century France compared to today.

Many of the liveliest conversations from Rekindle the Classics revolve around the critical lens with which each reader views the story and characters: historical, psychological, philosophical, and feminist perspectives are explored.

“I am more empathic when I read these books,” one participant commented. “They push me out of my comfort zone.”

Other Considerations

For all the success that we’ve enjoyed with the program, there are a few considerations other libraries should take into account when organizing any similar book group collaboration.

1. Plan Ahead and Define Roles

Our collaboration’s success is due in part to advance planning and clearly de ned roles and responsibilities. Rekindle the Classics meets monthly from September to May. Each discussion lasts two hours, with a ten-minute break midway through the evening. CSU graduate students and faculty volunteers facilitate discussions and choose titles meaningful to them.

On behalf of PRPLD, I coordinate all logistics for the program including scheduling, marketing, venue details, reporting, and evaluation. Brinks coordinates the graduate student facilitators and confirms their availability and preparedness. We also meet a few times per year to discuss the status of the program and share ideas for improvement. We also act as back-up discussion facilitators.

2. Recognize the Amount of Prep Involved

As coordinators, we make efforts to read every book and attend every discussion. Did we read and finish every title on time for the discussion? Actually, no. We had to let go of that and just get as much read as we could in one month. We felt only a little guilty reading Cliff’s Notes to help supplement knowledge of the book.

3. Be Flexible with Book Titles

Our book titles are chosen by the graduate students who have volunteered to lead the group discussion. This is a great way to ensure the facilitators feel comfortable with the book and author, but it also means that group participation is dependent upon their choices.

For instance, we noticed a difference in attendees based on whether the book or author was highly recognizable versus when the chosen title was less well-known.

Additionally, because we did not have a hand in book selection, it was difficult to ensure that there was a good representation of diverse literary voices, styles, and time periods; instead, we had to rely on the students’ familiarity and passion for specific works. While this approach ensured a high-quality discussion of each book, it also meant we could not change up titles to address current social issues. Owing to their politically driven popular resurgence, I wanted to add Brave New World or The Handmaid’s Tale to our lineup. Unfortunately, we did not have any graduate students who expressed interest in these titles at the time.

4. Conduct Ongoing Evaluation

It’s pretty typical for librarians to conduct some type of formal or informal program assessment, and we were able to use collected feedback to tweak elements of the program that were working well for our community and to make important changes for our next season.

Based on feedback from the participants which was collected via a simple six-question evaluation form, we found everyone enjoyed and learned something new from each program. Most people returned to one or two more programs during each season.

Participants did ask us to consider meeting where the parking was more plentiful and background noise a little less boisterous (Publick House remains open to the public while we meet). Program participants also provided suggestions for titles and authors, and encouraged us to include works outside of the Western, white-male canon.

Together, we concluded we were very happy with the program. The facilitators were well prepared with background on the author and the historical context of the book, and they also balanced directing the conversation and letting it go where it would.

As we prepared for the fall 2017 season, we took into account participant feedback and worked to create a diverse lineup of authors and titles. Among them were Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior, and H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulu and Other Weird Stories.

Why Read the Classics

To read a great classic like Madame Bovary or King Lear in adulthood is an experience wholly different from reading it as a student in school. Even as the books remain the same over time, we have, as Italian author Italo Calvino points out, “most certainly changed, and our encounter will be an entirely new thing.”⁴

This sentiment is echoed among Rekindle the Classics readers.

“I always learn new things about the book discussed,” said Ravitte, an early program participant, “and the level of discussion is intellectually stimulating.”

Everywhere, people are looking for ways to connect with ideas and with one another. With Rekindle the Classics we have o ered that camaraderie and connection through classic literature.

References

1. Ellen Brinks, email interview with the author, Dec. 21, 2016.
2. Todd Simmons, email interview with the author, July 25, 2017.
3. David Comer Kidd and Emanuele Castano, “Reading Literary Fiction Improves Theory of Mind,” Science 342 no. 6156 (Oct. 18, 2013): 377-80, accessed Oct. 30, 2017.
4. Italo Calvino, translated by Patrick Creagh, “Why Read the Classics,” The New York Review of Books (Oct. 9, 1986), accessed Nov. 5, 2017.

The post A Community Collaboration Rekindles Interest in Classic Literature first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Public Libraries Online: RA for genre readers seems as if it could be a minefield. How do I know if the reader who loves Zane Grey will like William Johnstone if I’ve never read a Western?

Becky Spratford: I am not going to lie, this is not an intuitive skill. I call this type of question RA 201. To help genre readers you need to take the time to learn about the conventions of each genre. How the writers write and what readers are looking for. I spend a lot of time training library workers both how to learn the basics and then “stay in genre shape,” so that you know the trends and changes to every genre. It’s not that hard once you make a work out plan to stay in shape. But these are things you would have had to have done before you got this question.

In this specific case, you would need to understand more about why the reader in front of you loves Zane Grey and in your mind, compare that to what you DO KNOW about the genre he writes in. Get them to talk about why they enjoy his books every time. You will probably hear something about the setting, the fast pace, and the sympathetic yet loner heroes. If you have done your work to know about Westerns and their tropes as a genre, you will be able to fill in some of blanks that the reader is not specifically mentioning.

To see if this reader would also like William Johnstone [or another Western author in your collection], you have to learn more about Johnstone. You already know enough about Grey. That is also an important point to make. You don’t need to look up much more about Grey because everything you need to know about Grey in relation to this reader was just told to you.

To learn more about Johnstone quickly I suggest looking on NoveList or in the 5 star and 1 star reviews on Goodreads [the lovers and the haters as I like to call them] for his books. This search will quickly reveal why people love or hate Johnstone. Do those love reasons match what your reader said about Grey? Or is it the 1 star people for Johnstone who sound more like your Grey fan?

You also will quickly learn that Johnstone has a lot more violence than Grey and while Grey’s depictions of The West are nostalgic and idealized, Johnstone’s are a lot more gritty and realistic. Those observations could make or break whether or not the reader in front of you would enjoy Johnstone. But don’t decide for the reader. Instead, I would let readers know this information and let them decide for themselves whether to give Johnstone a try. If they want to, great, if not, we have to try another author. And maybe you don’t want to only offer Western choices. But that is RA 301.

The point is that you are allowed to use resources to answer RA questions just like you would for a reference question. Let the patron know you are unfamiliar with the authors but that you are both committed to helping him find his next good read AND that you know where the two of you can look for more information…together. The RA conversation is a team sport. You need to work together. Don’t be afraid to admit that you haven’t read something, but be confident that you know how to help any reader.

PL: Librarians looking to improve at RA should definitely stop by your blog and take advantage of the meaty posts and the extensive tagging/archive. What other advice do you have for someone wanting to up his/her game?

BS: Just like anything the answer is—- PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

I’ve already mentioned ways staff can practice book talking with each other at their service desks, but there are also easy ways to practice making suggestions without having a the pressure of a patron standing impatiently in front of you.

Here are two examples:

Book Riot’s free Get Booked podcast is your perfect RA practice tool. Get Booked is a weekly show of customized book recommendations. People write in, tell the hosts what kind of books they like and/or what they are looking to read next, and then the hosts suggest titles.

Listening to Get Booked is a great way to see the rage of reading tastes that are out there, and simply passively listening to the hosts come up with suggestions and hear their “why” statements is useful. But you can also use Get Booked as an active training tool.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Play the podcast and listen to the first query.
2. Write down what the reader is looking for.
3. Hit pause BEFORE the hosts give suggestions.
4. Use your favorite RA tools to identify some suggestions and include notes as to why you chose the titles you did,
5. Listen to what the hosts suggested.
6. Compare not only the titles, but the “whys.”
7. Repeat for the rest of the episode

In this active practice mode, you are not only providing RA in a simulated real time atmosphere, but you are also able to compare your ideas and suggestion with 2 other people, immediately.  Yes, this practice technique does not provide a way for you to speak to the “patron” after the fact to find out if your suggestions were okay, but it does simulate the “ask and answer” time frame that you would experience at the service desk and provides you with two other perspectives to compare your notes with.

Second, practice on a colleague. Ask interested staff to submit a list of their three favorite books (recent or all time) and a sentence or two as to why they love these titles. They should also include any books or genres that they definitely don’t like. Take all of the lists and mix them up, randomly assigning them to other staff members. Give the participants some time to work on their “reader” and come back to him or her with 3 suggestions. Everyone read one of the suggestions and get back to their suggester with comments on how it was.

This exercise not only gives the person providing RA a chance to practice finding suggestions, but also, ensures that the suggester will get feedback from the reader, something that does not always happen when we work with patrons. This exercise also allows all participants to experience both sides of the RA Service interaction. And everyone gets a personalized list of reading recommendations as their prize for participating!

PL: Traveling and presenting widely on RA must give you a broad perspective on how libraries provide this service. What trends do you see happening?

BS: Libraries are starting to realize that their staff is their best resource and are working hard to merchandize them for their expertise. This trend first began as libraries started to make Staff Recommendation displays but is now moving into services like Multnomah County [OR]’s My Librarian or Lawrence [KS] Public Library’s Book Squad. These campaigns put the staff member behind the picks in the forefront. It lets the patrons know the face and even a bit of the personality that is behind their services. This creates a closer connection between the staff and the patrons, battles the very real specter of library anxiety that some patrons feel, and allows all staff to feel more appreciated for their hard work.

A trend in reading is that with the ease and proliferation of e-books people are now reading more than they did 17 years ago when I first started doing this. More books and a mastery of another format to get their stories means patrons are less format specific. When readers ask for a book, many are willing to read it however you can get it to them fastest, be it e-book, print, or even audio. Audiobooks is actually the fastest growing segments of the “book” market right now. So buy popular titles in lots of formats, but also, don’t assume your e-book person only wants an e-book or your print person will only read print. Make sure you let them know all of the formats you have their story in.

A surprise trend of 2017 is the resurgence of interest in being in a library book club. About 10 years ago many libraries saw a decline in the number of patrons interested in being in library hosted book clubs. At the same time the home based book club was really taking off.  However, the trend has come full circle as at home book clubs are feeling like they are losing direction and are turning to their local libraries for help. I have gone from being asked to help library book clubs stay alive to being hired to help train even more book club leaders in just the last few years.

PL: It seems cruel to talk to an avid reader and not ask you to recommend a book or two, so what’s something you’ve read recently that you loved and what made it such a great read?

BS: Here are a few:

Travelers Rest by Keith Lee Morris: “A family– husband, wife, 10 year old son, and recovering alcoholic uncle are traveling East from Washington back to South Carolina over the Christmas break when a snow storm forces them to stop for the night in Good Night, Idaho at the historic “Travelers Rest” hotel, a seemingly small decision that forever changes all of their lives. With its slow burn pacing, readers are swept up into a time bending, haunted house story that is terrifying without any blood, but features a menace that is definitely not of this world. It is a story about familial love, memory, and identity that will make you think, but it is the creepy tone that will continue to haunt you after the final page. Think Twilight Zone meets The Shining and you know what your stay at Travelers Rest will entail.”

American Housewife: Stories by Helen Ellis: These are stories of modern women, from right now, not the 1950s, who are extremely flawed [even bordering on unreliable at times], have pent up rage, and are not afraid to extract revenge. They do not hold back, but they also get their revenge with a smile on their face– a pasted on, fake smile, but a smile nonetheless. And the result is hysterical. I listened to this one and the audio is especially good.

Children of the Dark by Jonathan Janz was my second favorite horror read of 2016. Second only to Joe Hill’s The Fireman.  From the first line of the novel Will, a fifteen year old kid from rural Indiana, lets us know that he has a story to tell, a horrific story of the summer when he watched seventeen people die. Talk about anxiety. It is this intense tension that drives the narrative, but with the addition of a serial killer with a surprisingly connection to Will, a recently awoken ancient evil, fast paced, bloody action sequences, and a cast of well-developed characters you get an original story with a classic horror feel. This is a perfect read for patrons who miss old school Stephen King.

Each title has a much longer review available on RA for All. Just put the title into the search bar.

The post Secrets of Readers’ Advisory — Part Two first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Public Libraries Online: Whenever someone is known as an expert on something, I’m always curious about the path that led there. Would you share a quick recap of how you became an RA guru?

Becky Spratford: While I was in library school getting my master’s degree, on a whim, I took an elective class on Readers’ Advisory (RA). I thought it would be fun, but little did I know it would be one of the best decisions of my life. That class was the first time I had ever heard of being a professional leisure book suggester. Then, about a year later, while in my last semester, I applied for an opening to create an RA Department from scratch at the Berwyn [IL] Public Library.

I wasn’t even sure if RA was all I wanted to do when I went to Berwyn; I didn’t think it would be intellectually stimulating enough. But it was too good of an opportunity to turn down, and good thing too, because boy, was I wrong. My director gave me the room to make the RA Department what I wanted it to be.  She gave me a place to grow and learn to the point at which now I am writing the textbooks, leading the RA seminars, and writing an RA blog that is listed in textbooks. I went from not being sure, to being THE expert. And I have never been bored a day since.

I wrote more about those early years and the librarian who posted that opening as a memorial to her after her death here on my blog.

PL: Based on the presentations you’ve given on Readers’ Advisory, what’s one thing that tends to elicit an “aha” moment in the audience?

BS: People seem to think they can’t possibly do RA without having read the book they are suggesting to the person in front of them. To get them over this hump, I have people start with an all-time favorite book and have them describe why they love it to a colleague but the catch is they can only use adjectives and not describe the plot at all. This forces them to get comfortable with describing WHY a book is enjoyed without the crutch of plot, but the “aha moment” comes when it is their turn to listen to their colleague describe why he or she loves their book. By listening, the trainee begins to see how WHY we all like the books we do is the point of RA. When you remove the genre and plot specifics, you are left with the essence of the story and how it makes the reader feel. That is something every reader can understand and relate to. Even if the paired up colleagues have completely different reading tastes, they can hear and feel each other’s enthusiasm for the stories they love. It is that feeling we try to match as we work with readers, not a specific title.

Providing RA is as much about listening to others describe a book as it is about being able to book talk a perfect match. When people realize that, at its essence, RA begins as a conversation about books and reading, likes and dislikes, it all seems easier. That is something we all already do.  I show them that they already know a lot more than they think they do. After this breakthrough, they have confidence to try it with patrons. Then all it takes is practice to improve.

PL: Many of us probably think of Readers’ Advisory as being strictly a one-on-one conversation that takes place at a desk or in the stacks. Beyond book lists, are there other activities we should look at as ways to extend our RA reach?

BS: Talking with readers, making and posting book lists, putting up displays, and writing reviews are all great example of RA service, but there is much more you can do for sure. Basically anything you can do to remind your patrons that you are ready and willing to talk about what they are reading and watching in their free time is a way to extend your RA reach.  Here are three easy, fun, and outside of the box examples:

Create a library Goodreads shelf and have staff members post the books they are already reading with a sentence or two about what kind of reader would like it. The compound interest of multiple staff members contributing really adds up quickly. Plus patrons are already on Goodreads posting their books. They will be thrilled, and probably a bit surprised, to see you there too.

One of my favorite tricks is to really surprise patrons with unexpected RA service by putting read-alike suggestions at the end of the books they are reading.

Here is an example I made:

Did you enjoy reading The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker? You may also enjoy these other titles from our collection.

Forever by Pete Hamill also uses a mixture of fiction and fantasy to tell a moving immigrant story set in New York City. Forever spans centuries with an immortal protagonist, and The Golem and the Jinni is set in 1899, but both stories invoke the mythology of “the old country.”

For those who want another tale of magical realism with amazing world-building, fluid storytelling, and a tone which, while darker is infused with an overwhelming sense of hope, try Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus.

The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks is a good choice for readers who want another novel featuring Jews and Arabs working together to save something precious. Brooks’ tale alternates between the past and the present, but features a similar magical tone and a look into the customs, traditions, and ways of those who came before us.

— From your local library

All you have to do is make a template for sizing and then have any and all staff contribute. Ask them to pick a book in the collection they have read and give you their read-alikes [the books this book reminded them of]. Each staff member can write as little or as much about the whys as they want. The key is to get these lists affixed into the back of as many books as possible. Patrons love finding them and as a result, finding their next good read.

Finally, don’t underestimate the power of staff talking to each other at the service desk about books, movies, TV shows, graphic novels, etc. As long as it can be checked out at your library, staff should be encouraged to talk about why they like these items that they consumed in their own leisure time. It makes for good book sharing practice and it serves as an advertisement for your willingness and ability to offer leisure reading and viewing matches to your patrons. Many patrons are afraid to “bother” us with their leisure requests. If we are already sharing our own leisure reads with each other, our patrons will be more willing to come talk to us about their needs too. Yes, believe it or not, talking to each other at the desk is RA too.

Check back next month for more insight on Readers’ Advisory from Becky.

The post Readers’ Advisory Secrets — A Conversation with Becky Spratford first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Without a doubt, the 2016 presidential race for the White House has left many politically drained, and with the new administration, concerned. Since the election, sale of George Orwell’s book, 1984, has topped the Amazon bestseller list[1], and in response, Penguin is working on a larger-than-normal reprint due to demand[2]. The unsteady political climate and unsure footing of American foreign policy has led many readers to find solace in books that they feel they can relate to: dystopian novels. Dystopian novels usually center on an ultra-antagonist, like a government or similar entity that exerts complete control of those living in its jurisdiction. Standard tropes for the genre include mind control, severe punishments, poor living conditions, advanced science used for the wrong purpose, drugs, propaganda, rules, reliance on outdated forms of communication, problems with procuring food, and disease. Below, are book recommendations for post-1984 readers seeking more bleak descriptions of future humanity’s doom.

[Warning]: Spoilers ahead.

Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

The series focusses on Katniss Everdeen and her quest to bring down the Capitol’s totalitarian regime. In the series, we learn there was an uprising against the Capitol’s rule, and in response, members of the various Districts are forced to give up their children to compete in a game meant to demoralize the populace and keep them under control.  The Hunger Games Trilogy has blood, determination, and shows the ironies that can come with a rebellion to overthrow one ruler, to have another equally unjust ruler try to set-up shop.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

What if you woke up to discover that you knew nothing of your previous life, not even your name? What if you were then to discover that you might have had a part in doing horrible things for the government, all in the name of scientific research to find a cure for a terminal illness? Then you might be Thomas, a hapless teenager who slowly discovers that the world has succumbed to a deadly virus, and the only way to stop it is to participate in grueling trials of strength, agility, and mental acuity. Remember, W.I.C.K.E.D. is good.

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

If a wasteland is your sort of thing, then Blood Red Road might be your cup of tea. After Saba and Emmi’s brother Lugh is kidnapped, Saba and Emmi begin the grueling journey to rescue him, battling the elements and the dangerous inhabitants of an apocalyptic world. Saba is forced to cage fight and kill her opponents after she and her sister are captured by a ruthless vagabond couple.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Road is dark, bleak, and barren. The story centers on a father and son who are wandering America’s roads after a terrible, unidentified event. Humanity dwindles, and America is left populated with lawless bands of thieves and murderers. The only protection that the father and son have against them is a gun. However, the true danger lies within, as the father realizes that he is dying of an illness.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Along with 1984, Brave New World is one of the most popular dystopian novels ever written. It is probably best known for recreational use of the fictitious drug soma, and for its existential musing of life and death.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Shusterman’s Unwind is an original story that asks the question, “Can I dismember my child legally by applying for a government sanctioned procedure called unwinding?” In Neal Shusterman’s novel, the answer is, “If your child is bad, and between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, then yes.” Unwind is a startling novel that focuses on a group of teens who are trying to avoid the fate that their parents and government have selected for them.

Radiant by Karina Sumner-Smith

Ghosts, magic as currency, and human batteries take center stage in Radiant, a dystopian novel set in the far future in which a girl named Xhea comes to terms with her inability to do magic, thereby making her life difficult and miserable. Nevertheless, Xhea has a trait that makes her valuable: she can see ghosts. The rulers of Xhea’s world reside in towers, and she soon finds out that they desperately need her to harness the power of a specific ghost, one that generates power like a nuclear reactor.

The Stand by Stephen King

If Leo Tolstoy wrote dystopian horror, he may have written something like this. The Stand touches on every aspect of human life, and attempts to reveal the fragile nature of our health and to explore a near-extinction event for humanity. The novel begins with a virus being released by mistake from a testing facility. Most of the world’s population dies, leaving only a handful of people alive. A protagonist and an antagonist appears, challenging each other for the hearts and minds of the survivors. Ironically, a nuclear bomb, a reason for many apocalyptic scenarios, saves the day.

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Article 5 takes its namesake from one of the laws put into place after a war devastates the United States. The article states that women cannot have children outside marriage. Those who are found guilty of violating Article 5, or any of the other Moral Statues, face imprisonment or death. Ember, the story’s protagonist, is captured with her mother for this crime. Ember escapes her confinement with the goal of setting her mother free, but later finds out that her mother died at the hands of her captors.

References

[1] Publisher Printing More Copies of George Orwell’s ‘1984’ After Spike in Demand, http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/25/media/george-orwell-1984-best-seller/

[2] Ibid.

The post Braving the New World: Dystopian RA first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

As a readers’ advisory librarian, I believe in the power of story as one way to gain knowledge of the lives of others. Strong narratives with believable people navigating tough situations can help stimulate a conversation between readers with different backgrounds and experiences.

Stories can be used to pull readers and viewers into the complex lives of ordinary people. Stories can help us understand complicated issues and form relationships by putting readers in unfamiliar, difficult, uncomfortable places.

Sharing a common reading experience may seem like a small place to start for many people just beginning to comprehend the underlying realities that helped give rise to the Black Lives Matter movement. But libraries have been havens for civil civic discourse through reading for centuries.

These are only a few lesser-known books, movies, and podcasts to include in displays and online lists that will help us continue that tradition. Hopefully these works will help stimulate empathy and thoughtful, positive dialogue among our patrons who have always turned to their libraries in troubled times.

I’ve seen quite a few fantastic reading lists with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. If your display needs some inspiration, start with either of these from Seattle Public Library’s Shelf Talk blog: “Reading Race: Best Fiction of 2015” and “Reading Race: Best Nonfiction of 2015.”

Oakland (CA) Public Library compiled “Listen, Learn, Participate: A #BlackLives-Matter Resource Series” for books, articles, poems, and documentaries. Librarian Amy Sonnie posted the list in December 2014 and has kept it fresh with materials for teachers, students, parents, and community members.

One of the most recent lists is Lawrence Public Library’s #BlackLivesMatter list in BiblioCommons, which primarily includes contemporary fiction and nonfiction “to educate, spark reflection, and stimulate dialogue.”

Consider adding some of these novels or poetry collections that draw readers into the lives and experiences of black characters. Connie Porter’s Imani All Mine (1999) is a fiercely graceful novel of a teenage rape victim raising her infant daughter in the inner city. Pair it with Sapphire’s popular novel Push (1996).

Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuff (1975), has become a fixture in the theatre since it was first staged. This groundbreaking theatrical work has seven unnamed women telling stories of struggle and oppression in a sexist and racist society. The language is elegant, harsh, and arrhythmic.

Steer library patrons to the recent documentaries When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006) and The Loving Story (2011). In Levees, Hurricane Katrina devastates a city, and the city, in turn, devastates its poor and underprivileged citizens. The Loving Story is an eye-opening and tearful portrait of a marriage that went on trial during the Civil Rights era.

Citizen Stewart’s podcast “Rock the Schools” is a weekly education reform program from highly respected education advocate and activist, Chris Stewart. Episode 35 features an interview with Nekima Levy-Pounds about the education of some members of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Levy-Pounds hosts her own podcast, Real Talk, in which she has intense conversations about race with experts in the fields of public policy, mass media, education, politics, and history.

No #BlackLivesMatter resource list would be complete without The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (2010), the story of the poor black woman who gave modern medicine the cells that affected millions of lives. Lacks’ was a singular black life that will matter into perpetuity.

The post UNDER THE RADAR | The Power of Story first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

So with some input from my coworkers, I have compiled a list for you to recommend to that guy who might just try a nonfiction book if you bug him enough. These are titles that won’t disappoint. You’re probably already familiar with some of them, but maybe you’ll find a new gem to recommend (My husband wants you to know that Under and Alone is the only book he ever got out of bed to read to find out what happened next).

Adventure

• Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer
• Not Without Peril: 150 Years of Misadventure on the Presidential Range of New Hampshire  by Nicholas Howe
• Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks by Andrea Lankford
• A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins
• A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson

History

• The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
• The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn
• The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman
• The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz
• Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

Humor

• Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn
• Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
• Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man’s Fundamentals for Delicious Living by Nick Offerman
• Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
• The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A. J. Jacobs

Adapted on TV

• Captain Phil Harris: The Legendary Crab Fisherman, Our Hero, Our Dad by Josh Harris and Jake Harris
• Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H. G. Bissinger
• Measure Twice, Cut Once: Lessons from a Master Carpenter by Norm Abram
• On Thin Ice: Breakdowns, Whiteouts, and Survival on the World’s Deadliest Roads by Hugh Rowland
• Under and Alone: The True Story of the Undercover Agent Who Infiltrated America’s Most Violent Outlaw Motorcycle Gang by William Queen

And More…

• The Book of General Ignorance: Everything You Think You Know IsWrong by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
• What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
• Why is the Stanley Cup in Mario Lemieux’s Swimming Pool?: How Winners Celebrate With the World’s Most Famous Cup by Kevin Allen

Leave a comment about your favorite titles to recommend!

The post 25 Nonfiction Titles for Guys Who Aren’t Big Readers first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Expectations:
I bought a cute little pink notebook to write down summaries of all the books so I would remember my thoughts. One of the women who had been on the committee before (yes, they were all women) laughed and said I wouldn’t need it. She was right. By the end, I was reading during every free moment–no time for note-taking. Said A, “I think that I didn’t realize just how much reading we would be doing though, and how disciplined I’d have to be!”

Reading Time:
We read approximately 105 books over about 9 months’ time. (We were supposed to read more but a few of us who work throughout the year whined enough over the lengthy summer list!)

I’m the person who always has a book in their car in case of emergencies, but this got a little ridiculous. I was reading everywhere, all the time. A said she was even reading while blow-drying her hair. One big help for many committee members was audiobooks in the car–and while cleaning, cooking, and… It did take up a lot of time, but B said that the benefits to reader’s advisory alone were worth it. She mentioned that she spends so much time selecting great picture books to read in storytime, but rarely has the chance to get as in-depth with older readers. A had a great tip and said she put all the titles into her Goodreads account so she could go back when making a recommendation to a patron.

Junior Readers:
We had two student readers on our committee–one boy and one girl. Everyone I talked to agreed that their input was valuable, though our students were on the quiet side. A suggested adding two more students, while B said, “I think that a lot of them feel intimidated being on the committee with a bunch of librarians.  Therefore, they tend not to speak up and speak their minds as much as they should (which I can totally understand).”

Our student members definitely helped to sway us when the group as a whole was on the fence about a title. I found that the students were better at telling us why they liked a title, as opposed to why they didn’t.

The Debate:
C said it best – “I enjoy every part of the process—the rich discussions, passionate debates, and the opportunity to ask the committee to reconsider a title (& the thrill when I have successfully swayed votes in a desired direction!).” There were many great debates over a few titles, though luckily no fist fights ensued. What I found to hold true was the old adage “the cream rises to the top.” Those special titles that are really good usually find a way onto everyone’s top lists. But then there are those that speak to each of us individually, and maybe not to everyone.

Said C, “I am not going to lie—it is nothing short of disheartening when a book I have placed in my “emphatically, yes!” column is casually tossed out by the group! (Or the opposite happens!) It has been a humbling reminder to respect my students’—and friends—differing opinions regarding genre, authors, & titles, and to fully support everyone’s right to not finish a book.” D said there were times when she looked at a book in a whole new way after hearing someone’s comments about it.

The Notes:
While my pink notebook was repurposed, I did write notes in the margins on my reading lists to bring to the meetings. Here are some of my favorite ones:

“Apocalyptic”

“Seems like it was created for the illustrator”

“He (author) has done better”

“Cover may limit readership”

“STRANGE”

“Don’t like cover, don’t like concept!”

The Controversies:
One title we all really enjoyed ended up with a split vote, simply because some of us thought it would do better on the Teen List. And in fact, the Teen committee did vote it through so that was a win-win situation! An issue I still have trouble deciding on has to do with books that are extremely popular before we choose them— maybe even a Newbery winner or honor book. I feel like that book is going to get enough readers on its own and that one of the ten slots should go to a less publicized book. But then someone makes the case that not everyone has read it, and if it’s that good, doesn’t it have as much right to be on the list? The jury is still out on that one.

Another issue arose when we really liked a title that was a sequel to another book. The first book was too old to be on the list, but we weren’t sure we should choose the sequel if the kids hadn’t read the first one. Ultimately the book was selected, because a few committee members who hadn’t read the first one said it could stand on its own.

The Vote & the Aftermath:
Our committee had to borrow five titles from our alternate list because some of our top choices were not available in paperback, which is one of the criteria. The titles we couldn’t end up including might be able to make it on the next year’s list depending on their publication date. Ultimately, six of my ‘Top 10’ titles made it to the official Top 10. Two more made it to the ‘Alternate 10’ list, and the last two were not voted through. Of course I made sure my library owns all the titles I liked, and am still taking every opportunity to push them on my young patrons!

When the final list came out, I had a friend who is a school librarian comment that there weren’t any sports books on the list. Like I told my friend, we really didn’t read many from the lists, and of the ones we did, we chose one book about a female soccer player. In the end, that book was cut because it wasn’t available in paperback. This forced me to look back at the list through a different lens, and I still stand by it. It may not have the requisite ‘sports book for boys’ but there are boys as the main or co-main character in at least half of the titles, and in the others, at least two have animal main characters.

So I say, if you have the chance to serve on a book award committee, do it. You will be infinitely glad in the end that you have read so many wonderful titles that you can recommend. Said A, “Library work can be very insular sometimes, and I wanted to join the committee to get to know how other libraries operate, and meet colleagues.”

And then there’s the happy dance you do when the list is announced and you get to tell your patrons that YOU helped choose that book.

Cover Image Credit: ProjectManhattan (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The post Observations from Serving on a Children’s Book Award Committee first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

How do you decide what’s in a series? There are two really great websites that we have found quite helpful. One is Kent District (MI) Library’s What’s Next Database.  It’s really good for figuring out what books belong in a series, especially since the book itself may not always tell you. The other site another library suggested to us was Fantastic Fiction, which allows searches by ISBN.  Between the two sites they really cover practically any book we have owned.

How are you keeping track of your series? Just so everyone working on your series project knows what’s going on, you need to keep a list of what series you have. This is especially important if you have separated your fiction into genres. You don’t want part of a series in mystery and part of series in historical fiction if the series is a historical mystery. In our library we started with a spreadsheet and quickly realized that we needed more. So we designed a relational database that holds series information. It has a web interface so staff can input information and search for information. It also holds details about subseries as well.

What are you doing with subseries and series finished by other people? Subseries turned out to be an interesting challenge because things like Star Wars books or Dragonlance books were all related, but they were written by many different authors. For books that were in a series but had a subseries, the series was used for alphabetizing on the shelf and the subseries appeared on the label in the “series spot.” Then there were the series begun by one author (eg., Robert Ludlum, Robert B. Parker, and others) but the remainder of the series was finished by a different author. To keep the series together, the spine label reads the original author’s name, not necessarily the actual author.

How are you handling not having every book in a series? It’s perfectly fine if the answer is you aren’t doing anything. You may have book one of a series but not any subsequent materials. You may have book three and not any other books. We pose this question because inevitably there will be a patron who comes to you and says, “I found book three on the shelf. Do you have books one and two?” If you’re part of a consortium, it’s most likely that you can get the first two books from another library. However, from a collection development perspective you will want to decide to either only have first books and see if people want more, or you may decide to see if anyone cares that you have book three but not the other two, before buying the first two books you don’t currently have. We say this a lot, but every library in every community is different. What works in one place may not be appropriate for another.

How are you telling patrons a book is in a series? Some consortia have online catalogs that allow notes to be put in for individual books. This means a series name and number could be put there. We have seen this more with juvenile books series than adult materials. Sometimes the book’s call number is the series and number only. We are fortunate that our book labels allow us to print the series name and number of the spine of the book. In addition, we are using a field that will display the series as a note in our public catalog display.

Many readers like to find a series and stick with it until the end. Helping them find that series is one of the services that we provide as librarians.

Melanie A. Lyttle is the Head of Public Services Madison Public Library. You can watch her YouTube channel, Crabby Librarian, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rv5GLWsUow. Shawn D. Walsh is the Emerging Services and Technologies Librarian at Madison Public Library.

The post To Series or Not to Series…Does it Matter? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

You know the books we’re talking about. Thomas the Tank Engine, Scooby Doo, Spongebob, Spiderman, Martha, and all things Disney related. Originally the idea of grouping together all the books that were related to current television shows, movies, and direct to DVD releases was aimed at children. Bringing this genre to the forefront of some of our collections has been an interesting experience where we learned about circulation and reading development.

In the past few years, our library’s youngest readers have gravitated towards “TV tie-in books.” We’ve struggled with how to best keep this disparate collection together. Each book would be by a different author or have no author at all. On one hand, it would have been easier to not buy these books at all because they were flimsy and out of fashion as soon as the TV show or movie was no longer popular. But we found it was impossible to tell a small boy or girl that we didn’t have a book about their most favorite thing in the whole world: a popular television show on Sprout, PBS, Disney, or Nick Jr. We aren’t even going to mention the near small girl riot that occurred this summer when we had only one Frozen book in the building and three little girls all wanted it at the same time! Thankfully they took other Disney princess books in the short run!

In the end, the practicality of having what our youngest patrons wanted won out. We cataloged the books by their character, so all the John Deere books based on the direct to DVD releases were shelved under John Deere. And no one remembered the Rev. Awdry wrote the original Thomas stories, so the originals and the new television character-based stories all are shelved under Thomas. While some people remember that H.A. Rey wrote Curious George, all the books are shelved under Curious George.

However, a most interesting thing happened about a year ago when we went to genre grouping in all of our fiction collections. Several reading levels got a “Seen on TV” section, which ended up as one of the largest categories in the collection. The picture books have a huge “Seen on TV” section which includes Star Wars, GI Joe, Transformers, Barbie, Angelina Ballerina, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Curious George, Iron Man, and all things Disney. But it was the Learn to Read collection where we put about 30% of the total collection into the “Seen on TV” section. Even more interesting, people are taking out huge handfuls of these books at a time.

Our circulation of “Seen on TV” books has gone up over the past year, and our emerging readers are happily taking piles of books that match their favorite movies and shows. It has been especially successful for parents who come in searching for their child “who doesn’t like to read.” Even though we must weed this section more aggressively for condition and popularity, it has definitely been worth the time and money we’ve put into it.

Melanie A. Lyttle is the Head of Public Services Madison Public Library. You can watch her YouTube channel, Crabby Librarian, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rv5GLWsUow. Shawn D. Walsh is the Emerging Services and Technologies Librarian at Madison Public Library.

The post Seen on TV – A Popular Genre first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Everyone has their own style of doing reader’s advisory for children. In our library, one of the first questions we ask children is:”What do you like to do for fun?” The second question is “What do you like to watch on television?” For young children, that usually leads us to the genre that is based on the television or movie characters. However, once you reach “chapter book level” there aren’t as many of those types of books. Now what do we do?

For middle and upper elementary school children, we now ask straight out, “Do you like funny books?” Sometimes a child will mention having read one of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books or that a friend of theirs has read one. That connection is frequently the hook we use to direct them to the Humorous section of books.

If we’re lucky the child will leave the library with a pile of books by some combination of authors including but not limited to Jeff Kinney, Lincoln Peirce, Jon Scieszka, Dav Pilkey, and Tom Angleberger. We encourage our reluctant readers to take at least three books, but we prefer four or five. If at all possible the books are all by different authors.

This push for variety is for different reasons. For the children, we want them to know that it’s okay to not like a book and to try another one. For the parents, we want them to feel comfortable with the idea that something will work. They shouldn’t have to make a “five minutes before the library closes because we need a book for school tomorrow” run because the one book they chose at the library the last time didn’t work. Fortunately for both parents and children, many authors write series of humorous stories. Therefore, if there turns out to be a book that a child likes, there may be several more that are similarly enjoyable. That ray of hope always brightens both groups.

We have an extensive collection of books for a variety of different age levels in the Humorous genres. We have books for the youngest readers through middle school — all of whom enjoy a good laugh. For children just learning to read, Mo Willems’ Elephant & Piggie books are the mainstay of the section. In our chapter book area we have perennial favorites like Captain Underpants and the Time Warp Trio, along with a wide variety of authors all creating hilarious, enjoyable reads for our young patrons. Then we finish up with the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and the many similar titles published since then for the middle and upper elementary school readers.

Share your humorous books for kids recommendations in the comments.

Melanie A. Lyttle is the Head of Public Services Madison Public Library. You can watch her YouTube channel, Crabby Librarian, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rv5GLWsUow. Shawn D. Walsh is the Emerging Services and Technologies Librarian at Madison Public Library.

The post Humorous Books Can Appeal to Reluctant Readers first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

While we have People Magazine and Rolling Stone, the request for substance made me not only review our publication list more closely, but examine what was currently available in the periodicals marketplace.  This quest lead to some terrific discoveries.

Below are five great titles that I’ve found most people never heard of!  I have no affiliation with any of these publications, but offer them here for the curious…

1. ChopChop Magazine – an award winning, quarterly kid’s foodie magazine produced by ChopChopKids. Founded in 2010 by James Beard-nominated author Sally Sampson, the magazine’s mission is to teach young people to cook and eat real food.  The publication is available in both English and Spanish and offers facts, games, and recipes.  http://www.chopchopmag.org/
2. Pacific Standard Magazine – prints bimonthly in partnership with its parent organization, the non-profit Miller-McCune Center for Research, Media and Public Policy. They “explore the science of society;” examining everything from economics to psychology, customs to education, and institutions to the environment.  Their broad-based and timely articles are accessible and readable, yet also grounded in empirical research, with reference provided.  http://www.psmag.com/
3. The Sun – For those seeking a more literary approach, The Sun is an independent, non-profit, ad-free monthly magazine that celebrates life through personal essays, short stories, interviews, poetry, and photography.  http://thesunmagazine.org
4. Mindful – Another publication by an independent non-profit, the magazine uses personal stories, news, and advice. to celebrate being present, composed, and thoughtful in all aspects of life. Articles focus on kindness, caring, and being present.  The magazine is published by the Foundation of a Mindful Society.  http://www.mindful.org/
5. Stone Soup – produced by the non-profit, the Children’s Art Foundation, Stone Soup magazine is written and illustrated by young writers and artists ages 8 to 13. Published six times a year, the magazine hopes to inspire creativity in youth. http://www.stonesoup.com/

If you are looking to expand or develop your periodicals, encourage a wider frame of reference, or think your patrons ( like mine) are looking for something more substantive and thought provoking, I recommend these titles.  Likewise, if you have hidden gems, I would like to hear of them.

The post Hidden Gems – Five Lesser-Known Periodicals for Your Collection first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Black Swan Green
Longlisted for ALA’s Carnegie Medal, David Mitchell’s The Bone Clocks is a rollicking adventure that follows the life of the intrepid Holly Sykes, who comes to understand her role in a war between two societies of body-jumping psychics. While its style has drawn comparisons to Mitchell’s acclaimed Cloud Atlas,The Bone Clocks also has a surprising connection to Mitchell’s deceptively straightforward coming-of-age story, Black Swan Green. While the fate of the world is not in question in Mitchell’s earlier book, the stakes seem similarly high.Our hero, Jason Taylor, endures adolescence in Thatcherite England and must come to terms with first love, destroyed heirlooms, and his parents’ deteriorating marriage. Mitchell’s unerring eye for the small detail brings Jason’s story to life, and readers will find themselves totally immersed in Jason’s struggles. As for the connection to The Bone Clocks? Jason’s silver-tongued cousin–who makes a memorable impression in one story–plays a key role in Holly Sykes’ life as a college-age lothario.

After Tupac and D Foster 
Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming was named a Newbery Honor book, one of the many awards this terrific memoir received this past year. Readers will enjoy perusing her past titles, particularly After Tupac and D Foster. Detailing the friendship of three young women  in the early 90s, Woodson’s spare but powerful novel captures the power of teenage friendship and the painful transition between childhood and adolescence.

The Gone-Away World
Nick Harkaway’s Tigerman was listed as an ALA Notable Book, but readers will also be interested in visiting his debut, The Gone-Away World. The book’s plot is difficult to describe succinctly, deftly combining screwball comedy amidst apocalyptic war scenes and containing frequent cameo appearances by ninjas.  Sci-fi aficionados will love this fast-paced adventure.

The World in Half
Christina Henriquez’ The Book of Unknown Americans was longlisted for ALA’s Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, so now might be the time to catch up on this relatively new author. Her debut, The World in Half, tells the story of Miraflores, who uncovers surprising truths about her parents’ relationship while caring for her sick mother. Bouncing back and forth between suburban Chicago and Panama, The World in Half weaves a haunting love story while exploring the complicated bonds between parent and child.

Shining Girls
RUSA’s Annual Reading List honors the best in genre fiction in eight different categories. This year’s Best Adrenaline (which encompasses suspense, thriller, and action adventure titles) went to Lauren Beukes’ Broken Monsters. Suspense fans will be equally pleased to explore her novel from 2013, Shining Girls. Shining Girls has an alluringly flashy premise: a young woman is in hot pursuit of a time-travelling serial killer. Yet what lingers long after you finish the book are Beukes’ sparse portraits of the different women who fall prey to the killer. Beukes is able to summon up the quiet heartbreak of their lives in just a few pages, which only makes their eventual demise even more haunting.

The post The ALA 2015 Book Award-Winners – A Reading List first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Many libraries are using the Illinois Reading Enrichment and Development program (iREAD), which has the a musical theme for 2015, “Read to the Rhythm.” iREAD originated in 1982 in Illinois as a statewide collaboration with the goal of providing low cost, high quality summer reading resources for libraries. Since then, libraries in several other states, including California and Minnesota, have taken advantage of the program.

Illinois Library Association’s iREAD Committee showcased the 2015 theme at their conference last fall. The presentation included a myriad of suggestions for every age group, from baby to adult. The youngest audiences will enjoy musical story times, which will also tie in nicely with the early literacy skill, “sing.” Offerings for school age children can range from STEM topics, like the science of sound, to exploring new cultures. Dance lessons, lip synching, finish the lyrics, and “Name That Tune” contests could appeal to a wide variety of ages from tweens and teens to adults.

Librarians are sharing their great display, craft, and program ideas on the iREAD Pinterest page. The theme lends itself well to musical makerspaces— making homemade musical instruments like harmonicas, drums, or maracas. Musical craft ideas abound on this board as well. Ideas we’ll be using at my library, Great River Regional Library in Minnesota, include passive programs like guess the nursery rhyme, guess the animated movie from a song, “Mad Lib” lyrics, and a musical genre guessing game.

iRead is also currently highlighting artwork from children’s illustrator Don Tate. Tate’s illustrations in Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite are perfectly in tune with the iREAD musical theme. Tate is a champion for diversity in children’s literature and is also one of the founders of the blog The Brown Bookshelf , which is designed to raise awareness of African-American writing for young readers. He also recently joined the #WeNeedDiverseBooks team.

Furthermore, iRead has resources for strengthening your summer reading program. The California Library Association partnered with iREAD in 2013 and brought along resources on developing outcome-based measurements for summer reading programs. California has adopted two statewide summer reading outcomes: “Children belong to a community of readers” and “Underserved community members participate in the summer reading program.” Resources for adapting these outcomes or creating outcome-based measurements are included in the iREAD manual. It also includes reproducible resources about the summer slide and why summer reading programs are important.

It’s not too late to join the festivities! The iRead  program catalog is available at ireadprogram.org.

Resources

Mitnick, Eva. “CA Librarians Gear Up For Summer with iREAD’s Read to the Rhythm Programming.” School Library Journal.  November 19, 2014.

The post Librarians Getting Ready to Read with the Rhythm first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Perkins has written a trilogy of related romantic tales, and it all kicked off with Anna’s story. Anna’s family decides she should spend her senior year attending school in Paris, and she is less than thrilled until she meets St. Clair. Unfortunately, St. Claire already has a girlfriend. This is a sweet and funny story with great characters.
2. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. This romance about two misfits is a 2014 Printz honor book. It tells the story of first love between Eleanor and Park through one school year.
3. Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford. This is American Pie for teens. Carter is a boy just entering high school and this book is all about his hilarious (and often disastrous) adventures in the search for love and sex.
4. Playing with Matches by Brian Katcher. This is the story of how Leon found his dream girl, except she wasn’t exactly how he pictured her. Melody Hennon was horribly burned as a child, but she fulfills everything Leon wants in a girlfriend. This book focuses on Leon dealing with his emotional connection to Melody, and his purely physical attraction to the gorgeous Amy Green. It’s a great book with realistic romance and humor.
5. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman. This Sci-Fi Romance is about two literal star-crossed lovers. Stuck alone with each other on an abandoned planet, Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Marsden must work together to survive and to find out the secret behind the whispers they hear when no one else is there.

Cover Photo Credit: fly (CC BY 2.0)

The post Get Ready for Valentine’s Day: Romance for Teens first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Teamwork
This author event was achieved with the help of a large number of people. Ally Condie’s visit was the first author event that I have planned. As the Teen Services Coordinator, I was in charge of the event, but I didn’t do it alone. Thirty-two staff members from the Teen Services Team, Community Engagement and Outreach Office (public relations), Facilities, and Security made this day go smoothly. We also had 20 teen volunteers.

Funding
The Kirkpatrick Family Fund sponsored Condie’s fee for the day with a very generous grant, which we applied for with the help of the PPLD Foundation. Once we received the grant we had one year to find an author and plan the event. Additional funding was donated by the PPLD Foundation to, in part, pay for buses so students from area schools could join us. One teacher commented in a survey, “Thanks so much for providing the transportation. Without that, my students could not have attended.”

Schedule and Statistics:
9 am student presentation: 281 students and adults

11 am student presentation: 311 students and adults

6 pm reception: 24 winners and guests

7 pm public presentation: 417 patrons

8 pm book signing only (just waited in line; didn’t see the presentation): 75 (many more people had their books signed!  Condie signed books for 2.5 hours!)

We had 1,108 people attend the five programs associated with the event!

Promotion:
School visits for booktalks and resource classes provided us with a captive audience to promote the author event.

Partnership with Barnes & Noble: They sold books at the event, so they were willing to put bookmarks and posters up. Independent book stores also helped us promote by putting up posters, but selling books at the event wasn’t something they could do.

One of the local newspapers (The Colorado Springs Independent) had an article about the event.

PPLD’s one book, one community program is called All Pikes Peak Reads. Matched was the teen selection. This synchronicity provided another way for the event to be promoted.

Word of mouth was very important. Staff members were excited, so it was easy for everyone to talk about it. We also used social media to get the word out on Facebook and twitter.

Feedback
I put together a survey for the teachers. The comments were wonderful! Here are a few:

“Great presentation, and very motivational and engaging.”

“The day went exceedingly well. Our students enjoyed the presentation very much. Condie was well prepared for all of the questions and gave many helpful tips to aspiring writers.”

“My students liked the personal nature of her remarks. Several of them talked about wanting to write books. I think hearing her, they realized that they could write too.”

When I started planning this author visit, I was quite intimidated. To prevent myself from having a nervous breakdown, I took a lot of deep breaths, created checklists for every aspect of the day, and got help from a lot of people. Amazing things are possible and, as Condie’s characters frequently remind each other in Matched, “Do not go gentle”[1].

The line at the Ally Condie book signing (Click to expand):

Photo by Tori Sparrow

Works Cited

[1] Thomas, Dylan, “Do not go gentle into that good night,” Poets.org, Nov. 29, 2014, http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/do-not-go-gentle-good-night.

Cover Photo Credit: Jeffrey Beall CC BY 3.0

The post Ally Condie Visits Pikes Peak Library District first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Define “Young Adult Graphic Novel.” – We started by looking at the young adult graphic novel collection, and we decided we were going to pull some of the series that were showing up on “Best Adult Graphic Novels” lists. That should bring a built-in audience to our new adult graphic novel area. Out of the young adult collection came Sandman, Spawn, and Watchman. The young adult collection thus became the bastion of the superheroes of DC and Marvel with a strong Star Wars presence. It’s not that adults didn’t read these books voraciously, but it brought the content of the graphic novels more in line with the content of the young adult novels we had.

Where are the compilations of newspaper comics going? – Libraries put these books in all different places, including non-fiction and young adult sections. Not that it doesn’t happen, but when did you see a high schooler reading Doonesbury? And many people like Dilbert, but searching in the 700s is a daunting task. We rescued the newspaper comics compilation books from 741.5 and put them in the adult graphic novel collection. As soon as we did, they started circulating quite a bit more than they had before.

Where do the graphic novels go that students may be assigned for class? – Maus and Persepolis are good examples of books that teachers frequently incorporate into their curriculum. These books had been living in the young adult section, but unfortunately no one was reading them. However, we had an eighth grade English teacher ask us about other books similar to these, including some of Gene Luen Yang’s books and A Game for Swallows. Would we be getting additional similar titles, he wondered, because he’d like to assign his class to read some of these types of books? To give these titles more cache and also to entice adults who would also be interested in these books but never find them in youth materials, these books were moved. All “literary graphic novels” now live in the adult graphic novel collection.

How is this section not a repository for unloved books? – Given the more conservative view our community has about books for youth, there were a number of graphic novels we didn’t have in the library’s collection. We now have the graphic novel versions of titles by Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Janet Evanovich sharing shelf space with the Walking Dead. We have Sin City and Hellraiser. Without this section of adult graphic novels, we couldn’t adequately accommodate many popular titles that appeal to a quiet minority of our community who never requested we purchase these books but seems to be checking them out regularly.

How do you evaluate success? – Obviously, circulation is one way, and the graphic novels have only been their own section for six months or so. It seems like people are reading the books, even if it’s only the staff who are grudgingly admitting that “there might be something to these graphic novels.” Every time we talk to an adult about Maus, Persepolis, or American Born Chinese and he or she decides to check out the book, we have success. However, overhearing that a 24 year-old male patron said to his friends via social media, “You have to come to the Madison Public Library. They have really great comics [referring to our adult graphic novel section].” That is the best sign of success ever.

You know your patrons best. What do they want in their adult graphic novels? You may decide what makes up our adult graphic novels section does not work for you. Use this as a guide, and no matter what you decide, we hope your section is popular with the patrons of your community.

Cover Photo Credit: carmichaellibrary (CC BY 2.0)

Melanie A. Lyttle is the Head of Public Services Madison Public Library. You can watch her YouTube channel, Crabby Librarian, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rv5GLWsUow. Shawn D. Walsh is the Emerging Services and Technologies Librarian at Madison Public Library.

The post What is an Adult Graphic Novel? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

1. Current trends in early literacy practices and education. My school district recently began to follow the Fountas & Pinnell Guided Reading. When children and their families come in looking for a “level M” book, it’s a huge cause of frustration for my circulation staff. A trained children’s librarian should be aware of developments such as this and be able to offer recommendations. Similarly, a familiarity with the Common Core can aid not just in customer service, but also in collection development.
2. The importance of the reference interview. Reference interviews aren’t just for reference anymore! They can also be helpful in performing reader’s advisory. A librarian who is able to assess exactly what a patron is looking for is a huge asset to his or her department.
3. Understanding the needs of all levels of readers. Some children read far above their grade level and are not ready for the mature content that can come with higher-level books. Others struggle, and in the words of Marie Joyce, Children’s Librarian at the Free Public Library of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, “it’s important to get them books they can read but that are not ‘babyish.’” A successful children’s librarian should be able to help find resources for all reading levels.
4. An awareness of pop culture. Just as it’s important to be cognizant of current educational trends, it can greatly help a children’s librarian to be aware of what’s going on in popular culture. Some of the highest-circing items in my library’s juvenile collection are LEGO books and Star Wars tie-ins. Similarly, we recently held an American Girl tea party that was an overwhelming success. Staying up to date on these things can help a professional relate better to young patrons, not to mention make the library a “cooler” place to hang out.
5. Management and networking skills. “Children librarians seem to be doing more and more on less available time. We are not an island…we need staff help, whether it is preparing crafts and props to marketing programs to patrons. Good management skills help rally the internal staff and outsiders who support the library with time and money,” points out Robin Rockman, Youth Services Librarian at Oradell (NJ) Free Public Library. Furthermore, many children’s librarians are also tasked with making sure their department runs smoothly. Having a good professional rapport with support staff makes this duty far easier.
6. How to talk to children. It seems obvious, but providing good service to children is far different than working with adults, or even teens. Establishing a non-intimidating but still authoritative stance with young patrons is key in a public library.
7. Technological know-how. That’s not to say every children’s librarian should be fluent in three different programming languages, but being able to leverage different resources can be a huge aid in both program development and customer service. It is also important to understand how screen time can affect our youngest patrons. It’s no longer out of place to have a parent or caregiver come into the library looking for app suggestions for their preschooler.
8. How to be a creative problem-solver. Children are unpredictable! You never know when a scheduled performer might not show up, or a kid has an accident during story time. Flexibility and being able to think quickly on his or her feet will pay off greatly during those moments of uncertainty.
9. Time management. Many children’s librarians are responsible for scheduling programming. Yet providing enough events for the public without burning themselves or their staff out can be a tricky act of balance. Similarly, most people in this position wear many different hats, from programming to collection development to community outreach and more. Being able to manage anything without being overwhelmed is vital.
10. How to promote library services. I come from a digital marketing background, and what I learned while working in that industry has helped me almost every day in my library career. Now more than ever, it’s necessary to stay relevant in the eyes of the public and elected officials. We can’t do that if no one knows about what we offer. From social media marketing to creating catchy in-house displays and merchandising, a keen sense for promoting library awareness will ensure the longevity of our field.

What other topics do you think a children’s librarian needs to know about? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post Ten Things a Children’s Librarian Needs to Know first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

In direct correlation to their higher comfort level with technology, a significant 36% of this age group has visited a library’s website in the last twelve months, 8% more than the 30 and over sector. While the majority of millennials do not indicate a tremendous familiarity with their library’s offerings, this age group is more likely to have read a book in the last year than their older counterparts. In fact, Americans in their late teens—ages 16-17—are the most likely demographic to read books for pleasure, school, or work, and to utilize the library as a research source. Interestingly, older teens also gravitate towards print books over electronic material and are the only demographic who prefer to borrow their reading books over purchasing them [1].

These findings present an interesting task for public librarians. Because millennials are voracious readers and are so deeply rooted in technology, they can represent a wildly untapped market in a library. My library, for example, offers a wide variety of programs and displays for children, teens, parents, and senior citizens, but the age group in between is admittedly underserved. Why is this the case? Many recent political campaigns have focused extensively on marketing to the under-30 bracket with the mentality that young people are traditionally less likely to come out and vote while representing the future of the United States. Shouldn’t we apply this same logic to the public library?

The good news is that with the increased popularity of the “New Adult” genre of fiction—generally geared towards individuals who have recently outgrown YA—there is plenty of fodder for attracting millennials to the library, both through collections and programming. The Pew study shows this demographic is already visiting the library to borrow items; why not also hook them with an innovative program such as a generation-specific book club or interesting lecture? The more we attract millennials, the more likely they will be to remain life-long library users and eventually instill this interest in their children. In short, this age group may be the future of the public library.

Has your library created any specific collections or programming to cater to millennials?

Works Cited

[1] Zickuhr, Kathryn, and Lee Rainie. “Younger Americans and Public Libraries.” Pew Research Internet Project (2014). Web. 25 Oct. 2014. <http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/09/10/younger-americans-and-public-libraries/>.

The post Millennials: The Future of the Public Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.