Adventures in Readers' Advisory

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Lab A--The Readers' Advisor is In: Final Project

12:12 AM Posted by Sara Silver No comments
Person #1

Reading Profile
Person #1 enjoys several genres of fiction including science fiction, fantasy, historical fictional, and dystopian fiction. What he likes most in a good book is the exploration of relationships and interactions between the characters. His favorite books have several layers, with the main plot covering the action and the layers underneath showing the characters’ mindsets, motivations, and interpersonal relationships. He likes reading graphic novels in addition to “regular” print and electronic books. He does not really like nonfiction because real life events are not as interesting to him as fiction is. He says, “I don’t care to read about real life because if I’m going to read about real life events, I’d rather just watch the news.” The only nonfiction books he has ever chosen to read voluntarily are biographies or autobiographies about people he finds fascinating. Most of the nonfiction content he reads is in online articles, so he doesn’t ever feel inclined to read nonfiction books. He also dislikes chick lit and romance because he prefers reading about platonic, interpersonal relationships rather than romantic ones.


Interview
When I first asked Person #1 what he is in the mood to read right now, he said, “I don’t know” and he looked like he did not really know how to answer the question. I explained my own thought process when trying to decide what to read, telling him that sometimes if I have been really busy or mentally drained I am in the mood for short stories, or sometimes I am just in the mood for something dramatic and sad because I am feeling emotional at the time. He then said that he would probably like to read a graphic novel because he has been watching a lot of superhero movies lately. He said he is also into reading about the movies and television shows he has been watching, which lately has included the show Daredevil. I asked if he wants exclusively superhero stories, to which he replied, “Not necessarily. I just like stories that involve someone solving problems and that focus on that person’s relationships with others.” He indicated that he is not fond of “happy-feely” books, so he wants to read something a little heavier and darker like The Walking Dead, which he has read in the past.


RA Tools
I used Amazon and Goodreads to find most of the titles, and then I looked at NoveList to check for series information and read-alikes. I also looked at Goodreads for ratings of the titles, since I am mostly unfamiliar with graphic novels.


Recommendations (summaries in quotations taken from NoveList)
Title: Essential Daredevil Series (Vol. 1-6)
Author: Stan Lee (Vol. 1-3), Gerry Conway (Vol. 4), Steve Gerber (Vol. 5), and Marv Wolfman (Vol. 6)
Summary: Collections of the Daredevil comics from the Marvel universe

Title: Batman: Year One
Author: Frank Miller
Summary: A gritty graphic novel that “chronicles the events that led to Bruce Wayne's becoming Batman and his first year fighting crime.

Title: Saga Series (Vol. 1-4)
Author: Brian K. Vaughan
Summary: "When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe." Like The Walking Dead in that “survival is at the heart of these epic graphic novel series...[though] Saga is ultimately hopeful despite its graphic sex and violence.”

Title: Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel Series (Vol. 1-3; Vol. 4 soon to be released) 
Author: Daniel Abraham
Summary: “In a graphic novel series based on Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, families ruthlessly vie for power in the Seven Kingdoms in the shadow of an oncoming winter likely to last a decade, and dragons make their return to the world.”

Title: Hinterkind Series (Vol. 1-2)
Author: Ian Edginton
Summary: “In a post-apocalyptic world where humans have been pushed to the edge of extinction by the creatures of fantasy and fables, The Hinterkind tells the story of one young woman's quest to fulfill her destiny and put the world right again.”


Success of Recommendations
Overall, Person #1 was pleased with the recommendations I gave. I had chosen the Daredevil series because he said he is currently watching the television series, and he said he would definitely check out the books. I chose Batman: Year One and the Game of Thrones graphic novel series because I know they are popular and well loved. Person #1 said he would love to read Batman: Year One and that the Game of Thrones series might be an interesting companion to the novels, which he is actually currently reading. He said that the Saga series sounded interesting because it is similar to The Walking Dead series, but that he is unsure whether or not he would enjoy the Hinterkind series. He said that this last suggestion might be too “high fantasy” for his taste, but he would be willing to look it over anyway because the storyline sounded interesting.
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Person #2

Reading Profile
Person #2’s favorite authors include John Grisham and Tom Clancy. He likes to read pretty much any fiction regarding politics and war. He likes historical fiction, nonfiction about history and anything patriotic, and books about the outdoors. His favorite book recently was Following Atticus, which is the true story of a man and his miniature schnauzer scaling the White Mountains in New Hampshire. He enjoyed this book not only because of the outdoor adventure described, but also because of the dog in the book, since he has a small canine companion of his own that he likes to spend time with outdoors. He is not a huge fan of upbeat or lighthearted fiction, but he does read inspirational and humorous nonfiction. He likes fiction that is more serious in tone, but he stays away from books with excessive vulgarity and rough language. He does not like to read science fiction or fantasy, since he is more interested in reading nonfiction or fictional stories that are realistic or based on fact.


Interview
When I asked Person #2 what he was interested in reading at the moment, he said, “I don’t care. Surprise me!” I asked if there are any genres he is particularly in the mood for, or any kinds of books he would rather not read right now, giving examples of different genres and plot elements. He stuck to his first answer and told me just to pick whatever sounded like it might be enjoyable for him based on his answers to the reading profile questions I asked.


RA Tools
Since Person #2 did not give me many parameters for my search, I kept his reading profile in mind as I perused the New York Times Best Sellers lists for popular titles matching his interests. I also used NoveList to find some read-alikes.


Recommendations (summaries in quotations taken from NoveList)
Title: From Baghdad, With Love
Author: Jay Kopelman
Summary: The moving autobiographical story “of Marine Jay Kopelman's efforts to have Lava, a dog found in Fallujah, sent to the United States, at the same time focusing on Iraqi political corruption, miltary bureaucracy, and the sufferings of ordinary Iraqis who have become the innocent victims of the war.”

Title: American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History
Author: Chris Kyle
Summary: The gritty autobiography of Chris Kyle, “a member of Navy SEAL Team 3 [who] describes his life as a father and husband, and as the serviceman with the most confirmed sniper kills in the history of the United States military while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Title: Into the Wild 
Author: Jon Krakauer
Summary: “The story of Chris McCandless, a young man who embarked on a solo journey into the wilds of Alaska and whose body was discovered four months later, explores the fascinating allure that the wilderness has for the American imagination.”

Title: The Fifth Assassin
Author: Brad Meltzer
Summary: A fast-paced, suspenseful story in which “Archivist Beecher White discovers a connection that may link the individuals responsible for the only four successful assassinations of American presidents after discovering a modern-day killer who is recreating the assassins' crimes.”

Title: A Walk in the Woods
Author: Bill Bryson
Summary: A humorous piece of travel writing that “traces the author's adventurous trek along the Appalachian Trail past its natural pleasures, human eccentrics, and offbeat comforts.”


Success of Recommendations
Person #2 thought all of my recommendations sounded great. He said that he has already read American Sniper and that he enjoyed it. He is looking forward to buying and reading the other four books I suggested.
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Person #3

Reading Profile
Person #3’s favorite kinds of books include books about Catholicism and autobiographies. She likes these books because she can usually relate to the material or at least easily empathize. She enjoys learning more about the things she is personally interested in, as well as reading about people whose lives mirror her own in some way. She has not read much fiction in the recent past because she has spent the last several years in school, but when she does have spare time to read, it’s usually nonfiction. She does not like crime novels or science fiction or fantasy. She says that she does not feel connected to fiction that is “too fictitious.” If she is going to read fiction, then she would rather it be grounded in reality.


Interview
During my interview with Person #3, I discovered that she wants to read something light right now because, as she said, “I’m about to finish 19 years of scholastic reading and I’m over it!” I asked if she would be open to reading fiction, since she has not read any for quite some time. She said that she liked fiction more when she was a teenager because she could get lost in the story, but she would maybe be open to reading something fictional now that she is going to have more free time. I asked what kinds of fiction she might be interested in reading, if she prefers something from a specific genre or about a certain topic. She said that she might be open to reading anything except science fiction, fantasy, or mystery. Since she wants something “light,” I asked what she meant by that—did she want to read something lighthearted, inspirational, gentle, upbeat, or just something that is not too serious? She stated that the book does not necessarily need to be a gentle read, but she would probably prefer something funny and upbeat. She would like a book that is faster-paced that is not heavy on details.


RA Tools
I looked at the New York Times Best Seller lists, Amazon, and NoveList to find titles and read-alikes. I also used my own knowledge of some lighter, funny books I thought that Person #3 would enjoy. I also used Goodreads to see ratings and reader reviews for some of the titles.

Recommendations (summaries in quotations taken from NoveList) 
Title: Dad is Fat
Author: Jim Gaffigan
Summary: “The popular comedian shares his misadventures as an unlikely father of five, from his formative years in a large Irish-Catholic family, to his middle-of-the-night diaper-changing foibles, to his struggles to lull tyrannical tots to sleep.”

Title: Sinner: The Catholic Guy’s Funny, Feeble Attempts to Be a Faithful Catholic 
Author: Lino Rulli
Summary: “In this fast and funny collection of stories from his own life, The Catholic Guy [Lino Rulli] speaks honestly about his failures, successes, and embarrassing moments. His ‘regular guy’ approach to Catholicism is both humble and hilarious.” (Description from Goodreads)

Title: One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories
Author: B. J. Novak
Summary: A funny, witty collection of short stories by the famed The Office writer and actor, exploring family, friendships, love, and life in general.

Title: A Man Called Ove
Author: Fredrik Backman
Summary: A thoughtful and funny story about “a curmudgeon [who] hides a terrible personal loss beneath a cranky and short-tempered exterior while clashing with new neighbors, a boisterous family whose chattiness and habits lead to unexpected friendship.”

Title: Humor Me: An Anthology of Funny Contemporary Writing (Plus Some Great Old Stuff Too)
Editor: Ian Frazier
Summary: A collection of short “humor pieces by such authors as Veronica Geng, Garrison Keillor, Steve Martin, Calvin Trillin, Andy Borowitz, Larry Doyle, Simon Rich, and David Sedaris.”


Success of Recommendations
Person #3 ended up reading the second title I recommended (Sinner). She said that it was very funny and entertaining, and that it provided great reprieve from the stress of finishing school. She said that she was looking forward to reading the rest of the books I suggested because they all sounded like good, light, humorous reads.
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Person #4

Reading Profile
Person #4 enjoys classic fiction—some of her favorites include Catcher in the Rye, 1984, and Slaughterhouse-Five. One of her favorite authors of late is Albert Camus because his books are very philosophical and she likes the absurdist element of them. She also really enjoys nonfiction essay collections like Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? She likes reading plays and short story collections and anthologies, as well as books that pertain to leadership, since she wants a career in that field. There is not much that comes to mind that she particularly dislikes. She is open to reading pretty much anything that seems interesting, funny, thought provoking, intellectual, or about any aspect of human relationships. Now that she has been done with school for about a year, she wants to build up her personal library and read as much as possible. She would rather give a book a try before predetermining that she doesn’t want to read it, so she is willing to read nearly anything.


Interview
Person #4 indicated that she is definitely interested in reading a “good contemporary fiction book” at the moment. Since she had said earlier that she is open to reading almost anything, I tried to narrow down her preferences. Regarding desired genres, she said that she does not want a romance or mystery novel (in the sense that the entire book revolves around a romantic relationship or a crime), but she would like really anything that you would find on a “most popular” or “best sellers” shelf at Barnes & Noble. I asked a series of questions about tone and characterization, and she concluded that she is not particular about much, except that she would like to read something funny but also thought provoking.


RA Tools
For these recommendations, I used my own knowledge of contemporary fiction along with the best seller lists on Barnes and Noble’s website to compile a list of titles. I used NoveList to check appeal factors for these titles. I also looked at Goodreads for ratings and reader reviews.


Recommendations (summaries in quotations taken from NoveList)
Title: Then We Came to the End
Author: Joshua Ferris
Summary: A funny, engaging story of “the remaining employees at an office affected by a business downturn [who] spend their time enjoying secret romances, elaborate pranks, and frequent coffee breaks, while trying to make sense of their only remaining ‘work,’ a mysterious pro-bono ad campaign.”

Title: Bobcat & Other Stories
Author: Rebecca Lee
Summary: A compelling, witty, and richly written collection of stories that “includes the tales of a student who is entangled in her professor's shadowy past, a dinner party that marks the end of multiple marriages, and a matchmaker who is hired to find a partner for her soulmate.”

Title: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Author: David Shafer
Summary: A witty and darkly humorous exploration of “three thirty-somethings [who] band together and form ‘Dear Diary,’ an international group of industrialists and media moguls who want to privatize all online information.

Title: Where’d You Go, Bernadette
Author: Maria Semple
Summary: The funny, offbeat story of teenager Bee’s “notorious, hilarious, volatile, talented, troubled, and agoraphobic mother [who] goes missing,” and Bee’s journey to find her.

Title: The Financial Lives of the Poets
Author: Jess Walter
Summary: “Meet Matt Prior. He's about to lose his job, his wife, his house, maybe his mind. Unless ... Now, in his warmest, funniest, and best novel yet, Walter offers a story as real as our own lives: a tale of overstretched accounts, misbegotten schemes, and domestic dreams deferred.”


Success of Recommendations
Person #4 thought all of my recommendations sounded good. She started reading Where’d You Go, Bernadette and stopped about 1/3 of the way through it because the pace seemed too slow to her. She then picked up Then We Came to the End instead, and she finished that book, telling me that it was hilarious and relatable because it reminded her of the office in which she works. She was excited about Bobcat & Other Stories because she has wanted to read more short story collections. She thought the other two titles sounded interesting as well and would like to read them eventually.
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Person #5

Reading Profile
Person #5 loves young adult and new adult fiction in addition to adult fiction. The genres she reads most are romance, fantasy, and dystopian science fiction (primarily YA titles here). She loves books that are cross-genre, for example paranormal romance and romantic suspense. She likes reading from these genres because they provide an escape from reality and because of the relationships they explore. Her favorite books have well-developed characters and relationships, as well as an element of suspense or anticipation that keeps her wanting to read more. For that reason, she does not like books that are slow-paced or overloaded with details. She said that she does not necessarily dislike other genres, but she would rather not spend her time reading historical fiction or nonfiction. She prefers the dreamy, otherworldly nature of her favorite genres instead of books that are more factual and grounded in reality. Her favorite authors include Amy Bartol and Colleen Hoover. One of her favorite romance series is Fifty Shades of Grey.


Interview
Person #5 said that at the moment she is in the mood for a romance. I asked if she wants something cross-genre, and she said that she would like that but that really any romance will do. Since her favorite authors do not write books of the typical paperback Harlequin romance variety, I asked her to clarify if she likes those kinds of romances. She said that she has read a couple Harlequin-romance-type books, but that she likes other romance books better. After explaining the concept of new adult books to her, I realized that she actually prefers new adult books in general. The romantic element of those books is their selling point to her, but she likes the plot points outside of the romance just as much as she does the romance. Once I narrowed down her preferences, I confirmed that she is in the mood for a new adult book that is heavy on the romance, that develops the characters’ relationships well, and that goes at a quick pace.


RA Tools
I used NoveList and Goodreads to find titles and read-alikes for her favorite authors and books. Since I am really unfamiliar with both new adult and romances, I also consulted NA Alley and then crosschecked the titles I found there on NoveList to see appeal factors.


Recommendations
Title: Bared to You (#1)
Author: Sylvia Day
Summary: An erotic story of “emotionally burdened characters” who are “drawn into an intense, obsessive relationship,” à la Fifty Shades of Grey.
Other Series Titles: Reflected in You (#2), Entwined with You (#3), Captivated by You (#4)

Title: Flight (The Crescent Chronicles, Book #1)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy
Summary: The first of three books in the paranormal romance series The Crescent Chronicles“A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-
boyfriend and the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind—until she sees Levi. Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her.” (Description from NA Alley)
Other Series Titles: Focus (#2), Found (#3), First & Forever (#4)

Title: Thoughtless (#1)
Author: S. C. Stephens
Summary: A new adult romance in which a move to a new city “forces Kiera and Denny to spend time apart, and in her loneliness Kiera turns to a rock star friend for comfort, but one night between them changes everything.”
Other Series Titles: Effortless (#2), Reckless (#3), Thoughtful (#4)

Title: Scratch
Author: Rhonda Helms
Summary: A realistic new adult romance in which “dance club DJ and college student Casey can't bring herself to let down her defenses after a traumatic incident that was the result of trusting the wrong person, but an open, charming, and persistent classmate named Daniel tempts her to try.”

Title: Come to Me Quietly (Closer to You, Book #1)
Author: A. L. Jackson
Summary: A steamy, high-drama new adult novel about a woman obsessed with “a man who’s as passionate as he is elusive—and as tempting as he is trouble. Aleena Moore is haunted by Jared Holt. It's been sixyears since she's seen her brother's best friend, the self-destructive bad boy she secretly loved in high school. As the years pass, she knows it's time to move on...Time to get over Jared and give another guy a chance. Just when she opens her heart to her friend, Gabe, Aly returns home to find Jared sleeping on her couch. The teenage boy she loved has grown into a [tortured] man she can't resist...As the two reconnect, their passion is hot enough to torch Aly's judgment. But can she risk her future for a man who lives on the edge of destruction?”
Other Series Titles: Come to Me Softly (#2), Come to Me Recklessly (#3)


Success of Recommendations
Person #5 is an absolutely voracious reader, so she read all five books I suggested. She read Bared to You first and said that she really liked it because the story was really engaging. She said that she liked Fifty Shades of Grey better, but that Bared to You still drew her in and left her wanting to read the rest of the series. She thought that Scratch was okay—she did not love it, but she did not hate it either. She felt that the pace dragged a little. She said that she did not like Thoughtless at all because the pace was too slow at the beginning and she hated the female protagonist. She was reluctant about Come to Me Quietly, because friends of hers had recommended it before but it sounded too depressing to interest her. However, she gave it a chance since it was on my list of suggestions, and she said that she ended up liking it more than she thought she would. She is curious to move on to the next book in the series. She is in the middle of reading Flight right now, and she says that so far she is really enjoying it. 


Monday, April 27, 2015

The Future of Reading: Week 16 Prompt Response

11:19 AM Posted by Sara Silver 3 comments
When I was growing up, I constantly had a book in my hand.  Like most kids I clung to picture books, and then chapter books when I was in elementary school.  I loved going to the library throughout middle school and high school, too, perusing the adult mysteries and reference books, among other things.  From the time I was very young, I always sought to read above my age/grade level--I taught myself to read when I was 4 years old, and from that point on I wanted to be as mature a reader as I could possibly be.  Ever an avid learner, I wanted to understand things that were a little beyond my years, and I wanted to do that through reading books.  I didn't have much interest in newspapers, and I only occasionally read magazines.  Books were where I spent my time reading.

Now, as an adult, I have very different reasons for and ways of reading.  I still like learning new things, but much of the reading I do now is for pleasure.  Today reading is an escape from reality, or a way to relate to others like myself.  Whereas it was a private activity when I was growing up, reading is more of a social activity these days.  I use GoodReads and talk with others about great (or horrible) books I've read.  I enjoy hashing out the characteristics and merits of books, just as many people like to do with movies or TV shows.  My reading extends beyond print books now; I don't just learn or gain satisfaction from them.  I also read eBooks, stories and articles online, social media posts, and more.  My preferred medium is print books, but I do spend a lot of time reading other formats of writing, which I didn't do as a child.

Le Guin (2008) gives an excellent description of the print book that sums up my own thoughts about it:
"The book itself is a curious artifact, not showy in its technology but complex and extremely efficient: a really neat little device, compact, often very pleasant to look at and handle, that can last decades, even centuries.  It doesn't have to be plugged in, activated, or performed by a machine; all it needs is light, a human eye, and a human mind.  It is not one of a kind, and it is not ephemeral.  It lasts.  It is reliable.  If a book told you something when you were fifteen, it will tell it to you again when you're fifty, though you may understand it so differently that it seems you're reading a whole new book." (p. 37).
Technology is constantly improving, and our ways of looking at and interacting with the world are constantly evolving.  Audiobooks and eBooks are being added to our libraries and bookstores by the thousands every day, and more people all the time are discovering the joys of the Kindle.  However, Le Guin's (2008) point about print books is a sentiment that has lasted since the first written words in history.  Some people might prefer print books over eBooks, or eBooks over print books.  Some people might be so fascinated with electronic devices that they think they want to leave printed books behind for good.  But the fact of the matter is, there's something so inherently special and desirable about print books that I can't see them ever disappearing for good.  There is a human compulsion to cling to the tangible, especially tangible things that display who we are (like books).  Even the most technology-obsessed person feels that compulsion...their devices are tangible "containers" of writing, after all.  Print books might change in physical composition in the future, being made of more environmentally-friendly paper or cheaper binding to keep up with the cost-efficiency of eBooks; but they will still be produced and consumed with fervor.  eBooks and other book formats are merely different kinds of packaging for the same stories as print books.  We aren't content to just share stories and information verbally anymore, so as long as we are still human there will still be a variety of book formats, including print.

Since we are still human and we do still have an obsession with recording our world, our lives, and our history, I think that reading will still be prevalent in the future.  The trend over time has been that, as more people gain access to education and literacy skill-building, more people read.  I think this trend will continue into the future.  The more our world changes, the more people will want to know, and that knowledge comes from reading.  I do think that publishing companies will start to cash in on the popularity of blogs and social media and publish some content exclusively through those mediums.  If that happens, reading will become more social and more interactive.  Even personal pleasure reading will become more of a social activity.  The Internet is so interactive and there is so much reading to be done on it already; as publishing moves to feed the shortening attention spans of people addicted to the Internet (and the need for people to share every thought that comes into their minds, thanks to social media), people will continue to treat reading as a social, collaborative activity.  We will read to learn, and we will read to entertain ourselves, but more and more we will do it together.


Reference
Le Guin, U. K. (2008, February). Staying awake: Notes on the alleged decline of reading. Harper's Magazine. 316(1893), 33-38.


Thursday, April 23, 2015

Creatively Promoting Fiction: Week 15 Prompt Response

3:38 PM Posted by Sara Silver 3 comments
There are tons of ways to creatively promote the library’s fiction collection, but following are some of the most inventive ways I could think of to achieve this, ways that would really spark patrons’ interests, expose them more to books they will enjoy, and make my library a more collaborative place with a deeper sense of community.

The first method is to use social media to promote books.  My library (Hamilton East Public Library) currently has a social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram), and much of it is used to promote programming and to share fun things, like BuzzFeed articles related to books and reading. With the rollout of our new branding, we’ve started to do staff and patron book picks and reviews on the website, and I assume we will post these on social media as well.  To improve the library’s online presence and really use social media to its advantage, I think it would be great to do what Trotter (as cited in Hilyard, 2010) suggests and do reader’s advisory work on our social media accounts.  As she says, “Tweets [and other posts] have to be more than ‘we have a program tomorrow’ to hold patrons’ interest, and too many of that variety will make people tune out—missing that one program that might have brought them through the library’s doors” (Trotter, as cited in Hilyard, 2010, p. 13).  The library could do “If you like…” posts or tweets, or we could post book recommendation lists.  We could also retweet or repost content from the social media accounts of authors, publishers, other libraries, or book reviewers, with our library’s added commentary preceding the link to that content.  We could even post questions to our followers—for example, during Halloween time, we could ask followers, “What’s your favorite horror book?”, or during the summer months we could ask followers to name their top 3 beach reads.

Another great way to market the library’s fiction collection is to create “Best-Loved” lists.  These lists could include the 10 fiction titles that are, as the name suggests, best-loved by patrons, according to circulation statistics and patron feedback.  Each month, a new list could be posted, and it could be presented in three different ways.  First, there could be a large marker board at the entrance to the Adult Fiction section with the current month’s list written on it.  The librarians could either write or print and tape up short summaries of each title, as well as a note about the genre of each title.  Second, the list of titles could be printed on bookmarks and spread out in the stacks for patrons to grab and take with them.  Saricks (2005) states that using bookmarks as marketing is advantageous because “the reader can walk away not only with a book to read but also with a list of authors and titles to pursue on a later visit” (p. 144).  The bookmarks could also include the genres and call numbers of each title for easy reference for patrons.  Third, the monthly list could be posted (and boldly placed) on the library’s website.  Here, the list would include titles, genres, short summaries, call numbers, and links to the titles in the library’s online catalog.  Both the bookmarks and the posting of the lists to the website could be kept and archived for patrons to peruse later on.

My last idea for fiction promotion is my favorite.  I got this idea from the cataloging system at the Garden Library in Tel Aviv, Israel.  Rather than shelving books using conventional methods, the library categorizes books by emotional response. Once they’ve read a book, patrons are asked to mark on a sticker on the back cover which of seven color-coded emotions the book evoked for them: amusing, boring, bizarre, depressing, exciting, inspiring, or sentimental. Each reader’s response is added to the history of the book’s responses on the book’s spine, and then the book is shelved according to the most recent response.  My thought is to use this idea to provide passive reader’s advisory on the part of the librarians and active RA on the part of the patrons.  The logistics of setting this up in my library would be difficult to pin down…the Garden Library only has about 3,500 titles compared to HEPL’s total collection of over 360,000 print materials.  However, I think that starting small, maybe with our new fiction titles, could provide a good starting point that could eventually move to include a great deal of the fiction collection as a whole.  Each book could include a chart on the inside back cover where patrons can note their emotional response to the book.  As responses amass, the librarians could place color-coded stickers (similar to the Garden Library’s stickers) on the spine or back of each book.  A chart could be placed throughout the stacks to tell patrons what each color means and to encourage patrons to add their response after reading a book.  (Note: Books would still be shelved as they are now but, like the genre stickers we put on fiction titles, these emotional response stickers would just be an added feature to clue patrons in on the content of a book.)  Patrons frequently tell us at the circulation desk whether a book was great or terrible, and they love to give us their input about what they read.  These color-coded emotional response stickers could be a fantastic way for patrons to leave their input for the whole library community to see (anonymously, of course), and for patrons to learn from each other about books they might enjoy.  Most patrons aren’t privy to our librarian lingo regarding appeal terms, so letting them have the chance to essentially rate books based on emotional response provides an easier understanding of what a book might be like.  Most importantly, this allows patrons to play an active role in our reader’s advisory service.


References

Hilyard, N. (2010). The expanding scope of readers’ advisory. Public Libraries, 49(1), 10-25.

Saricks, J. (2005). Promoting and marketing readers’ advisory collections and services. In
Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library (pp.136-160). Chicago: ALA.



Sunday, April 19, 2015

To Separate or Not to Separate: Week 14 Prompt Response

9:59 PM Posted by Sara Silver 1 comment
I would not separate GLBTQ or African American fiction from the general collection, in terms of normal shelving. Though these two "genres" are distinct from other fiction in many ways, I wouldn't want patrons who check out these materials to feel segregated or set apart in a negative way. To put graphic fiction in its own place on the shelves is one thing--the format here is what sets it apart. People often choose different book formats in order to feed a learning style need or to accommodate for difficulties with reading (for example, people with visual impairments could choose large print versions of books because regular print is too difficult to read). To set books apart because of their content—their themes, kinds of characters, values shared—seems like a form of segregation that says to patrons that only certain people would enjoy "this" kind of fiction so that is why it is separated from the “other” fiction. People want to browse freely, without judgment or others watching what they’re picking up, and separating fiction by content seems to eliminate patrons’ ability to do that.

Along with that, I think that separating these books could send the message that we don’t consider
GLBTQ/African American stories or characters to be on the same level as other fiction. Many GLBTQ people and African Americans lack a sense of belonging in their communities because racism and prejudice cause separation between them and the majority (namely, straight people and white people). Thomas (2007) says that reading is a great opportunity for discovery for GLBTQ people, but that “this act of discovery can be problematic: literature has so often excluded them. In the last decades, as gays and lesbians have grown increasingly vocal in the effort to secure their rightful place in society, a broad range of fiction has emerged that effectively captures their concerns” (p. 40). It is something of a victory to them to have books now with characters that reflect their own personal struggles. However, it seems like it’s taking a step backward to then separate these books out from the rest of the fiction collection. We can’t say that we want members of the GLBTQ community to feel as respected as their straight peers, and then put GLBTQ-centric books in their own separate section of the library—that kind of says that being GLBTQ actually isn’t normal because if it was, then those books would coexist with stories of straight people. The same applies to African American fiction.

Not only would I not separate out GLBTQ or African American Fiction because of the segregation factors, but I also would not separate them for fear that those books would no longer reach all patrons. I said last week that I would incorporate more YA graphic novels into the adult graphic novels so that adults would be able to discover YA titles they'd enjoy, and so they wouldn't feel uncomfortable venturing down into the TeenZone. The same applies to GLBTQ and African American fiction. If those books were set apart on their own, then patrons who don't normally pick up books in those genres would miss out on titles they might really enjoy, whereas they would be able to stumble upon these titles if they were incorporated into the rest of the fiction section.

I understand the need for patrons to know that our collections include books to which they personally can relate, and for them to be able to easily find those books. One way to ensure that this can happen is to do pull-out displays with samplings from our GLBTQ or African American fiction collections. This could drum up interest in these genres and make patrons aware that we do carry these books. Also, as Thomas (2007) suggests, we could offer booklists of award winners, “best of” titles, and so on in GLBTQ and African American fiction. I think it is very important to make patrons aware that our collections include these books, but they don’t need to be segregated from the rest of the fiction. We make pull-out displays and booklists for romance, horror, and Christian fiction, but they are all shelved as simply fiction. The same should be done with GLBTQ and African American fiction.



Reference
Thomas, D. (2007). A place on the shelf. Library Journal, 132(8), 40-43.


Sunday, April 12, 2015

YA & Graphic Novels as Legitimate Literary Choices: Week 13 Prompt Response

4:41 PM Posted by Sara Silver 4 comments
According to the Library Bill of Rights we, as librarians, should "[resist] abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas" (ALA, 1996).  This means that anyone and everyone should have free access to any and every kind of material housed in our libraries, and it implies that this should be done without judgment from us.  If a child wishes to browse the adult non-fiction materials, then we have to do what we can to allow that child access to those materials.  Likewise, if an adult wants to check out YA fiction or graphic novels, then we are responsible for ensuring that he or she can do so.  Not only should we ensure all people access to all materials, but I believe we should also encourage all people to peruse all materials through our presentation of them.

My library has a very large collection of graphic novels in both the children's and YA departments, but it has recently started a collection of graphic novels in the Adult section.  Patrons love this, and these items are becoming very popular.  This budding collection is a great way to serve adults who like graphic novels, and especially those who don't necessarily want to check out YA graphic novels.  However, many of the patrons who are checking out these new adult graphic novels have checked out YA graphic novels in the past, and most continue to do so.  Many adults also like to check out other YA fiction.  Anyone is welcome to browse the collection in the YA area, but I get the feeling that many people think that this area is completely off limits to anyone who isn't a teenager because there's a sign designating it as being for teens and because our policy states that only teenagers can "hang out" there.  This could obviously limit adults who want YA materials.

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (2006) suggests that all graphic novels, both YA and adult, could be shelved "in a specially designated graphic novels area for easier browsing of all graphic works" where adult graphic novels could still be shelved separately from YA ones, but where anyone, regardless of age, could browse them all in one spot.  We shouldn't necessarily shelve all materials in the entire library based on their cataloged, intended age grouping--"shelving location must not be assumed to be a predictor of who will read or borrow a particular graphic novel" (Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, 2006).  For materials like YA fiction, where their most sensible location is in the YA section, we could have pull-out displays in the adult area of some of the most popular YA fiction titles.  Another easy way to encourage adults who enjoy YA literature is to ask people during reader's advisory interviews if they like YA books.  If they do, then we can recommend both adult and YA titles.  Regardless of where we house materials within the library walls or of how they are cataloged, we should celebrate and encourage all reading interests, not just the ones that "fit" with a person's age.



References
ALA. (1996). Library Bill of Rights. Retrieved from
          http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. (2006). Graphic novels: Suggestions for librarians. Retrieved from http://cbldf.org/graphic-novels-suggestions-for-librarians/