6 Years of RA for All!

Thanks to everyone who filled in for me while I was on vacation.  It was nice to have a full 2 weeks off.  But now I am back and feeling very refreshed.

During my vacation, we also passed the 6th Anniversary of the start of RA for All.  I have never "celebrated" this annual milestone on the blog before, but while I was away I also got this news from a colleague, Jack Phoenix:

"I just wanted you to know that... your blog [is] listed as [a] Readers’ Advisory Resource in the textbook I am reading for class, Reference and Information Services by Cassell and Hiremath... You are on page 298 of the third edition."

This blew me away.  When I started this blog, I was really doing it for me and my students.  I wanted a way to keep track of links, articles, and RA related thoughts I had.  In other words I was doing it for me.  But in the mean time, many of you have found something useful here.  The many accolades and nominations for awards have been nice [ending up in a library school textbook was a shock though],  but quite honestly, although I started the blog for myself, I have only kept it going because so many people find it helpful.

It has also been a way for me to meet so many others who share a passion for Readers' Advisory.  Take Jack above as an example. Jack and I got acquainted (virtually) because he is a librarian and horror author, but it took another colleague of his to tell him about my blog. [For more about Jack and his new horror book with proceeds going to charity, click here.]

People often ask me advice about starting their own sites or blogs.  My main advice is always the same, create an initial post and think of it as your mission.  Think carefully about what you say in this first post because you need to hold yourself to its parameters.  You can click here for the first ever RA for All post. When I started the horror blog in 2010, I used what I had learned here on RA for All and was much more specific. Click here to see RA for All: Horror's mission.

Blogs that veer off on a tangent will never be useful to anyone.  I have a very specific focus. It is stated in the header on the top of the blog:

LOOKING FOR YOUR NEXT GOOD READ? RA FOR ALL IS A BLOG TO SHOWCASE HOW THE READERS' ADVISORS AT YOUR LOCAL PUBLIC LIBRARY CAN HELP.

I like to think that over the last 6 years I have stayed true to this focus.

So now that I am refreshed, I plan to get back to more of the same.  It seems to be working.

Look for many reviews in the days to come as I am shamefully behind in writing them.  Sadly, many are 3/4 done and sitting in the drafts folder here on the blog just waiting for final touches. Plus, Monday is another BPL Book Discussion day.

Ahh, see how quickly my refreshed state of mind vanished.  Well, back to work.