Demystifying Genre: How to Help Every Reader-- The Presentation Where I Divulge the Secret To My Success

Okay everyone, listen up!  Today I am presenting my favorite program....Demystifying Genre: How to Help Every Reader for RAILS from 10-11:30 am.

This is normally a 3 hr program-- usually done as part of an all day in-service with part 1 before lunch and part 2 after, but today, I am doing the condensed 90 minute version.

What is so great about this shortened version is that I did NOT shorten the slides. You will still get all of the info, but I will not do a book talk on each author. I will tell you where to get the author info on your own though.

But the reason I love this program is because I explain to you the secret to my success. Yes, that's right, I am going to teach you how I do it. How I manage to help any reader, of any genre, at any time and make it look easy!

Now, I am not promising you will be an expert at demystifying genre after 90 minutes, but I am going to give you an easy to follow work out plan that has proven to keep me [and others I have trained] in tip-top genre shape. Because the truth in that bolded statement above is that although I make it look easy, I have put a lot of effort into both staying in shape and knowing where to go to find the answers I need at the moment I need them. It looks easy because I work to stay in shape.

When you are working the reference desk, patrons do not expect you to know the answer to their questions off the top of your head.  No, they expect you to use the tools you know about, as a librarian, to find them their answers.

Helping genre readers is EXACTLY the same; it is just that your question is about a genre or author you may have no personal experience with.  That is okay. We are librarians. We got this. And I will show you how.

There is also a completely new component in this training-- a way for you to assess your own skills in relation to your patrons' service needs, but that will be for today's participants now and part of my RA Service Assessment series  for the rest of you later [It's part of Step 5].

So whether you are a part of RAILS or not, you can join me as I share the secret to my success.

Slides are below with links.

Part One
Click Here for Slide Access

Part Two
Click Here for Slide Access