End of the Year Adult Reading Round Table Updates

Today I have a bunch of links, information, and announcements having to do with my work with ARRT. Please remember, while ARRT is a networking and training organization for Readers' Advisory Library Workers, we provide much content, lists, and training documents for everyone, everywhere.

From our Popular Author lists (both for Adult and Teen authors) which are always available in the RA Toolbox on NoveList to allowing anyone to signup for our newsletter [the form is on every page of the website in the right gutter] and much in between, ARRT is here to help anyone who is helping leisure readers.

Here is a sample of our most recent updates and information:

• Back in November, I presented as part of ARRT's RA Hacks program. You can click here for my slides.  I also was one of five breakout session leaders. As promised, we compiled the notes from the breakout sessions and they are now available here.
• The Speculative Fiction Genre Study is about to enter it's second, and final, year. The last meeting was on December 1 and we discussed the Doorway of Character. Here is the assignment we used. Just before that meeting, the notes on our first Doorway discussion, this time of Setting, went live at this link. Our next meeting, on the Doorway of Story will be on February 2, 2017. Details, including the assignment, are here. In general, anyone can access all of the information about the Speculative Fiction Genre Study, and even past genre studies, including all assignments and notes, here. We encourage others to use our Genre Studies as a guide to frame your own. Use as much of what we have up here as you want, all we ask is that your cite us as your source.
• The Book Club Study [formerly known as the Literary Book Discussion and Leadership Training] is going strong. We are meeting on January 12, 2017, from 2-4 pm at Schaumburg Township District Library to discuss Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi. The book discussion will be led by Emily Vinci. The Leadership Topic, led by me, will be about managing the group dynamic during book discussions. All of the details are here including how you can sign up.
• Finally, we are in the middle of our annual membership renewal drive. Here is the form so you can renew or join. Remember, while the notes from all of our programs are free on the web, in order to attend the Book Club Study and the Genre Study you must be a member.

I truly believe in the work we do through ARRT for everyone out there helping leisure readers. We all volunteer our time to be on the Steering Committee because we know that we are lucky to have such a long standing RA networking group in our area. But please know we realize that many of you are going at your work alone. Don't forget we are here to help, either through the ARRT website, our social media [Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest], or here on RA for All with the ARRT tag.