How to Stay in Top Genre Shape with NoveList, Booklist, and Me!

Click here for details and to RSVP

As I teased in this post last week, I have signed on to host a series of Booklist Live Events in the coming year.

The first one is August 22nd.

Below you can find all of the details and the link to RSVP. Please note, if you cannot join us, the program is being recorded and will be available for archived viewing.

But first, a quick note of all the stuff I couldn’t fit in the short description: this will not be your typical genre study discussion. That may be obvious to my readers since I am leading this and I never do anything “typical”-- my goal is to push you and challenge you to think "outside the shelf”-- always. Yes, we are going to talk nuts and bolts with people who have been part of genre studies for years, but I am not letting those of you who can’t easily get together with others off. Nope. No excuses. You have to stay in genre shape no matter who you are and where you live. And for every genre, not just the ones you think people in your area like.

I will have tangible advice about how to have fun studying genre alone, how to rope in your coworkers or even your patrons, and most importantly, we will discuss the importance of finding a way to collaborate and get together with other library workers whether it is in person or virtual.

If you are in a library, anywhere and you work with adult leisure readers this program is for you.

Remember, I have spent the last two years traveling the country and meeting with library workers from big cities to very small towns. I understand what you need and how you work because you have told me and shown me yourselves.

I promise this will be 90 minutes of your time well spent.

How to Stay in Top Genre Shape

Nothing is scarier than being asked to help someone find books in a genre that you don’t enjoy yourself. You want to help that romance reader find the perfect book, for example, but you don’t know where to begin because—eek!—you don’t read romance. Will you be exposed as a fraud? How can you possibly help this reader? Well, you can. You can help any reader at any time as long as you know the right resources to consult, and you make a commitment to staying in genre shape. You can do that by forming a genre study group. Join Booklist RA specialist Becky Spratford as she leads a panel of experts who will walk you through the process of crafting a genre study model that will ensure success for you, your staff, and, most importantly, your readers. 

Meet our panel:

Becky Spratford  is a Readers Advisory Specialist who trains library workers all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She is under contract with Booklist and NoveList to provide content and reviews to help in this mission. She also runs her own popular training site—RA for All (raforall.blogspot.com). Becky was recently named an Illinois Library Luminary for her contribution to the profession. 

Marlise Schiltz is the Reader Services Librarian at St. Charles (IL) Public Library, where she leads an active Reader Services team. Marlise also organizes all-staff genre studies at SCPL and co-leads the RAILS West Suburban Genre Study.

Karen Toonen, Adult Services Librarian at Naperville (IL) Public Library, became the official notetaker of the ARRT Genre Studies in 2013, documenting the Graphic Novel, Crime, and Speculative Fiction discussions. Karen also organized ARRT’s Genre Book Camp, an all-day training session covering multiple genres presented in 2013.

This Booklist Live Event is sponsored by Novelist 

Event will be held at Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State Street Chicago, IL

RSVP at  http://bit.ly/GenreStudy