RA for All Roadshow Visits Western PA For Genre Training and I Made Lots of Updates for All

Today I am spending the day in Clarion, PA, about 2 hours northeast of Pittsburgh. I was invited by Oil City Library to provide a regional training for RA providers. These are all people who work in public service, so we will be doing some second level work. The goal of these regional trainings is to “train the trainers;” get the staff comfortable enough to bring back learning, activities, and information to their entire staff.

This visit is also coinciding with an overhaul of all of my programs. In the last few months I have given a serious update to every program I give, including a few changes to my  10 Basic Rules- replacing one of my 5 resources you cannot live without.

I have also revamped the handout of my favorite free genre resources. It is linked in both presentations, linked here, and has been permanently added to the 10 Rules page [at the bottom] for easy access at any time.

Below, is the schedule for today, with links to the three program handouts and slides. Please note, the 2 genre program are EXTREMELY notes heavy so that you can use them even if you do not attend these presentations in person. They are not as detailed as the talks I will give, but there are very good notes and lots of inclusive reading suggestions for every genre.

RA for All Signature Program: follows Becky’s 10 Rules of Basic RA Service [newly updated]

Demystifying Genre: Slide access here

Nothing is scarier than trying to help a fan of a genre you yourself don’t enjoy. You want to help that, for example, Romance reader find the perfect book, but you are having trouble knowing where to begin because...eek!... you don’t read Romance. You are afraid they will find out you are a fraud. How can YOU possibly help THEM?!? Never fear, in this program, Readers’ Advisory expert, Becky Spratford, will teach you the basic appeals of the major genres, give you the inside track on what a fan of that genre is most drawn to, and provide you with talking points to get your genres readers to tell you what they want. You will leave this webinar with the confidence and skill to help fans of every genre, regardless of whether or not you have ever read a book in that genre yourself. And that will leave a trail of happy patrons in your wake.

Staying in Genre Shape: Slide access here

Once you know what makes a mystery a mystery or a fantasy a fantasy and why a patron may prefer on of those genres to another, it is time to move on to the next step...keeping that genre knowledge up to date. Yes, Harry Potter will always be classified a fantasy and Agatha Christie a mystery, but within those larger categories there are smaller subgenres and trends that evolve over time. Join noted Readers’ Advisory Specialist and long time Genre Study coordinator, Becky Spratford as she gives you a work out plan for staying in genre shape. She will show you not only how vital it is to stay on top of the changes within genre fiction, but also how easy and, more importantly, fun it is to stay in genre shape. Together we will rethink the entire concept of genre and how we use it to help readers find their next good read.