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Tuesday, February 4, 2020

RA for All Roadshow Visits Tampa Bay Library Consortium

Today I am appearing at the Bruton Memorial Library in Plant City, FL from 9am-4pm, to conduct a regional training for library workers through the Tampa Bay Library Consortium.
Below is the schedule with links to the slides. Every program has been updated for the new year. The genre program especially has had a HUGE facelift.
If you want me to come to your library, I am currently booking Fall 2020. Spring is completely closed to live appearances that are further than 90 minutes from Chicago. Fridays are completely booked, anywhere, anytime until August. Virtual appearances are still available. Details on pricing can be found here. Please feel free to contact me with questions.
9:30-11:30: RA for All: Readers Advisory belongs in every library, no matter its budget. The implementation of this vital service is the responsibility of every staff member-- from pages to directors, from those behind the scenes to the ones on the front lines. This program will remove the mystery behind providing great RA service. Using her “Ten Rules of Basic RA Service” as a guide, Becky Spratford will use your own love of your favorite books to show you how to help any patron find their next great read. It's not as hard as you think. But more importantly, you will learn why a staff that can harness the power of sharing a great read will become a stronger team and improve service to all patrons, especially the hardest to reach ones.

12:45-2: Demystifying Genre: 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. This program focuses on providing you with a diverse and inclusive list of up to date authors with at least 40% of the example titles representing own voices. You will leave this session 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.

2:15-3:30: #OwnVoices for All Readers: Incorporating EDI Values into Readers’ Advisory Service: Providing robust readers’ advisory service that values equity, diversity and inclusion principles is essential to all library service. Join Readers’ Advisory specialist Becky Spratford as she provides the information you need to diversify your suggestions, identify resources, and include more staff input in order to confidently promote and place more #OwnVoices titles into adult patrons’ hands. You’ll come away with an understanding for how easy it to incorporate EDI values into your normal RA practices. All you need is a little nudge in the right direction.

3:30-4: Q&A: Not only will Becky take questions during this time, but she has a few of her own that she wants to throw out to the group in light of what we have learned today. Example questions Becky uses for this exercise include but are not limited to:

  • Why is it important to read diversely?
  • What book do you wish you could read again for the first time?
  • What is your favorite resource to find a book to read for yourself? 
  • What book[s] have you found to be "sure bets" with library patrons?

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