ALA Midwinter is around the corner, but Digital Book World just wrapped up in NYC and the ABA’s Winter Book Institute is also about to begin.
While I will have extensive coverage of ALA Midwinter once it begins, I thought I would share 2 VERY useful links from the other two conferences that I saw via PW.
First, there is this report on a presentation at DBW on the future of bookstores and libraries. Not much new here for those of us in the trenches, but I was just glad to see a panel with librarians addressing these issues at DBW. It is still a struggle to make ebooks work as well as physical books do in libraries, but at least we are taking baby steps towards progress.
And second, there is this long and very helpful list of all of the authors and galleys that will be available at the conference as well as an editorial note as to why there is buzz on this particular book or author. The list is arranged alphabetically.
I don’t know about you, but I will be combing through this list over the next couple of weeks as I start planning my spring purchases for the library.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
The Story Behind The Story
For many people in the world of libraries (both workers and our patrons) a common New Year’s Resolution is to finally write that novel. I learned a long time ago that writing books and article about novels, not writing actual novels, is my forte, but there are many wonderful books-to-be just festering in the brains of many of you out there.
In the past I have encouraged this by posting about NaNoWriMo but today I thought I’d up the ante and provide a bit more inspiration for you or to pass on to your patrons.
Since it spun off from January Magazine to become a separate blog in May 2006, The Rap Sheet has earned its reputation as an essential resource for readers seeking information about what’s new and interesting in the world of crime fiction. Edited by J. Kingston Pierce, the site was nominated for an Anthony Award in 2008, and a year later it won the Spinetingler Award for Special Services to the Industry. Remarking on the blog’s value, novelist and editor Ed Gorman wrote inEllery Queen Mystery Magazine: “Part pure journalism, part critique, and part just plain fun, The Rap Sheet is a tribute to the intelligence and wit of a single person. Pierce gives opinionating a good name."
Pierce also writes Crime reviews for Kirkus.
One of the many useful features on The Rap Sheet is The Story Behind the Story. Now on its 46th entry, this feature invites authors to talk about their writing process. Even if I have never heard of the author, I am always interested in these posts. It is fascinating to see a successful writer share their process, but taken as a collection of 46 different points of view, it is amazing to see how different the path to each book is for each author.
I hope The Story Behind the Story provides little inspiration for you aspiring writers and a lot of entertainment for all the readers out there.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
The Corner Shelf Features ARRT!
The newest issue of The Corner Shelf, a free newsletter from Booklist Online and edited by friend of RA for All Rebecca Vnuk, is up. Click here for past issues and here to see where I have written about this foreword thinking newsletter in the past.
This time around, Rebecca has featured the work the ARRT Steering Committee did on our annual bibliography this past year (which is distributed free to all members). Click here for the article.
On the full list, we provided dozens of titles that we considered “sure bets” but did them in a Tweet inspired format, recommending the books in 40 words or less. Rebecca has included a few of these annotations [with our permission] in her article. Feel free to use them when you are in a rush and stuck for a “good read” to suggest to someone, quickly.
Thinking about joining ARRT? Besides the Crime Fiction genre study led by me, our annual bibliography this year will be YA focused.
This time around, Rebecca has featured the work the ARRT Steering Committee did on our annual bibliography this past year (which is distributed free to all members). Click here for the article.
On the full list, we provided dozens of titles that we considered “sure bets” but did them in a Tweet inspired format, recommending the books in 40 words or less. Rebecca has included a few of these annotations [with our permission] in her article. Feel free to use them when you are in a rush and stuck for a “good read” to suggest to someone, quickly.
Thinking about joining ARRT? Besides the Crime Fiction genre study led by me, our annual bibliography this year will be YA focused.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Monday Discussion: The Books You Are Most Looking Forward to in 2014
Last week is was reading resolutions. This week we are in preview mode. The end of the year best lists are done and it is time to look forward into 2014.
RA Online began keeping track of the major 2014 preview lists at this link. So I started looking through the various lists myself and found a few titles that I am quite excited about.
First I will start with 2 books that come out in February that I have been not so patiently waiting for-- Wiley Cash's follow up the his brilliant A Land More Kind Than Home entitled This Dark Road to Mercy and the conclusion of Joe Hill's masterful Locke and Key series, Alpha and Omega. For the Cash, I had no choice but to wait, but on the Locke and Key, I could have followed the 6 issues that made up the final bound volume as they came out, but I knew I would be happier if I read the final arc all at once as I have read the previous 5 volumes. I am hearing that my patience on both will be worth the wait.
For a longer term view point, the third book in Deborah Harkness' series which began with A Discovery of Witches is coming out in July, Ernest Cline's Armada is set for October, and I am intrigued by the Colson Whitehead nonfiction book of his time in the pro-poker circuit coming in May.
Now it is your turn. For today's Monday Discussion, what books are you most excited about for 2014?
For past Monday Discussions, click here.
RA Online began keeping track of the major 2014 preview lists at this link. So I started looking through the various lists myself and found a few titles that I am quite excited about.
First I will start with 2 books that come out in February that I have been not so patiently waiting for-- Wiley Cash's follow up the his brilliant A Land More Kind Than Home entitled This Dark Road to Mercy and the conclusion of Joe Hill's masterful Locke and Key series, Alpha and Omega. For the Cash, I had no choice but to wait, but on the Locke and Key, I could have followed the 6 issues that made up the final bound volume as they came out, but I knew I would be happier if I read the final arc all at once as I have read the previous 5 volumes. I am hearing that my patience on both will be worth the wait.
For a longer term view point, the third book in Deborah Harkness' series which began with A Discovery of Witches is coming out in July, Ernest Cline's Armada is set for October, and I am intrigued by the Colson Whitehead nonfiction book of his time in the pro-poker circuit coming in May.
Now it is your turn. For today's Monday Discussion, what books are you most excited about for 2014?
For past Monday Discussions, click here.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Who Does Readers Advisory? -- An Invitation to Debate
Today I want to start an ongoing conversation about who should be providing RA service in the library. Why now? Well this is an issue that has been brewing for awhile.
In the beginning, when RA was in its infancy, most of us got behind the professionally trained staff only side of the debate because we needed that argument in order to get funding to start formal RA. But that was back in the 1980s. As we begin 2014, service to leisure readers is becoming something everyone who works at the library is expected to do (at least a little).
Obviously I fall more on the “everyone should and can do RA" side of this debate, but I do take a nuanced position. I understand that trained professionals, like myself, will provide a deeper and more accurate level of service to leisure readers, but there are plenty of ways all staff can learn how to begin conversations with readers. [That’s the idea that my entire RA for All training is based on]
I am not and will not ever advocate for all staff being expected to provide full blown RA service, but I do think that you can teach everyone on staff enough of the basics that they can help most patrons enough to encourage them to return for more help at a desk filled with more trained RA staff.
I have seen first hand how an RA based model of customer service-- listening to the patron, having conversations and not interviews (or interrogations as many patrons view their librarian interactions), and trying to provide what the patrons want first and foremost-- can transform an entire library including its staff and its patrons’ perceptions of the library and the level of service it can provide.
But regularly, I encounter colleagues who completely disagree with me. They think that only professional librarians who have had RA training should be the only ones helping readers. These professionals only people are starting to feel out numbered, and can can feel the backlash building.
Up to now it has been more of a quiet, but balanced discussion across a dividing line. I predict that this year or the next, there will be a lot of professional ink spilled on this issue. So, I am going to try to throw my hat in the ring to jump on this debate before it begins in earnest.
Here's the deal. I am looking for someone from the other side of the RA debate to work with. I am not sure where I want to go with this. I think it depends on the skills and attributes of my sparing partner, but I could see an on going point-counterpoint conversation here on the blog, articles, and even a presentation at a conference.
But to begin I need to find the right counterpoint person.
So if you or someone you know believes firmly that Readers' Advisory is solely in the purview of professional staffers and that all inquiries about leisure reading choices need to be handled only by professionals, contact me off the blog so we can have a chat.
I hope this is the beginning of something interesting and useful to us all.
In the beginning, when RA was in its infancy, most of us got behind the professionally trained staff only side of the debate because we needed that argument in order to get funding to start formal RA. But that was back in the 1980s. As we begin 2014, service to leisure readers is becoming something everyone who works at the library is expected to do (at least a little).
Obviously I fall more on the “everyone should and can do RA" side of this debate, but I do take a nuanced position. I understand that trained professionals, like myself, will provide a deeper and more accurate level of service to leisure readers, but there are plenty of ways all staff can learn how to begin conversations with readers. [That’s the idea that my entire RA for All training is based on]
I am not and will not ever advocate for all staff being expected to provide full blown RA service, but I do think that you can teach everyone on staff enough of the basics that they can help most patrons enough to encourage them to return for more help at a desk filled with more trained RA staff.
I have seen first hand how an RA based model of customer service-- listening to the patron, having conversations and not interviews (or interrogations as many patrons view their librarian interactions), and trying to provide what the patrons want first and foremost-- can transform an entire library including its staff and its patrons’ perceptions of the library and the level of service it can provide.
But regularly, I encounter colleagues who completely disagree with me. They think that only professional librarians who have had RA training should be the only ones helping readers. These professionals only people are starting to feel out numbered, and can can feel the backlash building.
Up to now it has been more of a quiet, but balanced discussion across a dividing line. I predict that this year or the next, there will be a lot of professional ink spilled on this issue. So, I am going to try to throw my hat in the ring to jump on this debate before it begins in earnest.
Here's the deal. I am looking for someone from the other side of the RA debate to work with. I am not sure where I want to go with this. I think it depends on the skills and attributes of my sparing partner, but I could see an on going point-counterpoint conversation here on the blog, articles, and even a presentation at a conference.
But to begin I need to find the right counterpoint person.
So if you or someone you know believes firmly that Readers' Advisory is solely in the purview of professional staffers and that all inquiries about leisure reading choices need to be handled only by professionals, contact me off the blog so we can have a chat.
I hope this is the beginning of something interesting and useful to us all.
Library Reads: February 2014
Remember to use the tag Library Reads to pull up past lists. At this point, we have a few month's worth, so you can start going back to September 2013's list and use the titles there for your readers who just can't figure out what they want.
List link and then embedded list below.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
February 2014 Library Reads List
Published: 2/11/2014 by Harper
ISBN: 9780062285539
“Socially-awkward 40-year-old Bartholomew has lived with his mother all his life and has never held a job. When she succumbs to cancer, he channels her favorite actor, Richard Gere, to make her happy during her last days. Funny and sad, with moving, unsentimental prose and a quick, satisfying pace. Highly recommended.”
ISBN: 9780062088253
“Cash’s second novel is as good as his first. In this story, we meet Easter and her sister Ruby, who have been shuffled around the foster care system in Gastonia, North Carolina. Then their ne’er-do-well father whisks them away in the middle of the night. I was on the edge of my seat as I followed the girls’ tale and hoping for a safe outcome. Fans of A Land More Kind Than Home will enjoy this book as well.”
Published: 2/11/2014 by Crown
ISBN: 9780804139021
“An edge-of-your seat debut thriller with laugh-out-loud dialogue mixed in. After a bad storm cuts his team’s Mars mission short, injured astronaut Mark Watley is stranded. Now he’s got to figure out how to survive without air, shelter, food, or water on the harsh Martian landscape until the next manned mission in four years. It’s Science Fiction with a capital S, but Weir does a fabulous job of making it accessible to non-science geeks (like me).”
ISBN: 9780062083395
“So much fun to read. In Lippman’s newest book, bookie Felix Brewer goes missing just before his indictment because he can’t stand the thought of spending years in prison. He leaves behind a wife, three young daughters, a mistress, and Burt, his best friend and attorney. Enter retired police detective Sandy Bayard who works as a consultant on cold cases. A delicious bon bon!”
ISBN: 9780062291400
“Allende does an amazing job of developing characters in this taut, suspenseful literary thriller. The story has a lightning-fast denouement, and the mystery is artfully styled to keep the reader guessing.”
ISBN: 9780385533508
“A cargo ship sailing from New York to Italy is discovered empty and
drifting near Gibraltar in the 1870s. The mystery brings grief to two
Massachusetts seafaring families and ignites the public’s imagination,
including one Arthur Conan Doyle, who authors a fantastical magazine
piece that purports to be an account by the ship’s doctor. Crossing time
and space, this wide-ranging story proves Martin once again to be a
master of the historical novel.”
ISBN: 9780385537629
“A captivating mystery, based on the real-life disappearance of New York Supreme Court Judge Joseph Crater. Told through the voices of the three women closest to Judge Crater–his trophy wife, his beautiful maid, and his Broadway starlet mistress– this is excellent historical fiction, about the era of Prohibition and the culture of 1930s New York City. Riveting characters make for a quick and entertaining read.”
ISBN: 9780385538497
“The small Vermont town of West Hall has been the scene of mysterious deaths, disappearances, and ghost sightings. The scattered pages of a turn-of-the-century diary relate the events that lead to a murder and the apparent beginning of all the trouble. Odd and intriguing clues emerge, and the final conclusion is thrilling.”
ISBN: 9780307379979
“Cummings is a pivotal figure in the creation of modern verse, and Cheever conveys his journey with color, warmth, and understanding, especially his imprisonment in France during the First World War, his father’s death and his final reunion with his daughter. She leaves the reader with only one wish: to be a fly on the wall while the poet held forth to his friends.”
List link and then embedded list below.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
February 2014 Library Reads List
Red Rising
by Pierce Brown
Published: 1/28/2014 by Del Rey
ISBN: 9780345539786
“The next great read for those who loved The Hunger Games. This story has so much action, intrigue, social commentary and character development that the reader who never reads science fiction will happily overlook the fact that the story takes place on Mars far in the future. The characters are perfectly flawed, causing the reader to feel compassion and revulsion for both sides. Can’t wait for the next installment!”
Cindy Stevens, Pioneer Library System, Norman, OK
The Good Luck of Right Now: A Novel
by Matthew Quick
Published: 2/11/2014 by HarperISBN: 9780062285539“Socially-awkward 40-year-old Bartholomew has lived with his mother all his life and has never held a job. When she succumbs to cancer, he channels her favorite actor, Richard Gere, to make her happy during her last days. Funny and sad, with moving, unsentimental prose and a quick, satisfying pace. Highly recommended.”
Michael Colford, Boston Public Library, Boston, MA
This Dark Road to Mercy: A Novel
by Wiley Cash
Published: 1/28/2014 by William MorrowISBN: 9780062088253
“Cash’s second novel is as good as his first. In this story, we meet Easter and her sister Ruby, who have been shuffled around the foster care system in Gastonia, North Carolina. Then their ne’er-do-well father whisks them away in the middle of the night. I was on the edge of my seat as I followed the girls’ tale and hoping for a safe outcome. Fans of A Land More Kind Than Home will enjoy this book as well.”
Robin Nesbitt, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, OH
The Martian: A Novel
by Andy Weir
Published: 2/11/2014 by CrownISBN: 9780804139021
“An edge-of-your seat debut thriller with laugh-out-loud dialogue mixed in. After a bad storm cuts his team’s Mars mission short, injured astronaut Mark Watley is stranded. Now he’s got to figure out how to survive without air, shelter, food, or water on the harsh Martian landscape until the next manned mission in four years. It’s Science Fiction with a capital S, but Weir does a fabulous job of making it accessible to non-science geeks (like me).”
Dan Brooks, Wake County Public Libraries, Cary, NC
After I’m Gone: A Novel
by Laura Lippman
Published: 2/11/2014 by William MorrowISBN: 9780062083395
“So much fun to read. In Lippman’s newest book, bookie Felix Brewer goes missing just before his indictment because he can’t stand the thought of spending years in prison. He leaves behind a wife, three young daughters, a mistress, and Burt, his best friend and attorney. Enter retired police detective Sandy Bayard who works as a consultant on cold cases. A delicious bon bon!”
Anne Lee, Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Ripper: A Novel
by Isabel Allende
Published: 1/28/2014 by HarperISBN: 9780062291400
“Allende does an amazing job of developing characters in this taut, suspenseful literary thriller. The story has a lightning-fast denouement, and the mystery is artfully styled to keep the reader guessing.”
Amanda Viana, Norton Public Library, Norton, MA
The Ghost of the Mary Celeste: A Novel
by Valerie Martin
Published: 1/28/2014 by Nan A. TaleseISBN: 9780385533508
Margaret Donovan, Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, MA
The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress
by Ariel Lawhon
Published: 1/28/2014 by DoubledayISBN: 9780385537629
“A captivating mystery, based on the real-life disappearance of New York Supreme Court Judge Joseph Crater. Told through the voices of the three women closest to Judge Crater–his trophy wife, his beautiful maid, and his Broadway starlet mistress– this is excellent historical fiction, about the era of Prohibition and the culture of 1930s New York City. Riveting characters make for a quick and entertaining read.”
Mary Vernau, Tyler Public Library, Tyler, TX
The Winter People: A Novel
by Jennifer McMahon
Published: 2/11/2014 by DoubledayISBN: 9780385538497
“The small Vermont town of West Hall has been the scene of mysterious deaths, disappearances, and ghost sightings. The scattered pages of a turn-of-the-century diary relate the events that lead to a murder and the apparent beginning of all the trouble. Odd and intriguing clues emerge, and the final conclusion is thrilling.”
Nancy Russell, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, OH
E.E. Cummings: A Life
by Susan Cheever
Published: 2/11/2014 by PantheonISBN: 9780307379979
“Cummings is a pivotal figure in the creation of modern verse, and Cheever conveys his journey with color, warmth, and understanding, especially his imprisonment in France during the First World War, his father’s death and his final reunion with his daughter. She leaves the reader with only one wish: to be a fly on the wall while the poet held forth to his friends.”
Linda Jeffries-Summers, Howard County Library, Columbia, MD
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Crime Fiction Genre Study Website is Live
As I have mentioned previously, I will be facilitating a 2 year Genre Study for the Adult Reading Roundtable on Crime Fiction.
I wanted to use my involvement as an opportunity to promote ARRT and to enrich the experience for those participating in the genre study. Since full participation in the genre study is one of the benefits of membership, I cannot share everything here on the blog, but after suggesting a middle ground at our ARRT Steering Committee this afternoon, I think we have found a solution.
I have created a very simple website for the genre study here. You can also find the link in the right gutter of this blog under the list with the heading “Other Sites Featuring Me.”
What you can find on the Crime Fiction Genre Study Site are things like the schedule and the assignments. For example, here is a link to the first month’s assignment. At each meeting, notes are taken for members, both for those who come to the genre study meetings to refer to after and for those who are members but cannot make it. I will also post these on the website, but with a password protecting them so as to honor the paying members. [Have I mentioned membership i sonly $15? What a deal.]
Why am I going through all of this effort? The answer is three-fold:
So, take a look at the site and follow along if you’d like. We have a lot to cover in two years.
Also, as a small teaser, I am working on a pretty big post which I think will make some waves in the RA community. I hope to have it ready tomorrow, but it might not be up until Saturday. But it is coming soon, so keep an eye out for it. I am hoping it energizes a lot of you out there.
I wanted to use my involvement as an opportunity to promote ARRT and to enrich the experience for those participating in the genre study. Since full participation in the genre study is one of the benefits of membership, I cannot share everything here on the blog, but after suggesting a middle ground at our ARRT Steering Committee this afternoon, I think we have found a solution.
I have created a very simple website for the genre study here. You can also find the link in the right gutter of this blog under the list with the heading “Other Sites Featuring Me.”
What you can find on the Crime Fiction Genre Study Site are things like the schedule and the assignments. For example, here is a link to the first month’s assignment. At each meeting, notes are taken for members, both for those who come to the genre study meetings to refer to after and for those who are members but cannot make it. I will also post these on the website, but with a password protecting them so as to honor the paying members. [Have I mentioned membership i sonly $15? What a deal.]
Why am I going through all of this effort? The answer is three-fold:
- I wanted to make sure that the participants have one place where they can access all of the information pertaining to the genre study. In the past, assignments, communications, and notes were all sent via email attachments. Even with me keeping them all in one folder, I found it difficult to pull up what I needed or wanted quickly in year’s past. I also have plans to create a discussion board where people can contribute thoughts, links, and have conversations outside of our 6x a year meetings.
- I wanted to share the great work ARRT does to develop RA skills and promote reading. Even if you cannot participate with us in person for the genre study, I encourage you to us these assignments for your own RA training programs.
- I wanted to help boost our membership. In 2014 we are looking to expand our membership outside of the Chicagoland region. If you join as a member, you will have access to the discussion notes with the password no matter where you live. We are also going to try to offer some online content to accompany our summer program with a nationally renown speaker (tbd).
So, take a look at the site and follow along if you’d like. We have a lot to cover in two years.
Also, as a small teaser, I am working on a pretty big post which I think will make some waves in the RA community. I hope to have it ready tomorrow, but it might not be up until Saturday. But it is coming soon, so keep an eye out for it. I am hoping it energizes a lot of you out there.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Soon to be Famous Illinois Author Project
As part of my 2014 New Year's Resolutions [found here] I said I was actively trying to be more involved in my state library association. Along with being on the ILA Conference Committee and working with ARRT to start up and now work toward picking a winner of the first annual ILA RA Award, I was also asked to be a judge for the inaugural Soon To Be Famous Illinois Author Project. This week, I will begin those duties.
What is the Soon To Be Famous Illinois Author Project? From their press release:
Illinois libraries hope to discover an unknown self-published author whose work will jump off the page for readers.The Soon to be Famous Illinois Author project will be accepting adult fiction submissions from Illinois residents via their local libraries. The Soon to be Famous Illinois Author will be announced during National Library Week, April 13 to 19, 2014.
Local librarians think it is time for them to join together to show publishers their power and highlight the e-book pricing issues they face. The Soon to be Famous contest was inspired by David Vinjamuri, a brand expert and marketing professor at New York University who spoke at the library association's annual conference in 2013.
"Publishers see them as competitors and not as a resource," he said.
Libraries have long proved their staying power, but he said they are failing to work together to show their ability to guide readers toward books.
"We have a public institution that persistently and cleverly has pushed this form of engagement for thousands of years," he said. "They are a trusted brand. That's why they can step in and create new brands for authors."
While librarians are looking to demonstrate their influence, authors see the contest as a way to break through a difficult model that relies on a publisher or agent to become their advocate.This project hits at everything I am trying to do in my work with readers, so when a former student who is on the committee asked me to be involved, I could not say no without contradicting myself. This was even before I planned to make working more with my state library association a 2014 priority.
So it all begins tomorrow when I pop by the Eisenhower Library (on my way to another meeting) to pick up a few manuscripts of unpublished authors in order to vet them for inclusion in the awards process.
This is my first time being a judge for any writing contest, but I am excited to be a part of a new writer’s success and to use this award as a chance to show publishers why they need to take libraries more seriously. We may offer books “for free” but we are building life long readers.
Although I cannot discuss my opinion on the books themselves here on the blog, I will have periodic posts about the process. I know one of the goals of this program is not only for it to be successful here in Illinois, but for it to eventually be replicated all over the country.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
25 Best Author Acknowledgments Ever
It has been a long two days stuck in the house with the kids, but the good news is we are all fine and returning to normal life tomorrow.
As I was looking back at older articles I had been saving to comment upon at some future date, this one, The 25 Best Acknowledgments Ever, originally posted on the Barnes and Noble Blog back in October caught my attention.
A great way to start a new year is to think of ways to acknowledge what has come before and has gotten you to where you are now. So take a look at some of the best ways authors have captured their appreciation.
Back to regular programming [literally and figuratively] tomorrow.
As I was looking back at older articles I had been saving to comment upon at some future date, this one, The 25 Best Acknowledgments Ever, originally posted on the Barnes and Noble Blog back in October caught my attention.
A great way to start a new year is to think of ways to acknowledge what has come before and has gotten you to where you are now. So take a look at some of the best ways authors have captured their appreciation.
Back to regular programming [literally and figuratively] tomorrow.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Monday Discussion: Reading Resolutions for 2014
Well, it is VERY cold here in Chicagoland. So cold that the schools, most libraries, and even the major Chicago museums are closed today. Although I am taking a “snow day” with the kids at home, the Monday Discussion marches on as promised.
Feel free to take your time to comment, as many people around here won’t be back to work for a few days.
Each year I make a series of reading/work based resolutions for the coming year and I put them in print here on the blog so that I am forced to hold myself accountable. I try to make resolutions in 3 areas: Genre, Blogging, and Consulting.
For the record, I do not make number of books read resolutions because it is hard for me to distinguish what “read” means in my line of work. The number I read cover to cover vs those I speed read vs those I skim vs those I spend time with in order to annotate, etc is in the hundreds. Those of you who have ever attended one of my trainings know that in my opinion “reading” a book does not always mean reading every word. I do always try however to keep track of the books I read cover to cover, in their entirety, and review here on the blog and on my Shelfari shelf. That number hovers around 60 every year.
So here are my official reading/work resolutions for 2014:
Feel free to take your time to comment, as many people around here won’t be back to work for a few days.
Each year I make a series of reading/work based resolutions for the coming year and I put them in print here on the blog so that I am forced to hold myself accountable. I try to make resolutions in 3 areas: Genre, Blogging, and Consulting.
For the record, I do not make number of books read resolutions because it is hard for me to distinguish what “read” means in my line of work. The number I read cover to cover vs those I speed read vs those I skim vs those I spend time with in order to annotate, etc is in the hundreds. Those of you who have ever attended one of my trainings know that in my opinion “reading” a book does not always mean reading every word. I do always try however to keep track of the books I read cover to cover, in their entirety, and review here on the blog and on my Shelfari shelf. That number hovers around 60 every year.
So here are my official reading/work resolutions for 2014:
- Genre Resolution: This year it is an easy choice. I am resolving to read at least 3 historical fiction novels about WWI. 2014 marks the 100th Year Anniversary of the start of the First World War and I wanted to participate in the remembrances with as much knowledge as possible. I already am planning to read Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, a book that has been on my to-read list for years, as well as a few other newer titles that are being published in honor of the centennial. In fact, I already have a list going. There will be a lot of interest in WWI set titles this year, so I want to stay in front of the trend in order to help my patrons better. I would also guess that the interest will peek in late June, early July as the first “great” battle of the war began on July 1, 1914, so I will make sure to have 2 books read by then.
- Blogging Resolution: Since I only gave myself a D+ on keeping up with reviews last year [and I still have a review of a book I finished in 2013 pending!], I think I need to keep the same revolution as last year, to try to get no more than 3 reviews behind at any one time. But I also think I need another, new, resolution for blogging. For this one, I am using what I did right in 2013 as inspiration. I did not drive myself crazy to keep posting in 2013. I set up guest post weeks so that I could take blogging vacations, I did more links roundups and re-posts, and I did not drive myself crazy trying to post critical essays all of the time. I still think the blog was useful to everyone in 2013, maybe even more so because I was less stressed out about it. So I am also going to resolve to find ways to continue to keep the blog fresh and useful without driving myself crazy.
- Consulting Resolution: This one is in three parts:
- First, now that I have not been teaching graduate students for awhile, I am going to resolve to JUST SAY NO if I am offered the chance to do it again. Although I loved teaching and all of the students I got to know, after taking a 2 (going on 3) semester break, I like my life better without the stress of weekly classes and the piles of grading. I have more energy for my consulting, writing, and patrons not to mention my family. I am also able to pursue new methods of educating librarians like being able to commit to leading the 2 year ARRT Crime Fiction Genre Study beginning in February. I am very excited about this opportunity and you will be hearing more about it soon.
- Second, I am going to be more involved with RA Training at the state level. Okay, this one is cheating because I already started doing this in the last quarter of 2013 as a member of the Illinois Library Association 2014 Conference Committee. But just being on the committee is not enough; I have resolved to take an active role and strongly advocate for RA. I have already spoken up and have gotten Readers Advisory added as a learning track at the conference for the first time, working with ARRT we are now officially sponsoring a brand new ILA award for excellence in Readers Advisory for 2015 [we will get to vet the nominees and pick the winner, thus rewarding and promoting excellence in RA skills in IL], I have recruited people I think are innovative and interesting to present at the 2014 conference, and I have put my skills where my mouth is and have submitted a program to present myself at the conference. By the way, you can submit a proposal too, and you don’t have to live in Illinois to participate. Click here for details.
- Third, I am going to continue to build upon my remote consulting from last year. I will write more articles, provide more webinars, and train more library workers interested in RA but with less stress on me to travel and less stress on libraries’ budgets since I charge less to provide virtual training. I am even taking the RA for All Road Show international in 2014 as I will be presenting to a group in Australia in March! Also, I have already committed to contributing 2 guest columns a year to Neal Wyatt’s LJ Reader’s Shelf column [my annual Halloween list, plus a new “Halfway to Halloween” list in April], so I am already making strides on this resolution too.
So there are my work/reading related resolutions for 2014. Now it is your turn. Take some time and think about what you are resolving to do to improve your RA skills in 2014 and share them in the comments.
For past Monday Discussions, click here.
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