RA for All Roadshow Visits Skokie Public Library-- Recommending Reading With Confidence: A Primer for All Library Staff

Today I will be providing in-service training for the public desk and bookmobile staff of the Skokie Public Library. I am excited for this opportunity for a couple of reasons-- two of which are helpful to every single person out there reading this too.

The first is purely selfish. I gave many friends at Skokie, including my former fearless leader and partner in crime at the Berwyn Public Library, Kathy.

The second is worth talking about in detail. Skokie wants to make RA training a priority for all public desk staff at their library, but they did not want to close the library to patrons for the entire day. So, they came up with a solution and asked me to help them make it a reality.

I am providing 2 sessions of a 3.5 hour training to their staff today. It is the same training but with 2 different audiences.  All total, over 40 staff members will come through the training today, without the library having to close it's doors to patrons for one minute. I have to say, this plan impressed me.

I love this idea so much that I want to mention the brilliance of it to all of you. Many libraries now ask me to come and offer half-day in-service trainings on Friday mornings for their entire staff. This allows them to close only for their slowest morning and reopen at 1. But while this is less inconvenient to patrons, it still involves closing your doors-- something every public library tries very hard not to do.

Instead, Skokie has organized their entire staff to make BOTH patron service AND staff training a priority. Any interested staff were encouraged to sign up for my training. They were placed in a session based on scheduling issues, while behind the scenes staff are helping by covering any desks that need help because of staff attending the training.

I would like to suggest you consider this option for your library, whether it is me or someone else you bring in to train your staff, this is a great way to work extra continuing education into your schedules. It also allows for this niche training to happen more easily.

As I start to schedule my 2016 appearances in earnest [by the way, spots are filling up fast], think about this option for your staff.

Now here are the details about today's training for the Skokie Staff and for those of you who like to play along at home. Details for all recently past and many upcoming programs can be found archived here: 

• Skokie Public Library Staff Training-- Recommending Reading With Confidence: A Primer for All Library Staff-- December 8, 2015
• Two Half Day RA Training Sessions Options: 9-12:30 or 1:30-5 [same program 2x]
• Part 1: RA for All: From Pages to Directors, this program is aimed at any staff member in the library who interacts with patrons. Being able to provide good RA service from any desk in the library will help staff communicate effectively and ensure satisfied patrons. Using her “Ten Rules of Basic RA Service" as a guide," Becky Spratford will show you how to help any patron find their next great read. It's not as hard as you think.
• Handout: Becky’s 10 Rules of Basic RA Service
• Part 2: Booktalking: Harnessing the Power of Sharing Books with Patrons: Booktalking is at the heart of what we do with patrons each and every day at the public library. Whether we are sharing books informally at the services desk, presenting a prepared list of books, or posting information online, talking about books is something we do each and every day. It is a core service, but it is also hard to teach. Booktalking is more of an art than a skill, but with the right guidance and some practice, it can go a long way toward engaging your patrons and re-energizing your staff. Join experienced Readers’ Advisory Becky Spratford as she shares the secret behind delivering great book talks, giving you tips and tricks you can begin using right away to hone your own skills. Rediscover the power and joy that comes from sharing books with patrons.
• Handout: Slides
• Part 3: Creating Your Own Reader Profile and Wrap Up: Becky will end the training helping you take what you have learned to craft your own personal reader profile and start you on your first RA journey-- suggesting a good book to a fellow staff member.
• Also mentioned [for your reference]: Demystifying Genre webinar recording for RAILS

And finally, for those who have had me out for training before-- yes I know I say we suggest, not recommend in the RA world, but I liked the alliteration in the title. Don't worry, I will address the discrepancy in the title and Rule 2 in my 10 Rules of Basic RA Service very early in the talk.

Becky’s RA Training Tips For a Great 2015: Part 4 of 4-- Spend Time With Colleagues

To wrap up this beginning of the year pep talk meant to get you excited about increasing and enhancing your RA skills, I have the most social idea of the week-- Spend Time With Your Colleagues. Yes, I am telling you to hang out with your library friends while getting paid for it!

The posts on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, although all good continuing education tips are mostly solitary activities.  You can learn a lot on your own, but you ALWAYS learn more by taking your solid base of knowledge and pooling it with the knowledge of others.

Find time to get together with like minded folks and talk about books, RA, and working with patrons together.

Readers of this blog know that I am on the Steering Committee for the Adult Reading Round Table, the oldest organized group of RA librarians in the country. I know I am lucky to live in the Chicago area so that I can be a part of it, but just because you don't live near me doesn't mean you can't meet up with colleagues too.

Most library systems or consortia have networking groups that get together on a variety of topics. Click here to see the breadth of offerings by my library system. Why not start one for those of you who work with leisure readers?  You can even begin your meetings by trying out one of the training tips from this week of posts and talk about your experiences, challenges, and successes together.

If you cannot get together physically with other librarians, start a regional listserv. Or join the well established community on Fiction-L and participate in the rich discussions that have been going on there for years. Fiction-L has a fantastic archive too.

But if these ideas are unworkable for your situation, meetings like the BPL's Book Lover's Club are a great option.  From our website:

 On the last Tuesday of odd numbered months the Book Lovers Club meets atOlive or Twist ( 6906 Windsor Ave, Berwyn) at 7pm.  We don’t discuss one book, but lots of titles! Participants come each month to talk about what they have read and loved, then mingle and chat with other book lovers. This eclectic martini bar offers a refreshing backdrop to thoughtful literary conversations.

It’s social networking for book lovers, but the old fashioned way…in person.

I love the community of book talking we have created with the Book Lover's Club.  We are all sharing our favorite reads and talking about books, authors, readalikes, and even publishing trends. These meetings are fun, useful, and professionally fulfilling for me.

No matter how you decide to engage with and share ideas with fellow RA librarians and/or book lovers from any walk of life, it is a key part of becoming better at serving leisure readers. In a vacuum you can only learn so much. Pooled together, our knowledge, ideas, and experiences can enrich our patrons' lives, connect more people with the perfect book, and pass on a lifelong love of reading.

Becky’s RA Training Tips For a Great 2015: Part 3 of 4-- the Backlist!

Tuesday and Wednesday I talked about my Genre-a-Day and Revisiting Your Favorite Resources training tips.  Today I am returning to a popular topic here on RA for All, but in a slightly different light, the backlist.

I have talked about the backlist  many times on this blog, but the basic gist is that there are more great reading choices lurking in the stacks than there are on the new shelf.  The newest hottest books are selling themselves because that's what is dominating the media right now; but most are quickly forgotten.  You will have your best luck and your most rewarding experiences with the backlist titles you suggest. [You can see more from me on the topic here.]

Now from this perspective the backlist is a treasure trove of suggestions of books that have a high probability of being on your shelf right now for patrons, but how is it a training opportunity?

Well, here are a few ways you can turn your backlist into a training exercise:

• Look at the current bestseller list or the end of the year best lists and come up with readalikes that are 2 years or older. Make a display to show off your awesome backlist options for your patrons.  For example:
• Everyone is raving about All the Light We Cannot See, but do you remembered The English Patient?
• Only allow yourself to suggest titles 2 years or older to patrons for an entire day. I have done this before [without telling anyone]; it is fun, but challenging.  I prepared a few days before by going through my list of older reviews and the readalikes I came up with.  I also went through some best lists from year's past to get ideas. But you can't use a stock list of prepared titles because as you work with specific patrons, their unique tastes will come into play. As the day went on, I was forced to look at titles I had forgotten about for years but were still great reads!
• Afraid to do this all day with actual patrons.  Do it among staff, either formally in a staff meeting or over the course of a month more informally by challenging each other to come up with old readalikes based on actual patron interactions.
• Make an effort to go through the backlist of major award winners and nominees. You will be amazed at how many of the titles you know but have completely forgotten about. Just jogging your memory will help you to get out of your suggesting rut. [I talked about in detail about using old awards lists as an RA tool in this post.]

The point here today is that spending time consciously using only older titles as your suggest books to patrons is a win-win for everyone.  You stop living only in the present, your patrons get wonderful suggestions, and those great reads languishing in the stacks get read and enjoyed.

Check back tomorrow for the final training tip in this series.

RA for All: Call to Action-- Have You Been Keeping in Genre Shape?

I always think of the first day back to work after Labor day as the top of the mountaintop we call a year.  For me, as I worked on our collections and helping patrons, the last quarter of each year was like riding downhill in a runaway Go-Kart. Just as soon as I caught my breath from summer reading and started in on the Fall pre-pub lists, the best of the year lists start rolling in, and before you know it...it’s December.

But before the year races away from you again, take a moment to look back at your personal reading and training plan from back in January.  That’s right? It’s check in time.

I have been advocating for all of you to take an active role in training yourselves because I cannot physically get to every library to do it for you.

One of my most popular self training programs is my Genre-A-Day plan.  I have been using this plan to stay on top of what is happening in popular reading for the last 16 years. It has served me well, it does not require you read any extra books, and it can be done while you are working the public desk.

All it asks is that you take some time, at least 1x per year, to look at the trends, resources, and hottest titles in each genre. Familiarize yourself with titles and authors you may be unaware of. Think about the readers you have helped who enjoy these books. Arm yourself with the latest knowledge.

It is how you can stay in genre shape without having to find more time to read even more books. All you have to do is spend a little time online reading up each genre. If you spread it out over the course of the year, you will be surprised by how easy it is to be become knowledgable and as a result, more helpful to your readers.

Also as you go about this training in any given year, it is also important to keep the larger trends in all leisure reading in the front of your mind and look at the genre through that lens too.  So for 2016 you need to be also looking for diverse authors and genre blends within your genre training regimens. Those are trends that effect ever genre and must be considered as you start you training program.

Today, as I ask you to ask yourself if you have been keeping in genre shape-- for ALL the genres-- I leave you with the original post on how to stay in genre shape so that you have no excuse to keep putting the exercise off. Your how-to plan is immediately below.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015

Becky’s RA Training Tips For a Great 2015: Part 1 of 4-- Genre-a Day

For the rest of this week I will be presenting a series of posts on how you can improve your skills on your own...well, with a little guidance from me to get your started.

As I mentioned yesterday, it is always a good idea to list some professional goals for the new year, but I have to say, I get discouraged by the number of librarians who simply list the number of books they are going to read as their annual goal.

The number of books you read is less important to improving your skills in helping leisure readers than is how and what you read. You really need to plan out how you are improving your skills while you are reading books.

So, before you set a useless goal for yourself, I am stepping in to help.  Hey, it’s what I do, whether I am asked for the help or not.

I realize that not everyone can attend one of my trainings-- although this year, that might be possible [details coming very soon]-- but I am uniquely positioned to help you get started in training yourself.  And, quite frankly, that is the best I can do for everyone, whether you come to one of my sessions or watch one of my webinars or just read this blog.  All I do is provide the spark, the resources, and the plan to put you down the path toward improving your skills of matching books with readers. Ultimately, no one but you can truly make you a better readers’ advisor.

Today is an oldie but a goodie. This is an idea I started using 14.5 years ago when I got my first RA job, and it is one I still use both for myself and in trainings. I call it my Genre-a-Day Schedule.

Let me explain.

Basically, I take the major genres and reading interests and assign them to a day of the week. Here is an example:

• Monday: SF, FSY, Horror
• Tuesday: Historical, Western, and Special Reading Interests [depends on your service area; in mine its LGBTQ and urban fiction]
• Wednesday: Crime (Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Romantic Suspense, Psychological Suspense)
• Thursday: Romance, Gentle Reads, Women’s Fiction
• Friday: Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Audiobooks
• Literary and general fiction as time permits

Now, this does NOT mean that, for example, every single Monday I spend time working on SF, FSY and Horror. Rather, it means that on any given day I am working that I have some extra time for my own personal CE or collection development duties, I take a glance at the schedule and see which “day” it is on my schedule. Then I proceed to choose one of those areas and spend some time “getting up to speed” on that genre, its latest award winners, biggest trends, authors, resources, etc...

Of course, it is not every week that I have this free time, but you would be surprised, how often an hour or so becomes free.  But when those random moments do pop up, this schedule provides me with some focused and easy to access direction on how to best use that free time to improve my skills, knowledge, and, then as a direct result, my service to patrons.

Over the years, this method has served me well to get through at least every genre once throughout the year.

Now, this is just a guide, let me explain how I make it work in reality. Of course, sometimes, I happen to have more free time on a specific day of the week than others.  Also, there are certain times of year when updating a specific are makes more sense than other times; for example, in July for Graphic Novels because of Comic Con.

How I handle this is that I begin each year with the schedule as a clean slate.  As I have spent time with a genre, I cross it off the current year’s list .[By the way, I keep the list in the cloud so I can access it everywhere and at any time.] Then, as the year goes on and I find that I again have free time on a Thursday, but I have already looked at Romance, Women’s Fiction, and Gentle Reads, I move to a genre that has not been crossed of yet.

At the end of each year, I look back to see where I spent the least amount of time and try to begin there in the next year. Conversely, I try to hold off on the genres I spent the most time on.  So for me obviously horror is an ongoing thing that doesn’t need much attention, and with my current ARRT Crime Fiction Genre Study work, there is no need to spend extra time on that area.

So even though I have used the same “schedule” for 14 years, the experience I have with the genres and my own training is unique each year. I am not stuck in a rut only learning about Audiobooks every Friday, rather, I have a rich and varied experience each year.  But most importantly, I have found a way to make my personal continuing education fun and fresh.

Feel free to use this idea to get yourself started. And, if this is not for you, not to worry, I have 3 more training tips post coming later this week. 

Revisiting My Series on RA Training Tips for a Great 2015

You may have noticed, but my appearances and trainings have ramped up considerably now that I am able to pursue providing RA instruction full time.  You can click here for the full official schedule of confirmed trainings. 

Since I will be making the rounds to a library or computer screen near you, I thought today was a good time to revisit the RA training goals I laid out back in January.  Click here to access the 4 part series all at once.

This was a new January series for me and it was quite popular back in the winter.  Much of what I will be doing in the upcoming training sessions is in direct response to the goals I laid out in those posts.

So as a refresher for you before you see me, or for those of you encountering these posts for the first time, click through and see the RA for All Cliff Notes version of how to be the best RA librarian you can be.

Becky’s RA Training Tips For a Great 2015: Part 1 of 4-- Genre-a Day

For the rest of this week I will be presenting a series of posts on how you can improve your skills on your own...well, with a little guidance from me to get your started.

As I mentioned yesterday, it is always a good idea to list some professional goals for the new year, but I have to say, I get discouraged by the number of librarians who simply list the number of books they are going to read as their annual goal.

The number of books you read is less important to improving your skills in helping leisure readers than is how and what you read. You really need to plan out how you are improving your skills while you are reading books.

So, before you set a useless goal for yourself, I am stepping in to help.  Hey, it’s what I do, whether I am asked for the help or not.

I realize that not everyone can attend one of my trainings-- although this year, that might be possible [details coming very soon]-- but I am uniquely positioned to help you get started in training yourself.  And, quite frankly, that is the best I can do for everyone, whether you come to one of my sessions or watch one of my webinars or just read this blog.  All I do is provide the spark, the resources, and the plan to put you down the path toward improving your skills of matching books with readers. Ultimately, no one but you can truly make you a better readers’ advisor.

Today is an oldie but a goodie. This is an idea I started using 14.5 years ago when I got my first RA job, and it is one I still use both for myself and in trainings. I call it my Genre-a-Day Schedule.

Let me explain.

Basically, I take the major genres and reading interests and assign them to a day of the week. Here is an example:

• Monday: SF, FSY, Horror
• Tuesday: Historical, Western, and Special Reading Interests [depends on your service area; in mine its LGBTQ and urban fiction]
• Wednesday: Crime (Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Romantic Suspense, Psychological Suspense)
• Thursday: Romance, Gentle Reads, Women’s Fiction
• Friday: Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Audiobooks
• Literary and general fiction as time permits

Now, this does NOT mean that, for example, every single Monday I spend time working on SF, FSY and Horror. Rather, it means that on any given day I am working that I have some extra time for my own personal CE or collection development duties, I take a glance at the schedule and see which “day” it is on my schedule. Then I proceed to choose one of those areas and spend some time “getting up to speed” on that genre, its latest award winners, biggest trends, authors, resources, etc...

Of course, it is not every week that I have this free time, but you would be surprised, how often an hour or so becomes free.  But when those random moments do pop up, this schedule provides me with some focused and easy to access direction on how to best use that free time to improve my skills, knowledge, and, then as a direct result, my service to patrons.

Over the years, this method has served me well to get through at least every genre once throughout the year.

Now, this is just a guide, let me explain how I make it work in reality. Of course, sometimes, I happen to have more free time on a specific day of the week than others.  Also, there are certain times of year when updating a specific are makes more sense than other times; for example, in July for Graphic Novels because of Comic Con.

How I handle this is that I begin each year with the schedule as a clean slate.  As I have spent time with a genre, I cross it off the current year’s list .[By the way, I keep the list in the cloud so I can access it everywhere and at any time.] Then, as the year goes on and I find that I again have free time on a Thursday, but I have already looked at Romance, Women’s Fiction, and Gentle Reads, I move to a genre that has not been crossed of yet.

At the end of each year, I look back to see where I spent the least amount of time and try to begin there in the next year. Conversely, I try to hold off on the genres I spent the most time on.  So for me obviously horror is an ongoing thing that doesn’t need much attention, and with my current ARRT Crime Fiction Genre Study work, there is no need to spend extra time on that area.

So even though I have used the same “schedule” for 14 years, the experience I have with the genres and my own training is unique each year. I am not stuck in a rut only learning about Audiobooks every Friday, rather, I have a rich and varied experience each year.  But most importantly, I have found a way to make my personal continuing education fun and fresh.

Feel free to use this idea to get yourself started. And, if this is not for you, not to worry, I have 3 more training tips post coming later this week. 

RA for All Roadshow: Camarillo, CA

Today I will be working with the staff of the Camarillo Public Library as I lead them in a full day of RA training. 

Below is the schedule with links to the handouts and presentations. Anyone can use these links, but only Camarillo staff get to have me present them in person.

You can click here to see a list of my previous and upcoming presentations. You can also go here to contact me about coming to your library, organization,  or system

Camarillo [CA] Public Library In-Service Day-- August 21, 2015-- 9am -5pm

• 9 am to 10:30 am: RA for All: From Pages to Directors, this program is aimed at any staff member in the library who interacts with patrons. Being able to provide good RA service from any desk in the library will help staff communicate effectively and ensure satisfied patrons. Using her “Ten Rules of Basic RA Service" as a guide," Becky Spratford will show you how to help any patron find their next great read. It's not as hard as you think. 
• Link to handout
• 10:45 am -12:15 pm: Demystifying Genre: Part 1 [Lunch Break]1:30-3 pm: Working With Genre Fiction Readers: Part 2 [The two genre program have one general description]: 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 how to keep your genre knowledge up to date, explain the biggest trends in genre fiction, and share her time tested tricks for working with genre readers. You will leave this training confidence and skill to help fans of every genre, regardless of whether you have ever read a book in that genre. And that will leave a trail of happy patrons in your wake.
• Slides-- Part 1; Part 2
• 3:15-4:15 pm: Booktalking: Harnessing the Power of Sharing Books with Patrons: Booktalking is at the heart of what we do with patrons each and every day at the public library. Whether we are sharing books informally at the services desk, presenting a prepared list of books, or posting information online, talking about books is something we do each and every day. It is a core service, but it is also hard to teach. Booktalking is more of an art than a skill, but with the right guidance and some practice, it can go a long way toward engaging your patrons and re-energizing your staff. Join experienced Readers’ Advisory Becky Spratford as she shares the secret behind delivering great book talks, giving you tips and tricks you can begin using right away to hone your own skills. Rediscover the power and joy that comes from sharing books with patrons.
• Slides: features a brand new Halloween 2015 booktalk
• 4:15-4:45 pm: Creating Your Own Reader Profile and Wrap Up: Becky will end the day helping you take what you have learned to craft your own personal reader profile and start you on your first RA journey-- suggesting a good book to a fellow staff member.
• Camarillo Staff Reading Profile Survey

Becky’s RA Training Tips For a Great 2015: Part 2 of 4-- Revisiting Your Favorite Resources

Yesterday, I offered the first tip, Genre-a-Day, here.

Today I have another tip that is one I am knee deep in working on myself right now-- revisiting your favorite resources.

Too often, we get stuck in a rut using the same resources to answer every question.  But, when we use the same resources over and over again, we also forget all of the other great features they have.  We also lose track of the positive changes and additions that may have been added to our old standbys, even more so than resources that are new to us.

The beginning of the year is a great time to pull up those online favorites and look at them without a specific question that needs immediate attention.  For me that means I am pulling up Lit Lovers, Goodreads, NoveList, and Early Word and taking my time to browse their offerings, click on links I have never used before, and scroll to the bottom of each and every page, reading everything that is there.

Try it for yourself.  You will be shocked as to how much more you will see when your goal is not to answer a specific question. You will get a better sense of everything this already beloved resource can do for you, and when you do get a question that involves going back to that resource, you might find an even better answer for your patron.

It is a good idea to re-familiarize yourself with your tried and true favorites in this manner at least once a year. Think about your most visited sites, make a list, and start clicking.

I also want this post to be a reminder that there are some great print resources out there too, and unlike straight reference resources, it doesn't matter if the books are a bit older.  Because as I will discussion tomorrow....BACKLIST. But that is tomorrow, for now let's get back to today.

On top of looking through my favorite online resources, I will also be going through our entire print RA Reference collection in the next few weeks. I will be both weeding and adding to the collection.  I want it to be the perfect size so that it is both efficient and effective.  We need titles to help patrons, and ones they can use to help themselves (another project I am working on-- getting the RA Reference books out in a public space and not stuck behind our service desk). The collection needs to be responsive to their needs and ready to handle a wide range of questions, but all within as small a shelf space as possible.

But before I can decide what titles that collection will be made of, I need to re-familiarize myself with the titles we have and remember why I bought them in the first place. So much like I said above about the online resources, I am spending time with these books without a specific question in mind.  As I go through them, I am thinking about how and when they could be used.

Revisiting your favorite resources, like yesterday's Genre-a-Day, can be something that happens all year long.  You do not need to do it all in the first month of the year. However, you do need to commit yourself to doing it, so I suggest in the next few days you simply make that list of your favorite resources and start in on them one at a time.

Another tip tomorrow.

Time to Register for ILA-- Post Includes RA for All and ARRT News

So much ARRT and ILA news today-- some of it I have been dying to share but was waiting patiently for today, and some of it is still not ready to pass on yet.  Too much awesome library stuff.

Let me start at the beginning...

Last year I was on the Illinois Library Association’s Conference Planning Committee. [You can click here to read more about that.] It was a great experience, I met librarians from all over the state who work in all types of libraries, and I got to see how a conference is put together from start to finish.

As part of the 2014 committee, I also got to see the very beginning of planning for the 2015 conference. Normally, this would be no big deal having just gone through the entire process, except for the fact that this year, 2015, all of the Illinois Library Associations have pulled together, for the very first time, to put on one giant state library conference!

From the conference website:

"The 2015 All for One Conference: A Library State of Mind brings together library organizations in Illinois for a chance to connect, network, and learn together. Academic, public, school, and special libraries will come together for the first combined annual conference of the Illinois Library Association and Illinois School Library Media Association, in collaboration with the Illinois Association of College and Research Libraries and the Special Libraries Association Illinois Chapter. "

Okay, so first the RA for All conference related news... RA for All [aka- me] is a Silver Sponsor of the entire conference.  [Click here and scroll down the right gutter to see the proof that my check cleared.] Specifically, I will be sponsoring the much needed Saturday morning coffee for all attendees. This is the coffee which will be served the day after the Awards Gala [and its cash bar]. More on exactly what you can find from me besides coffee at the conference is one of the things I am not prepared to share yet-- but it is in the works.

Speaking of the awards gala, as I have mentioned before, this is the first year that ARRT is sponsoring the Readers’ Advisory Service Award to be given out at the gala. The winner will be announced sometime in August or September.  The awards gala costs $45 extra with your registration, but from what I hear, it is going to be great- dinner, dancing, and more. Plus we have a fun contingent of ARRT people planning to be there and celebrate our new award and it’s inaugural winner. I have already secured my spot.

ARRT is also behind another honoree at the gala, but that is also something you will have to wait to find out.  I promise though, it is news all of my readers, regardless of what state (or country) they live in, will be excited to learn.  

And finally for today, ARRT and I have teamed up to present the following conference program on Saturday morning:

Genre Study Success!: Working Together to Help Leisure Readers  

The Adult Reading Round Table [ARRT], the country’s oldest group dedicated to developing readers advisory skills and promoting leisure reading, has been using the genre study as a training program for more than twenty years. This year, ARRT wants to share their success. Genre studies are a great way for librarians at any library that serves leisure readers at any age level to work together to improve their skills. At their essence, genre studies are group-centered discussions about categories of popular reading. Participants engage in a shared reading experience, compare reactions, and discuss both the books they have read and how patrons interact with the genre. As the actual study itself can take many forms, ARRT will walk you through the process of crafting a genre study model that works best for your needs, sharing their time tested tips and tricks to insure success for you, your staff, and, most importantly, your readers.

This program will help workers from any library where there are leisure reading patrons-- public, school, and even some academic.

So, what are you all waiting for? Registration opened today.  Go sign up.  This is going to be a fantastic conference, a chance for all library workers, from all library types, to be together. I hope to see you there.