Storify of ARRT Event

Yesterday ARRT hosted a wonderful event centered around Community Reads programs.

It began with a keynote by Nancy Pearl, she who “invented” the community read as we know of it today.

After a short break, the program continued with 3 libraries discussing how they have created and sustained popular community reads programs. From HUGE [Chicago Public] to Medium [Arlington Heights] to small [Westmont], each had something interesting and unique to share.

Below you can find the beginning of the storified tweets from the event. Click here to read the entire thing.

Click here or the blue button above to keep reading

Prepping for ARRT's Nancy Pearl Community Reads Event

Later today I will be attending the ARRT sponsored event about running successful community reads programs featuring an in person appearance and keynote by Nancy Pearl. I previously posted about the details here.

I will be one of the people live tweeting the event and will post a recap on the blog tomorrow. But, no matter if you will be in attendance or not, following the tweets or not, I thought it would be a good idea to post a few links to some Nancy Pearl things that will help ALL of you to help readers right now.

First, as I have mentioned here on the blog a few times, we are using a modified version of Nancy Pearl's Doorways to run the current ARRT Speculative Fiction Genre Study.  [Click here for our Genre Study page featuring notes and assignments.] But I realize that some of you are newer to RA and may not be as well versed in Nancy’s groundbreaking Doorways concept.  A lot of it seems intuitive now, but back in the 1990s it was revolutionary You can click here for a PW interview with Nancy where she explains the doorways. And here for an explanation of Doorways from a RA Wiki run by my friends in New South Wales.

I really love the work Nancy does on NPR providing book lists for the masses. I especially love that a librarian is the one suggesting books and not an author or general book person because we do it better. Seriously, the way library workers book talk is much better than when book people do it because we know how to entice people to read, So check out the archive of her appearances here. Remember the older lists are just as good as the newer ones.

Finally, you can watch Nancy’s TED talk, “Reading with a Purpose.”

Nancy Pearl Teams Up With.....Amazon?

I was all set to write about something else today, but then I saw this article in my daily Shelf Awareness email.  I will cross post it at the bottom of this post, but the gist is that Nancy Pearl, America's most famous librarian and champion of local book stores is going to begin publishing books with Amazon exclusively.  She will be donating the money to her scholarship fund, but still.  Her other argument is that she is championing the backlist, another issue close to my heart.  But still.

This news is troubling to me, especially given that I am about to go pick up the 40 book club books I ordered from my favorite local, independent bookstore, The Book Table.  While they give the library a very good deal, and I have tax exempt status when buying for the library, I could probably still save a couple bucks by buying them from Amazon.  But where would that leave me?

Jason and Rachel and their staff at The Book Table are huge library supporters and enhance our community by simply being open.  I send patrons there all of the time when the book they need "immediately" is off the shelf at all of the area libraries.  They have yet to fail me.  In fact, I sent somewhere there just on Monday to grab a nonfiction title which was needed for school.  I used their online stock search and found the patron a used copy for just over $5.  If I didn't support them by buying books from them, they wouldn't be there to help me and my patrons when we needed to something.  And who else could I talk to about books?  Sometimes even I crave book conversation with non-librarians.

Besides, Jason and I are part of a three person team that puts on a fun presentation called, Back to Books.  We will be appearing next at Reaching Forward on May 4th.

Anyway, click through or read the article below.  I am sure Nancy Pearl will have a lot to say about the reaction to her announcement in the coming days. I say in the mean time, visit your local book seller.  I will be at The Book Table tomorrow.

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Seattle Shocker: Pearl to Publish with Amazon

Nancy Pearl, the former librarian and bookseller, author of the Book Lust series, NPR book commentator and champion of reading, libraries and independent bookstores, is launching the Book Lust Rediscoveries series with Amazon.com.

The series of about six books a year will consist of Pearl's favorite out-of-print books that will be available "in print editions via Amazon.com and as audiobooks via Amazon.com and Audible.com, at bookstores, wholesalers and libraries nationwide and as eBooks in the Kindle Store," Amazon said. The company's statement had no information on how non-Amazon outlets might be able to obtain the printed versions of the books. The books will include introductions by Pearl, a list of discussion questions for book groups and suggestions for similar titles.

Pearl will donate part of the proceeds from the books' sales to the Nancy Pearl Endowment for Public Librarianship at the University of Washington's Information School. "Helping these wonderful books find new readers is, for me, a joy and a delight," Pearl said, adding that she has received many requests from readers who found some of her recommended titles--a significant number of which are out-of-print--difficult to find.

The first two titles in the series are:

• A Gay and Melancholy Sound by Merle Miller, to be published April 3. ("Joshua Bland tells the story of his life growing up in small-town Iowa as a child prodigy to his career as a theater producer and his most recent divorce: a life marked by a failure to love and be loved.")
• After Life by Rhian Ellis, which appears June 5. ("A charming novel that's part psychological thriller, partly a story of mothers and daughters, and partly something entirely original.")

The move has shocked some people in the industry. The Stranger, the Seattle website, outlined why: "Pearl built her fame on a career at Seattle Public Library and through partnerships with local bookstores. Many of the local librarians and independent booksellers who supported her can't stand Amazon.com, which means that things could get a little awkward around here real soon."

Looking for Your Next Good Read with Nancy Pearl's Help

The most well known librarian in the country is Nancy Pearl. I love that a friendly, helpful, and outgoing librarian is out in front representing us all. Maybe it is because I am this kind of librarian, but Pearl is out there on the web and the radio reminding people that finding your next great read is fun.

Those of you who have never listened to Pearl's regular appearances on NPR, are missing out on some great book suggestions. And, if you are a librarian, you should be listening to hear great examples of book talking. Pearl really gets to the heart of the appeal of the books she discusses; she talks about why readers enjoy them.  Click here for the links to her most recent reports.

For about 10 months now, Pearl has been posting on her blog. I have been following it for awhile and I really feel like she is hitting her stride in this medium. I am still waiting for her to provide better access to tags and links from the blog's main page. Right now, it is more a blog to read and follow in real time and less of a resource. But it is worth reading even if the archiving is only basic.

Anyway, click on over, you will learn quite a bit about how to find your next good read.

More Nancy Pearl Reading Suggestions

Nancy Pearl was back on NPR this week, suggesting books that "dip below the radar." This list is eclectic, with something for just about every reader. I have already added one to my Shelfari "to read" shelf, and I know of a few patrons who will enjoy other titles on this list.

This list serves as a reminder that when you get in a reading rut, there are always interesting books out there that you have never heard of. And, your local librarian is always there to help point you in the right direction to find them.

Books for the Airplane

Nancy Pearl was on NPR again yesterday to give another interesting booktalk. This time she chose 9 books that make good airplane reads. Her description of why these books fit her self-defined category is interesting. Also, as usual, Pearl has made a point to have a nice mix of genre and topic in this list. There really is just about something for everyone here.

Go to the list yourself and then let me know what you think of her choices. I am going to save this list to look at before I get on my next plane. I can never have too many suggestions.

Books Under the Radar

On Morning Edition today, Nancy Pearl presented another one of her book talks. This list of "Books Under the Radar" and the links to her other book talks with Steve Inskeep are a great resource for readers looking for something to read beyond the best seller list or what the publishers are currently promoting.

I also frequently direct students to the archives of her on-line annotated lists as an example of capturing the essence of a book, not just its plot. Pearl discusses the appeal and feel of each book while also giving her personal experience with it as a reader.

As well as sharing her gift of book talking, Pearl has started a wiki for people who love books. Pearl moderates this site which is a place where anyone who loves reading and books can share or acquire information. Check it out and add to the discussion.