Join Me and Others at the Library Insights Panel in Chicago on June 26th

For the second year in a row I am pleased to be a part of the Library Insight Summit. From their About page:

Library Insights Summit 2026 - Connecting Publishers & Librarians

Register Today!

LIS is the only conference designed to bring established publishers, author-publishers, and librarians together for a full day of smart, actionable, and future-focused programming.

Spend your morning in targeted breakout sessions for your community—then come together in the afternoon for conversations that matter to everyone working along the path from book creation to reader access.

Scheduled for the day before ALA Annual in Chicago, at McCormick Place, LIS will feature morning breakout sessions for three communities: established trade publishers, author publishers, and librarians. In the afternoon, we’ll bring everyone together for programming relevant to all sectors.

If you work anywhere along the path between book creation and reader access, you belong at LIS! 

Also here is info I received form a marketing email:

At a time when so much of our work happens digitally, there is still enormous value in gathering together in person.

Ideas sharpen.
Relationships deepen.
Perspectives widen.
Inspiration ignites.

The Library Insights Summit was created to foster exactly those moments. It brings publishers and librarians into the same room for practical conversations, collaborative thinking, and the kind of networking that strengthens business relationships and enriches the literary community.

We hope you’ll join us in Chicago on June 26.

Register today at https://libraryinsightssummit2026.sched.com/

This event is only $199 and you get breakfast and lunch. It is the day leading up to the late afternoon opening session of ALA. This means you can join us if you are going to ALA but also, even if you are not.

I will be there all day as an attendee and a presenter. Here are the detail on my panel:

Smarter Marketing for Maximum Library Impact:

As library supply chains and discovery systems evolve, publishers are facing new challenges in getting their titles seen and ordered. At the same time, librarians are navigating a fragmented marketplace to find trustworthy, complete information on forthcoming books. This session brings together marketing and distribution experts to show how publishers can sharpen their strategies, stretch their budgets, and strengthen relationships with this vital audience. Learn how to optimize metadata for library visibility, coordinate publicity with wholesale and discovery platforms, and build long-term awareness among collection development professionals.

I am the moderator and my panelists are:

• Lila Denning: Acquisitions Coordinator, St Petersburg Library System 
• Kaycie Hoffman Blaylock: Library & Resource Coordinator, Alexandria City Public Schools
• Rebecca Vnuk: Executive Director, LibraryReads

I can't wait to share our marketing tips with such an accomplished group of library workers from school to public settings. We are at 10:30, but I urge you to see the entire list of programs available here. As an attendee last year, I can tell you with confidence, that this event is worth your time. The amount of learning, idea sharing, and networking I got in that single day last year rivaled what I got from the entire conference to follow. I think the quote in the image above sums it up perfectly:

"Creates a much needed quiet space to dive deep and focus in the connection of publishers and librarians before the loud and invigorating energy of everything that the ALA Conference is!" 

Please consider joining us, especially if you are a library worker in the Chicago area who doesn't plan to attend the entire conference. I know not everyone can be there every day, but this is a nice option before it all begins.

(Also RAILS libraries, head over to their site to grab your $40 Exhibit Passes and use them on your day off to wander the Exhibit Hall. Also hot tip for all-- I will be at the S&S Booth on Saturday signing copies of WHY I LOVE HORROR. More details soon.)

 As I said, I will be there the entire time, not just for my panel. Maybe I will see you there.

Click here to register now.

RA for All Virtual Road Show Visits NE Ohio for RA Rethink: Merchandising and Upselling

Today I am presenting my completely updated and overhauled program RA Rethink: Merchandising and Upselling for The Northeast Ohio Regional Library System.

This is a program that was on the books pre-virus, but I am happy to announce that I have added 2 more programs with this group in the meantime, both coming in May: my signature RA for All training and Recharge Your Book Club.

More on those later. Today we are going to talk about how to use your RA skills to build better displays, in person and online, and organize your collections in a way that is interactive for your patrons.

There are dozens of links embedded in this presentation, tips and tricks scattered throughout that you can use right now to help make your RA service more patron friendly. This is a fun and engaging presentation that provides tangible activities. It is an instructional pep talk, encouraging libraries to work together and think outside the "shelf" in order to serve patrons better.

And as always, if you have questions or want me to present for your group or staff, contact me here.

Click here to access the slides

RA for All Roadshow Visits Portage County [WI] Public Library

Today is the first day of my busy travel season. For a variety of reasons, libraries tend to the majority of their in person staff training between August and November which means, I will be bouncing around quite a bit over the next 4 months. For example, this week begins and ends with an in person presentation by me.

Currently, I am in Stevens Point, WI to provide a full day of training for the staff of the Portage County [WI] Public Library. This is a library that is very excited to start serving it's leisure readers better and I am so excited to help them take the next step.

Below is the schedule of today's events with links to the slides for all to access.

9:30-10:50: 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.

• Follows my 10 Rules of Basic RA Service

11:00- 12: Booktalking Your Way to the Friendliest Library in Town: 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.

• Slide access here and this one features a BRAND NEW horror book talk.

Lunch 12-1 with Booktalking Examples

1-2: 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.

• Slide access here

15 min break

2:15-3: RA Rethink: Merchandising and Upselling Edition: If someone told you there’s a practical and easy way to increase circulation, patron visits, program attendance and the job satisfaction of your staff, would you do it? Of course you would. Librarian Becky Spratford has developed a method you can use to accomplish all of this and it plays off of the skills, talents, and interests you already possess. She’ll explain how to deepen staff involvement in readers’ advisory in a way that gets everyone from staff to patrons excited. You are spending a lot of effort and money on cultivating good collections, but are you giving those collections a fair chance to shine? Are you linking your work with patrons as you find them items to your programming and other services? Do your patrons even know the full breadth of what you offer them? And how are you measuring results? With just a few simple tweaks to how you already market your collections, services, programs and even staff, Becky will help you leave a trail of happier and more engaged patrons in your wake. 

• Slide access here

RA for All Roadshow Visit the RSA Day at the Peoria Public Library

Today I am at the Peoria Public Library to provide the Keynote and 2 breakout sessions [that repeat, so four sessions but on 2 topics] for the Resource Sharing Alliance Training Day. It is a sell out, but all of the details are here.

I am excited to be there and thankful that RAILS provided RSA with a grant to make my appearance possible.

Below you can find the information about the entire day. I am sharing it because I think they have put together a wonderful day of training for a wide variety of library staff to partake in. I have inserted the links to my resources and slides where applicable.

Click here to see the announcement on L2 also.

RSA Day 2019!

When:		Wednesday, March 20, 2019 (9:30 AM - 3:30 PM)
Where:		Peoria Public Library (In Person, Max: 150)
Cost:		Free

All RSA member libraries are invited to a day of training.

Member Library Group: RSA Consortium
Event Coordinator: Alissa Williams
Email: alissaw@mortonlibrary.org
Phone: 309-263-2200

Join us on March 20, 2019 at the Peoria Public Library – Main Library for an exciting day of training. For our 3rd annual event we have altered the schedule to provide more in-depth sessions.
 - Breakout sessions #1 & #2 will repeat as will sessions #3 & #4.
 - Lunch is provided.

Please note Peoria Public Library – Main Library doors do not open until 9 a.m. 

The Schedule for the Day is as follows:

9:30-10:40 Welcome & Keynote
Keynote: “RA for ALL” Becky Spratford

• This talk follow Becky's 10 Rules of RA Service

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.

10:45-11:30 Breakout Sessions #1
11:40-12:40 Lunch
12:45-1:30 Breakout Sessions #2
1:45-2:30 Breakout Sessions #3
2:45-3:30 Breakout Sessions #4

We are pleased to announce our keynote speaker is Becky Spratford of RA for ALL. 

Becky Spratford is a Readers' Advisor in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All , and is on the Steering Committee of the Adult Reading Round Table .

She is under contract to provide content for EBSCO’s NoveList database and writes reviews for Booklist . Becky is also known for her work with horror readers as the author of The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Horror , Second Edition [ALA Editions, 2012] and is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association who honored her as a special guest of honor at StokerCon 2017 for her contribution to the genre. You can follow Becky on Twitter @RAforAll .

Becky will present her keynote “RA for ALL” as well as two breakout sessions. Her appearance is made possible by a RAILS Continuing Education Event Grant.

Breakouts #1 & #2:
   1. Booktalking Your Way to the Friendliest Library in Town by Becky Spratford
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.

• Slide access here

    2. Cataloging Maintenance Center
Learn about what services the cataloging and maintenance center offers to all Illinois libraries.

    3. IMRF Basics
IMRF Field Representative Randy Stevens will provide you with an overview of your IMRF benefits. 

    4. RSA Cataloging (Session 1) & RSA Past, Present, Future (Session 2)
In Session 1 Cataloging topics will be discussed. In Session 2, RSA staff will share a brief history of RSA, our current state, and what our future holds as we work on a strategic plan and more granular, practical membership levels.

    5. Rural Libraries Unite! How to Feel Less Alone in a Small Rural Library
Are you new to your small rural library? Do you feel isolated and out of step with your bigger library neighbors? Do you wonder if you can find a mentor who understands the issues you face? You are not alone--Illinois has many small rural libraries and we are blessed with a sharing community! Join us at this session to:meet other staff members of small rural libraries, ask questions unique to small rural libraries, identify groups and mentors (Peoria Area Directors, Renegade Reference, Rural Directors etc). Presented by Beth Duttlinger and Michael Baumann. 

Breakouts #3 & #4:
    1. RA Rethink: Merchandising and Upselling Edition
If someone told you there’s a practical and easy way to increase circulation, patron visits, program attendance and the job satisfaction of your staff, would you do it? Of course you would. Librarian Becky Spratford has developed a method you can use to accomplish all of this and it plays off of the skills, talents, and interests you already possess. She’ll explain how to deepen staff involvement in readers’ advisory in a way that gets everyone from staff to patrons excited. You are spending a lot of effort and money on cultivating good collections, but are you giving those collections a fair chance to shine? Are you linking your work with patrons as you find them items to your programming and other services? Do your patrons even know the full breadth of what you offer them? And how are you measuring results? With just a few simple tweaks to how you already market your collections, services, programs and even staff, Becky will help you leave a trail of happier and more engaged patrons in your wake.

• Slide access here

    2. Practice Makes Perfect: Difficult Patron Role Play
Have you ever been yelled at by a patron? Have you ever had a patron get annoyed and decide to urinate over the computer keyboard because you do not understand his message? What about the patrons who think it is okay to bring their dogs into the library and eat the books? What about the patron who plays all the staff against each other so they never have to pay fines? These are just some of the TRUE problem patron stories that have been heard over the years in libraries everywhere. Ryan Franklin from the Illinois State Library and Michael Baumann from the Toulon Public Library will be acting out some of these scenarios, and giving the audience a chance to get involved. Volunteers will be given a chance to act as a problem patron, and see how a committee member would react.

    3. Big Day Programming
Many libraries have begun hosting large scale programming. Laura Warren will be discussing her library’s annual Star Wars Day, Amanda Shaffer will be telling us about Harry Potter Day, and Joel Shoemaker will be giving information on his Metamora Square(s): An Intergenerational Initiative program. We will have ideas about running these sorts of programs at your libraries, as well as advice on scaling these programs up or down to fit your patrons. We will talk about tips and tricks for running these sorts of programs on a budget. 

    4. RSA Cataloging (Session 3) & RSA Past, Present, Future (Session 4)
In Session 3 Cataloging topics will be discussed. In Session 4, RSA staff will share a brief history of RSA, our current state, and what our future holds as we work on a strategic plan and more granular, practical membership levels.

    5. Fine Free Libraries
Learn from libraries that have gone Fine Free on why they made the decision, how they implemented it and what the results have been. 

RA for All Roadshow Visits Southeast Florida Information Network [SEFLIN]

Today I am at the Palm Beach County Library System, West Boca Branch for a full day of training they are calling: Readers' Advisory for ALL!

I am especially excited about this trip because I have been working with SEFLIN informally for almost a year to help them to craft the best programming to for their large system's needs. They have libraries of every size and they serve a wide range of populations. I am also allowing them to tape the day's events because geographically, the system is quite large and there was never going to be a day or time when everyone could have made it.

[By the way, I do not charge extra in order to allow recording of my live events as long as the group only uses it within their system. One more rule, please don't ever make me watch myself]

This is the first in person trip of 2019 too. It's always good to kick off the traveling roadshow dust and get back to the full day in person training life. And I am wasting no time today.

Here is the schedule with links for everyone to access, whether you are in SEFLIN or not. And please refer to my brand new EDI statement which holds for every program I present.

9:30- 11am: RA for All Signature Program

• Follows Becky's 10 Rules of Basic RA Service

11:15 -12:30: Booktalking Your Way to the Friendliest Library in Town

• Slide access here

12:30-1:30 lunch break

1:30-2:45: Demystifying Genre:

• Slide access here

3-3:45 pm: RA Rethink: Merchandising and Upselling Edition

• Slide access here

4-4:30-- Questions: Ask Becky Anything

• Although I take questions throughout the day, it is always good to have this unstructured question time where we can discuss specific issues and concerns together.
• Here is a link to a sample AMA

New RUSA CODES Convo and Now I'm Part of the Team

This past July I joined the RUSA CODES RA Research & Trends Committee. One of our main jobs is to run the email conversations.

I am very excited to announce our newest one coming next week is all about DISPLAYS. This is a topic near and dear to my heart as readers of this blog know. If you are new to this blog, or didn't know click here to see all of my posts about displays.

But I am getting ahead of myself, first here are the details:

CODES Conversations: Collection Merchandising

November 13th 10am-6pm EST 

Book displays are a great way to draw attention to overlooked materials, increase overall circulation, and to encourage patrons to discover new authors, genres, ideas, or interests while browsing in your library. Join us and special guest moderator Lila Denning and bring your questions, suggestions, and advice. 

CODES Conversations are focused electronic conversations on issues facing collection development and readers’ advisory librarians—or anyone interestedin those areas. The conversations are open to all who wish to participate (or lurk)! 

If you would like to join us you don't have to do anything at all as you are already subscribed. 

If you don't want to join us you will need to unsubscribe by clicking the link below and selecting unsubscribe on the left side. 

http://lists.ala.org/sympa/info/codes-convos 

But we hope you will join us! 

RUSA CODES RA Research & Trends CommitteeMagan Szwarek & Alicia Ahlvers, Co-Chairs

I am also excited to share that I will be hosting Lila Denning during her hour. She is a display expert [also an awesome person] and will be sharing her knowledge and answering your questions.

We will be chatting via email all day about displays which sounds like a dream day to me, but if for any reason you are feeling overwhelmed, please don't reply all to tell us. I get it. There will be a lot of emails. But there is a procedure to unsubscribe in the information above. Also, you can use your email systems filter feature and get all of the emails to go into their own folder so you can read them later.

I will also be posting the summary that our committee will be compiling after Thanksgiving, but if you want to be a part of the conversation in its entirety as it is unfolding, there is plenty of time to join us. Just go to this link and enter your email. We don't care if you participate or just lurk. The more the merrier.

Also, you might want to join just to see me get flustered by the technology. Seriously, that could happen, and it will be entertaining when it does.

In the meantime, sign up to join us and start thinking about what you want to ask your colleagues about their displays. Or, better yet, think about what display successes you have had that you want to share.

This is a time for RA Service focused library workers all over the country to literally put our heads together and share as much knowledge as possible with each other. Yes, it is a long day with many emails back and forth, but from experience I can tell you, it can be even more rewarding from a networking and learning standpoint than traveling to an out of state conference.

Hope to see you in the convo on 11/13.

RA for All Roadshow Visits the Wisconsin Library Association Pre-Conference

This morning I got up at the crack of dawn to make my way to the banks of the Mississippi in Lacrosse, Wisconsin so that I could be a part of the Wisconsin Library Association Conference today and tomorrow.

Today, I am providing one of the half day preconferences. Here is the schedule of events from the website, including the specific links for my programs. Conference attendees, please note that all links and handouts are also available on the conference website.

1:00 P.M. - 2:15 P.M. 
RA for All 
Readers Advisory belongs in every library, no matter its budget or type. 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.

• This program follows my 10 Rules of  Basic RA Service

15-Minute Break

2:30 P.M. - 3:30 P.M. 
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 service 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 Specialist Becky Spratford as she shares the secrets 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.

• Here are the slides. Also, this program has had a name change. It is now-- Booktalking Your Way to the Friendliest Library in Town

3:30 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Facilitated Booktalking Practice

10-Minute Break

4:10 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.  
RA Rethink: Merchandising and Upselling Edition 
If someone told you there’s a practical and easy way to increase circulation, patron visits, program attendance and the job satisfaction of your staff, would you do it? Of course you would. Becky has developed a method you can use to accomplish all of this and it plays off of the skills, talents, and interests you already possess. She’ll explain how to deepen staff involvement in readers advisory in a way that gets everyone from staff to patrons excited. You are spending a lot of effort and money on cultivating good collections, but are you giving those collections a fair chance to shine? Are you linking your programming and other services to items you are finding for your patrons? Do your patrons even know the full breadth of what you offer them? And how are you measuring results? With just a few simple tweaks to how you already market your collections, services, programs and even staff, Becky will help you leave a trail of happier and more engaged patrons in your wake.

• Slides access is here

Call to Action: Make Your Displays Less Fancy And More Inclusive

Today’s Call to Action is unique in that it is asking you to do LESS work. It is also one of those things I say in person all the time, but don’t reiterate here on the blog quite enough but I was reminded of the topic by this post from Teen Librarian Toolbox entitled, “Rethinking Book Displays-- Again.”

In this post Karen discusses and then tests the theory that if you make you displays too pretty, patrons   think they aren’t supposed to remove the books in them to check out.

I have heard this for years from library staff. When they make their displays super nice and beautiful nothing moves, yet when they just throw up a few books with a quickly made Word headline, the books fly off the shelves.

People are constantly upset that their hard work goes unnoticed, but as I have seen anecdotally and as Karen has shown at her specific location in the post, the problem is more nuanced than that.

For many year, things on display at the library were not able to be checked out. Today’s adults grew up being told not to touch things in the library. For example. as late as the early 2000s, a library near me ,super famous for its RA Service, used to keep all of their new books in a glass enclosed display for the first week they were out, meaning no one could actually read them the first week. You could only look at them longingly and place holds.

When patrons see a fancy display they don’t want to “mess it up.” In some cases they have been trained not to. As a profession we were so awful about people not touching things for so many years, people are not used to being put ahead of the books in our priority list. You think I am kidding but I still have to tell library workers to chill out; that the books are not theirs to protect, but rather, the books are there to be checked out, as easily as possible, by the public-- who are the ones that own them. We are not book police, yet some patrons still see us this way [and some library workers still act this way].

Patrons do appreciate the hard work you put into a gorgeous display and they don’t want to upset the beauty by checking a title out, or risk making us upset at them. On the other hand, if we just quickly put up some books with a title, more casually, they flock to the display and grab the books to take home. Why? Because it is clear to them that you want the books to move. Yes, the less effort you put in, the higher the chance the books will be checked out.

This is also why I advocate for using both display furniture for our displays and casually grouping books in less formal areas. The ones on a formal piece of furniture are great, but again, if taking a book will leave an empty space, I have literally had people ask me if it was okay to take that title; for that reason alone, that it would leave a hole in the display. Again, patrons think clearing a display will upset us. But on open desk tops, in the middle of shelves, at the ends of shelves...those books go. Sometimes, it has nothing to do with the topic of the display or even the specific titles, but rather how we put them physically on display that matters most.

Try it for yourself. Put up the same grouping of books in different locations and with differing amounts of props. Or follow what Karen did in her article.

Now, if you like making fancy displays, great. Don’t stop. Some of my colleagues love that crafty party of their job. Just make sure you add signage that says, “Please check me out to make room for another great title,” or something like that.

But, if you are like me, and hated the making things pretty part of your job, stop fretting about it. Just get some books from the stacks pull out and grouped together.

But now, use that extra time you have away from the glue gun to make the content of your displays more inclusive. Make sure you have books from multiple genres and from authors of all backgrounds in each and every display. In other words, LGBTQ books can be in every display, not just those about LGBTQ issues. This will take less time than making a fancy display AND it will also present a better representation of the range of titles available on your topic.

RA for All Roadshow Visits Lakeland Library Cooperative

Today I have a full day of training in Western Michigan.  As usual when I provide in person training, today’s post is meant to serve both the people in attendance and any one else out there reading this.

Yes, the slides make more sense if you were at the program, but I also make sure my presentation slides are useful no matter what. They are filled with many links, especially to longer posts where I have written out much of what I would say in the presentation.

Below is today’s schedule with program descriptions and links. Please note, this is a very common schedule for a regional event where libraries send key staff and they are tasked with bringing back what they learned [ie, train the trainer] Also, I have changed the name of my booktalking program to reflect the recent content changes and focus:

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.

• Follows my Ten Rules of Basic RA Service

Booktalking Your Way to the Friendliest Library in Town: 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.

• Slide access here

RA Rethink: Merchandising and Upselling Edition: If someone told you there’s a practical and easy way to increase circulation, patron visits, program attendance and the job satisfaction of your staff, would you do it? Of course you would. Librarian Becky Spratford has developed a method you can use to accomplish all of this and it plays off of the skills, talents, and interests you already possess. She’ll explain how to deepen staff involvement in readers’ advisory in a way that gets everyone from staff to patrons excited. You are spending a lot of effort and money on cultivating good collections, but are you giving those collections a fair chance to shine? Are you linking your work with patrons as you find them items to your programming and other services? Do your patrons even know the full breadth of what you offer them? With just a few simple tweaks to how you already market your collections, services, programs and even staff, Becky will help you leave a trail of happier and more engaged patrons in your wake.

• Slide access here

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. 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.

• Slide access here

Staying in Genre Shape: 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.

• Slide access here

RA for All Roadshow Visits Green Bay Wisconsin!

Today I begin a stretch of training trips and appearances where I will present 6 times in 6 weeks and run a 1 day conference in Rhode Island.

I am very excited for this busy stretch to begin. After my self created break in January, I am raring to go. I have updated all of my presentations and some are so revamped that they are basically brand new.

It all kicks off with a 3 hour drive due north to Green Bay, Wisconsin to conduct a training for the staff of Brown County Library.

Below is what we have planned for the day including the links you would need whether you attended this event or are just following along at home.

Back Monday with all of the Adult Book Award Announcements from ALA Midwinter!

Brown County [Public] Library Staff In-Serivce Training Schedule

• RA for All Signature Program which follows Becky’s 10 Rules of RA Service
• Booktalking: Harnessing the Power of Sharing Books With Readers
• Slide Access
• Booktalking Practice
• RA Rethink: Merchandising and Upselling Edition [Updated and Reworked]
• Slide Access

Judge a Book By Its Cover

Every once in a while I bring back this concept. Please, please, please judge a book by its cover. The publishers pay a lot of money to make a cover that sells to book to people as they pass by. They articulate the appeal of the book-- who would most enjoy it-- with images. If they put so much time and effort into the covers, why aren't we using them to make our job easier?

Much of it has to do with bad school librarians or teachers we had as kids who scolded us for doing this. Well, I have made my entire career off of debunking library stereotypes and going out of my way to rethink how we do things, so today's topic is perfect, and it works like magic.

For example, when you see pastel colors on the cover expect a lighter tone. Lots of dark colors-- darker tone. Black with lots of red usually means violence inside.  Complex or ambiguous covers-- probably a complex plot. And of course sexy covers-- steamy books.

Here is the link to a 2008 post where I first elaborated on this concept.

The point is that while the cover cannot tell you what happens in the book, it tells you quite a bit about what the feel of the book is. It sets the tone for the words inside. 

I often use the cover of a book to begin talking to a patron about the book, especially when I don't know anything about that book. I will say something like, "From what I've heard, this book looks like you may enjoy it, but let's look at it together before you decide to take it home." I then use a combination of the NoveList record, Goodreads entry [plot and the 5 star AND 2 star comments] and the cover to have a conversation about the title in question with the patron.

Patrons love this "behind the scenes" peek at how we do our job. Obviously you can only do the long version with patrons who have time, but in a pinch, I grab a book and literally book talk to cover and the plot summary on the book itself. On books from the last 5 years to the present, there is often an appeal statement to begin the plot summary which helps. But with practice you can book talk the appeal of a book, from just the cover and reading the flap together.

Again, I am honest with the patron on what I am doing. I outright admit I know nothing more than what they do, but make it clear that I know how to "read" the cover. Patrons also love the conspiratorial nature of this interaction. We are "one upping" the publishers at their own game, and we are playing our own game of guess the book's appeal. I find that for many patrons, playing this "game" with me makes them more willing to give these "cold" suggestions a try. They are also more willing to come back and share what "actually" happened in the book with me and they give me detailed comments on the feel of the book and if it matched the cover or not.

Again, it won't work for every patron, but it works with quite a few. They will be easier to help because they are more willing to just take the book [it's free!] and give it a try AND, more importantly, this method entices more of them to come back and give us feedback on the book and our service. This later interaction is the one all of us are most looking for.

Here are some links to get you started on your judge a book by its cover adventure. In the first two examples you can begin your RA conversation with the cover because they have been deemed "best" by reputable sources. Yet another interesting way to frame the "best" books interaction [for more on that topic by me, click here]. The second two links are for sources which regularly assess cover trends so you can keep judging books by their covers all year long. In fact, I have had fun with cover trends displays and simply discussing these trends with regular patrons [many of whom check out as many books with the cover trend as possible and then report back to us about the books and how they are the same and different]:

• Paste Magazine-- The Best Book Covers of 2017 
• Bookish-- Best Book Covers of 2017
• Book Riot-- They have a tag for all Book Covers posts; this one is good to assess trends
• Booklist Reader-- They have a regular series of books assessing Book Cover Trends

Give it a try. You will have fun and improve your RA Service by encouraging it to move from the suggestion only phase to a service which is about having conversations about books and reading. 

RA for All Road Show Visits Fountaindale Public Library with Jez!

Today I will be in Bollingbrook, IL at the Fountaindale Public Library. They are closing until 1 to have a 2 program in-service morning with me and Jez who has appeared on the blog before talking about audiobooks, here.

Jez and I will stay put in our locations and the staff will rotate to us in two groups. We will deliver our programs twice, but to two different audiences.

I am doing my signature RA for All program which follows my 10 Rules of Basic RA Service. You can click here for all of the information and links.

Jez's presentation is entitled, Beyond Booktalking: Whole Library Promotion. She has shared her slides here.

I also wanted to pass on Jez's speaking engagement page. She speaks on different topics than me, but she has a similar approach. I highly recommend her as a speaker and as a person. Check her out for your library.

RA for All Roadshow Hits PaLA For a Full Day of Conference Training

Click here for conference details

Today I am in Pittsburgh at PaLa. They invited me to present three sessions for the attendees.  Today’s schedule is below with links to slides and handouts.

All links are also loaded on to the conference website for attendees to access.

I am so excited to bring what is essentially my most popular full day in-service schedule to a conference. While it is wonderful to inspire an entire library staff to serve patrons better by reconnecting with the books they already love, it is quite another to be able to inject that energy into dozens of libraries by proxy.

I came into to town early on Sunday to take part in some of the conference events and sessions. I enjoyed meeting librarians from all over the state and learning about their communities and services. I also had many people come up to me wanting to talk about what they are reading or to even share some of their favorite RA interactions. It’s been great.

If you have a state library conference coming up, let me know. I would love to help you inspire your library workers. Contacting me is very easy.

Here’s what we are doing today with links. All sessions are in Salon 4.

9-10:15 am- RA for All [Signature Program]

• Follows Becky’s 10 Rules of Basic RA Service

10:30-11:45am- Booktalking: Harnessing the Power of Sharing Books with Readers

Click here for slide access

2-3:15 pm- RA Rethink: Merchandising

Click here for slide access