PLA Buzz Books

I am not at PLA in Denver but that does not mean I am not following the conference on Twitter.

I have compiled a few of today's highlights in the area of Adult Buzz Books here for your convenience. If the publishers are taking the time to highlight these books at PLA, they are worth your serious consideration for adding them into your collections.

• Library Journal's PLA Galley Guide of the hottest titles at the conference.
• The full list of all of the books MacMillian presented at today's PLA Book Buzz. The link also includes a link to the handout and the e-Galleys.
• HarperCollins materials from today's Book Buzz
• WW Norton's Library Marketing Team's info from PLA

That should keep you busy for awhile whether you are in Denver or at home.

EXTRA! EXTRA! ARRT Audiobook Program Flyer and Registration!!!

Click here to register

Click here for more information about ARRT.

RA for All Roadshow: Demystifying Genre for WI Libraries and Important RA for All Training Info

Today I have an updated version of my two part "Demystifying Genre" webinar for a group of Wisconsin Libraries.  This is part of a larger 4 part training programming I am doing with them. Part 3 is in May and part 4 is to be scheduled, but it will not be until Fall.

Before I get to their slides, I should mention that my non-local, in person appearances are almost closed for 2016. I have a few days in November and the first week of December open. That’s it. So if you are looking at first quarter of 2017 and are interested in bringing me to your library, contact me soon. For example, I know President’s Day is a big in-staff training day and as of now it is free, but I don’t expect that day to stay free for much longer.

However, webinars are a great way to provide my training to your library staff-- especially to library systems.  Not only are the prices lower because I don’t have to travel, but I can fit them into my schedule more easily.  I also offer discounts on my per-webinar pricing if you book a series of 3 or more.

Speaking of booking a series, this series with WI is a great example.  I customized the programs to build off of one and other, so that the learning experience grows from webinar to webinar. Also, I always allow my webinars to be recorded. While it is best to participate live because I take questions and have interactive opportunities like polling, being able to watch the training on their own time, increases the chance that staff will absorb what they have learned. Plus, I will take questions via email after the live event. In fact, just last week I received a questions about a webinar I recorded in December from someone who had just watched the recording.

So the moral of this post-- get in touch with me soon if you are looking to have 2016 RA training for you and your staff.

Now on to today’s webinar slides.  The webinar is in 2 parts today and I have added some fun and useful information.  Let’s get going WI.

Click here for slide access

Click here for slide access

Announcing Library Journal Day of Dialog Schedule

During BEA, Library Journal always sponsors 1 day just for Librarians.  This year it is on Wednesday, May 11th from 9am-6pm.  You can click here for all of the details and pricing. I already have a ticket and there is still space if you are interested. It is a great deal and includes breakfast and lunch.

This is an event that is 100% focused on improving our service to leisure readers.

Today, they released the finalized schedule. For those of you on the fence, this may help.

Here is the link to the schedule which I have also copied below. I hope to see many of you there.  And if you cannot make it, I will be among those who will be live tweeting, so you can follow on Twitter or via the widget on the side of this blog for those of you who are not on Twitter. [There is a sizable group I know who use this scroll. You will not be left in the dark.]

Schedule

8:00–8:45 am | Registration & Breakfast

8:45–10:00 am | Editors Picks

• Tim Duggan, VP, Publisher, Tim Duggan Books: Crown, Penguin Random House
• Amy Einhorn, Senior VP, Publisher, Amy Einhorn Books: Flatiron Books, Macmillan
• Lara Heimert, VP, Publisher, Basic Books, Perseus Books Group
• Sarah McGrath, VP, Editor in Chief, Riverhead, Penguin Random House
• Alane Salierno Mason, VP, Executive Editor, W.W. Norton

10:00–10:15 am | Break

10:15–11:00 am | Big Authors Panel I

• Robert Olen Butler, Perfume River (Atlantic Monthly Press)
• Jonathan Safran Foer, Here I Am (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Macmillan)
• Jay McInerney, Bright, Precious Things (Knopf, Penguin Random House)

11:00–11:15 am | Break

11:15–12:00 pm | Book Trip

• Katarina Bivald, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, LibraryReads Picks, Sourcebooks Landmark
• Shana Drehs, Editorial Director, Sourcebooks Landmark
• Heather Moore, Senior Publicity Manager, Sourcebooks
• Valerie Pierce, Marketing Manager, Sourcebooks

12:00–12:45 pm | Tell Me a Story: Putting Together an Audiobook

• Grimm’s Fairytales, Penguin Random House Audio
• Scott Brick, Dion Graham, Kate Rudd, Simon Vance, Audie Award–winning narrators
• Dan Zitt, VP, Content Production, Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group

12:45–1:30 pm | Lunch

1:30–2:30 pm | The Art of Nonfiction

• Luvvie Ajayi, I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual (Holt Paperbacks, Macmillan)
• Eugenia Cheng, How to Bake Pi: An Edible Exploration of the Mathematics of Mathematics(Basic Books: Perseus Books Group)
• Joshua Foer & Dylan Thuras, Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders (Workman)
• Gary Younge, Another Day in the Death of America: A Chronicle of Ten Short Lives (Nation Books, Perseus Books Group)

2:30–2:45 pm | Break

2:45–3:45 pm | Big Authors Panel II

• Emma Cline, The Girls (Random, Penguin Random House)
• Justin Cronin, The City of Mirrors (Passage, Bk. 3) (Ballantine, Penguin Random House)
• Nicole Dennis-Benn, Here Comes the Sun (Liveright, W.W. Norton)
• Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad (Doubleday, Penguin Random House)

3:45–4:00 pm | Break

4:00–5:00 pm | Big Authors Panel III

• Sonali Dev, A Change of Heart (Kensington Publishing Corp.)
• Gayle Forman, Leave Me (Algonquin Books, Workman)
• Mary Carter, Home with My Sisters/Carlene O’Connor, Murder in an Irish Village (Kensington Publishing Corp.)
• Susan Elizabeth Phillips, First Star I See Tonight (Chicago Stars) (Morrow, HarperCollins)
• Jill Shalvis, The Trouble with Mistletoe: A Heartbreaker Bay Novel (Avon, HarperCollins)

5:00–6:00 pm | Reception and Author Signings

ARRT Speculative Fiction Genre Study Notes and Next Meeting

On February 4th we had the HUGE Speculative Fiction Genre Study kickoff. The direct link to the notes from that meeting can be accessed here. There are 9 pages of notes with a few links out to even more information including this awesome reading list of the books we all talked about as a group-- it’s a crowd-sourced speculative fiction reading list!

Just that reading list alone is a useful resource to start using with readers ASAP.

We are meeting again on April 14th [one week late so that people attending PLA don’t have to miss it] to have our Science Fiction Boot Camp Meeting. Click here for the assignment, details, and the entire schedule for the next 11 meetings.

And remember, ARRT does not mind if you use our genre studies as a guide for your library’s own genre study, just please make sure to credit us as your resource.  For information on past genre studies, click here.

For past [and future] posts about the Speculative Fiction Genre Study, you can always use the 2016-17 Genre Study tag.

Newest Issue of ILA Reporter Features....ME!

The Illinois Library Association's Journal has put a spotlight on RA in their April 2016 issue.

Members will be getting the paper copy in the mail soon, but all of you can start reading the issue now with this link.

I am particularly partial to my article entitled, "Talk Among Yourselves: Jump Starting Your Readers' Advisory." This is a brand new article; stuff you haven't heard or read by me before, and it is just a click away.

But if you also want to read the great Q&A I did with Kara Kohn, you have to download the PDF and go to page 12.

But you should download the entire issue anyway because there are a few articles about RA service.

PLA 2016 Planning Tips for Readers' Advisors-- Think Outside the Box, Think UX [NOW WITH SLIDE ACCESS 4.11.16]

The Public Library Association 2016 conference is next week and many people are in the process of making their plans on which programs to attend.  While I am not going to PLA this year, I have been (and presented) before, so I know the joy and excitement of being at a Public Librarians Only conference. Everything is relevant to you. It is equal parts exhilarating and overwhelming.

One way to handle it is to use the "Tag" filter in the official list of programs to whittle it all down to just "Readers' Advisory." That alone gives you a full compliment of useful, engaging and varied programs.

However, I would like to argue for you to think a little outside the box this year. Use the tag-line for this year's conference as your inspiration:

I applaud this because I try to live this mantra every day. As I say in my talks, when I co-created the RA Department at the Berwyn Public Library in 2000 our goal from the start was to not only meet but EXCEED the needs and expectations of our community's leisure readers.  

Trying to "Be Extraordinary" is my personal motto which means that it also drives the content here on the blog.  As I have said before, I try to provide my readers with "next level" RA assistance.  Yes I write reviews and discuss the latest book news, but I am not [nor am I trying to be] the go-to place for those things.  Other people do that much better; Early Word for starters.

Here is an example. One of my current "next level" obsessions is taking a wider lens, outside the box look at RA. Yes I need to focus on helping specific readers, but overall RA is about patron engagement. This has led me to explore the world of User Experience or UX for short.

What is UX? Here is a link to a presentation entitled "Why UX in Libraries is a Thing Now." From that slide show:

I am not the only one who thinks that RA and UX are intimately intertwined. Take a look at this program from the PLA 2016 schedule: 

Steal This UX: Improving Your Collection With Content Strategy and User Testing
Saturday, April 9, 2016, 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Colorado Convention Center, Room 405-407 

Content strategy and user testing are buzzwords from the online realm, but these principles can be just as useful for practitioners of old-school collection development. Tear out some pages from the digital librarian’s playbook and learn how user interviews, evaluative research, A/B testing, and other fast, inexpensive UX techniques can revolutionize your approach to collection management. 

At the end of this session, participants will: 

1: Understand the basic principles of content strategy and user research.
2: Be able to identify myriad ways to put these methods into practice at your library.
3: Learn how to apply specific, scalable UX techniques to collection management. 

The session organizer(s) identified this session as appropriate for:Level 1: People with no previous knowledge of the topic. 

This session will have: Low interaction: single speaker/panel with Q&A at the end of the program 

Track: Invent
Tags: Collections/Tech Services, Collection Development, User Experience (UX)

Presenters
Annabelle Mortensen, Collection Development Supervisor
Skokie Public Library, Skokie, IL
Stephanie Anderson, Head of Reader Services [Her title has changed to Assistant Director for Public Services]
Darien Library, Darien, CT 

Becky’s Note: Here is slide access added to this post on 4.11.16

But if you only use the "Readers' Advisory" tag to filter your PLA Programs, you would not know about this program. I asked Stephanie and Annabelle, who both have RA backgrounds, to explain why a library worker who focuses on serving leisure readers would benefit from this program. Here are their responses [edited by me with their permission]:

Annabelle: This program will help folks discover how UX concepts can help staff across the library, not just those who work with technology. Most of the rest of us are often left out of this training—we just don’t go to the meetings or programs where they’re discussed. (I’m just as guilty of this—in the past I’d only go to RA-track events and publisher book buzzes.) But when you look at RA and collection development through this lens, you begin seeing a number of possible applications to displays, booklists, advisory questionnaires, summer-reading planning, patron-driven acquisition, and more. It’s really about developing a user-centered mindset (which is what RA already is based on) and learning about tools that can help you even more with that process.

Stephanie: I think a lot of people working with collections and RA really want to try new things, but find themselves in a position or a department where they get some resistance to those new things. We are hoping our panel gives them the tools, the language, and the confidence to implement a lot of the cool new ideas they’re going to pick up at the conference.

Thanks guys. See, this is stuff you can use.

I am sure there are other programs that could and will be useful to the library worker who focuses on leisure readers. I am sure there are other tags or filtering methods you could use to identify these programs. I am highlighting this one specifically because I personally know these presenters and have worked with both of them in a professional capacity before, so I am confident in advocating for their program.

But I also want you to use this post as your own personal inspiration if you are attending PLA. Think outside the box and "Be Extraordinary" while you are in Denver. If it means going through the entire program guide to find that perfect program for you and your community's needs, then please, take the time. This is our conference. Public Libraries are the stars here. It maybe overwhelming but it is also a wonderful opportunity.

Also, if you learned something exciting at PLA that you want to share with my audience, don't forget that I am holding an open call for guest posts until 4/22.

Links, Tips and Takeaways from the March 15-16, 2016 CODES CONVO on Diversity With Bonus Comments by Becky

Right before I left on vacation, RUSA CODES hosted one of their email conversations for members. This time the topic was on Diversity in RA. You can click here to see the details about the topic itself.

Cindy Orr, the chairperson of the committee sent out the notes from the conversation to those  of usnsubscribed to list-serv and she gave me permission to share and highlight them here on RA for All. Thank you Cindy; in fact, thanks to everyone on the committee and those who participated for taking the time to have such an honest and open discussion about a sensitive topic.

You can click here to view a copy of the notes which include 9 pages of VERY useful information for anyone who works at any library helping any leisure readers. There is so much here that any library worker can use in the day to day work. Please click through.

Now on to my thoughts and opinions on the topic.  Warning, BEGIN RANT...

My overuse of the word any just above is on purpose. As someone who has blogged about “multicultural” books since I started this blog AND as a straight, white, suburban lady who reads and promotes books featuring characters who are nothing like me all the time, the problem I have had with discussions of diversity in literature and our role as RA library workers in it is that I was shocked by how many librarians thought they could not suggest diverse books to white patrons.

I guess I have more faith in humanity than I should have, but honestly, this part of the problem was shocking to me.

Heck the book I was the biggest evangelist for in 2015 was Delicious Foods by James Hannaham. I never once thought, “Hmmm maybe I should think about the fact that I am giving a book about African American crack addicts who are victims of modern slavery to that little old white lady.” I never thought this because the book is AMAZING. It is a book anyone who appreciates an original, heart-wrenching, and haunting story-- PERIOD. The fact that some librarians worry that a white lady in Nebraska won’t enjoy a good story about a black, crack addict, stuns me.

Click here for my full review. In it, I also make readalike suggestions that do not only care about race.

I have many more examples I could share with you, but that is not important here. What is important is that this RUSA moderated conversation allowed library people to honestly express their concern for promoting diverse books to all audiences.

As I told my neighbors in college who chose the women’s colleges over my co-ed one down the street-- the world is filled with both sexes. If I want to excel in the world, I need to be able to excel over men AND women. (And I did by the way, winning both prizes in my major). But why would I chose to eliminate one experience? Why would I not challenge myself to beat the guys at their own game? I needed to know them to work with them. Heck I am even happily married to one of them.

Same thing goes with reading and books. Books are a great way to experience the entire world and as many different viewpoints as possible without leaving your chair. We are very lucky to have so many diverse book options, but we need to make sure they are being promoted to the right reader.

I do not “warn” white people I am giving them a diverse book. Rather, I suggest a book that is the best match for that reader. I book talk it in a way that gives them an idea of what to expect which will probably get at the diversity if it is there. It is then up to the patron to take the book or not.  But give people a choice.  Some of my best hand selling successes are from booktalking Sally Hemmings by Barbara Chase-Ribould and The Round House by Louise Erdrich -- books about a black, slave woman and Native Americans to white and hispanic patrons.

But I also do not go out of my way to purposely suggest a diverse book to make a point. I am noticing some people are doing that now and I get upset about that too. But that is a whole different issue I am not touching right now.

What I do is make sure I am exposed to as many voices and authors as possible and then, if the story is right for the reader in front of me, I will suggest the best book for them.

END RANT

I want to be clear I am not judging anyone who has had a hard time with suggesting diverse books. I am just working through my own shock at the scope of the problem.  I always thought it was more an issue of the diverse books not being promoted by publishers and/or not being reviewed, but it is so much deeper.

I am so thankful that we are having these difficult and complex conversations in an honest and open way as a profession.

Let’s keep it up.

If you don’t know where to get started in your promotion, personal reading, or collection development of diverse books, the notes from the convo are a great place to start.

Listeners’ Advisory: Webinar for Now and a Save the Date Announcement for Later

RA for All is back from vacation all revved up and ready to get back to helping you to help your leisure readers.  Today I want to put the focus on your audiobook patrons.

The rise in popularity of podcasts has also led to a resurgence in audio book consumption. Listeners’ Advisory is becoming an important skill that anyone who works with leisure readers needs to become better at.

Back in May of 2014, I discussed how NoveList created the first librarian centered audiobook listeners’ advisory resource in this post.

Then while I was on vacation this past week, they hosted the free webinar entitled, "Did You Hear That? It’s the Exploding World of Audiobooks and Listeners’ Advisory.” You can watch the recording here.

One of the best things about this webcast can be found in the resource documents that NoveList has included here, especially the access to an exclusive Library Journal survey on audio books use in libraries.

Even if you do not watch the webinar, please take a look at the resources, I cannot stress enough how useful they are.  I have been home for 1 day, and I already directed a colleague to the Listen to a Book in 15 Minutes resource.

The emergence of audiobooks and listeners’ advisory as a top RA trend has been on our radar at ARRT also. In fact, I am on the planning team for an in person training event for ARRT that will be coinciding with the Audie Awards and BEA both here in Chicago.

As of right now I can confirm that I will be moderating a panel that includes someone who writes audiobook reviews for a library collection development audience, someone from NoveList, someone from the RUSA Listen List committee, a narrator, an audiobook producer, and a publisher.  All attendees will receive a free audiobook and a copy of Audio File magazine with their very reasonable registration fee.

I will have an official announcement soon, but the date and time have been confirmed so please save this date:

Monday May 9, 2016
9:30 am-12 pm
Downers Grove Public Library 

This program is a few days before BEA starts and the Downers Grove Library is steps from a train stop. If you haven’t made you plans yet and can come to Chicago a little bit early, please plan to do so. This is going to be a fun and useful program.

We can’t wait to help you to help your listeners.

Call for Guest Posts

RA for All is taking a much needed "Spring Break” this week.  So there will be no new posts from now until 3/28. However, I had a great idea to fill the space here all week.

I am holding the first ever public call for guest posts on RA for All.  Yes, I have had many guest posts over the years, but they were all solicited directly by me. However, one thing I have learned in the last 9 months of visiting many libraries and conferences and meeting hundreds of library workers is that many of you have great ideas to share with the wider library world.

And I have a platform where you can share them. So bring on your RA for All guest post ideas.

Here are the guidelines for submission:

• Send an email to bspratford [at] hotmail [dot] com with the subject line "Guest Post”
• Please explain your idea in 300 words or less. All you need right now is an idea. Do not send me an entire post.
• If you have a link to anything you have written be it an article, something from a website, even reviews or annotations you have written for your library, please include that.  If you have nothing to share with me, that is okay. Your idea statement is fine.
• I will get back to you no matter what, but if I like your idea, I will send you the blogging requirements. The due date for submissions (once idea is accepted) will not be until early June and the posts will run periodically throughout the summer.
• This window for this call for guest post submissions closes on Friday 4/22. 

You have a month everyone. Start sending me those ideas. I can’t wait to be inspired by all of you.

Back with regular blog posts on 3/28.