Cover to Cover

Marketing our fiction section is an important part of what we do. There are a wide variety of ways to promote the items we have available. For our library, I would focus on these three: 1) Book Displays. Saricks (2005) noted that books displays with a small group of books and a descriptive sign are an effective way to promote items in our collection. Our library has designated spots for displays. We utilize different themes for each display and have books ready to check out! I particularly like the idea of a Good Books You May Have Missed cart near our desk. I will be trying this one out! 2) Annotated Book Lists. Annotated book lists that are created by our staff with books that we offer is an important resource (Saricks, 2005). For one of my previous classes, I made one for Teen Stress Relief. It included books, DVDs, programs, and kits (we had meditation kits that included the DVD and meditation pillow). These received a lot of positive feedback and we even had adults saying they wan

This is indeed a weighty issue and one that I considered carefully before making my decision. In our library we have a lot of genres in their own sections, so it would not be uncommon to find genres separated . For instance, we have a Romance section and a Clean Reads section. However, neither of these sections bring the same level of potential judgement or controversy as the ones we are talking about here.  In the end, I decided that I would not separate LGBTQ fiction or Urban Fiction from the general collection. The American Library Association's Bill of Rights states that all library users have the right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use (American Library Association, 2006). First, I believe that a separate section for genres that can cause judgement from others should not be placed in a section on there own. Everyone would know what the patron was looking for and this would eliminate their ability to search in private for a book that they can relate to. Second

  After having numerous conversations with adults and teens alike, I am a firm believer that we will do a disservice to our community if we do not include Young Adult (YA) literature, New Adult (NA) Literature, and Graphic Novels in our collections. I have watched teens become more interested readers after dipping their toes in graphic novels. For instance, I have had more than one teen read The Graveyard Book graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and then give the novel itself a try! Anything that we can do to support and encourage literacy and lifelong reading habits is so important. As for helping adults embrace these, one of the things that I do is include YA, NA, and graphic novels in my adult book clubs. By "making" them give it a try, most end up being YA and NA fans. Many even embrace graphic novels (although this one remains a slightly harder sell in my area). Once they take a moment to analyze the materials for their characters and stories, instead of just the thought of the

  Reference ·          Booth, H. (2005). RA for YA: Tailoring the readers advisory interview to the needs of young adult patrons. Public Libraries , 44 (1), 33-36. [Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts]

  1     Where is the book on the narrative continuum? þ Highly Narrative (reads like fiction). □ A mix (combines highly narrative moments with periods of fact-based prose) □ Highly fact-based (has few or no narrative moments) 2       What is the subject of the book? This book focuses on living a fulfilled life by choosing what is worth caring about and what to let go of. 3       What type of book is it?                 A self-help nonfiction book. 4       Articulate appeal What is the pacing of the book? Fast-paced, conversational.   Describe the characters of the book. N/A   How does the story feel? Like a conversation with a friend that is encouraging and a bit humorous.   What is the intent of the author? To encourage readers to decide what does and does not matter and to avoid spending time and energy on the things that do not really matter.   What is the focus of the story? For re

I have to admit, there is something about the feel of a book in my hands that makes me happy. This is a conversation that I have held with many patrons! But out of convenience, I find e-Books and audiobooks to be great tools. I have even been known to read the same story via a physical book and an ebook at the same time. I read the physical book all day and switch to the ebook at night or when I do not want to carry the actual book. This way I can switch seamlessly between the formats that work best for me at the moment. I personally struggled a bit with audiobooks at first. I would lose track of the story and struggle to keep track of multiple characters.  So audiobooks lost some of their appeal for me. However, I would say that even throughout this class, I have gotten better and can now listen to a book while I get things done around the house. This adds appeal because being tight on time does not mean I have to wait to dive into a good book. I can do dishes, make dinner, take out t