RA Tip: Display Idea - 2017 Book and Media Awards

RUSA's Book and Media Awards for 2017 were announced Sunday evening, 01/22/17 during the ALA Midwinter Conference in Atlanta, GA. If you haven't already seen the lists of winners or are looking for a great display idea, here are some links that may be of interest:

2017 Reading List - the best Adult fiction of the year in eight different genre categories, plus a short list of four honor titles for each genre

2017 Listen List - "... highlights extraordinary narrators and listening experiences that merit special attention by a general adult audience and the librarians who advise them." A list of twelve adult audiobooks each with three listen-alikes.

2017 Notable Books - "... an annual best-of list comprised of twenty-six titles written for adult readers and published in the U.S. including literary fiction, nonfiction and poetry."

2017 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction - "... recognize(s) the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. in the previous year." Information about all of the finalists can be found on the Andrew Carnegie site.

2017 Sophie Brody Medal - "... given to encourage, recognize and commend outstanding achievement in Jewish literature. Works for adults published in the United States in the preceding year are eligible for the award." There is also a list of Honorable mentions.

Winners of other RUSA Book and Media Awards can be found on the RUSA Update - News site. There are links to the press releases for the 2017 Louis Shores and Zora Neale Hurston awards as well as for the Dartmouth Medal, the Outstanding Reference Sources, and the Best of the Best Business Reference Websites among others.

Interested in the awards for children's and teen books? On Monday morning, January 23rd, the 2017 ALA Youth Media Awards were announced. The full list of winners and honor books can be found at the ALA News site.

Genre Alert: Forthcoming Historical Fiction (2017)

• "What is Historical Fiction? These are novels set in the past, before the author's lifetime or experience. Through its serious respect for historical accuracy and details of time, place, and character, historical fiction enhances a reader's knowledge of past events, lives, and customs. The goal of historical fiction is to bring history to life in novel form." Source: NoveList Genre Outline - "Getting Up to Speed in Historical Fiction" by Joyce Saricks; updated by Sarah S. Davis (Jul 2016)  

I enjoy historical fiction and while stories set in ancient times are my favorites, the history major in me is easily drawn to any time period. If you are a fan of this genre and interested in learning about new titles coming in 2017, I have a great readers advisory tip for you.

Check out this great Forthcoming Historical Novels for 2017 list compiled by Sarah Johnson and Sarah Cuthbertson for the Historical Novel Society blog (an excellent source for reviews in this genre!). 

• HNS's "Defining the Genre" article says "To be deemed historical (in our sense), a novel must have been written at least fifty years after the events described, or have been written by someone who was not alive at the time of those events (who therefore approaches them only by research)."

I will be able to indulge my fondness for ancient history quite easily in 2017 as a majority of the titles below can attest; take a look at their one-sentence descriptions on the linked list to see what I mean. Although ... thanks to Sarah and Sarah, you can learn about forthcoming novels from any time period including many that cross over into genres such as mystery and romance. The list also includes upcoming titles from established series. 

The following titles have been added to my personal "must check into these" reading schedule. Looks like I will have at least two (sometimes more) historical fiction books to occupy myself with for the next few months. :-)

January:
Emily Hauser, For the Most Beautiful
Nancy Peacock, The Life and Times of Persimmon Wilson

February:
Paul Auster, 4 3 2 1
Charlie Lovett, The Lost Book of the Grail

​David Osborne, The Coming

March:

Margaret George, The Confessions of Young Nero​ 

​Greer MacAllister, Girl in Disguise​
​David Vann, Bright Air Black​

April:
Emily Holleman, The Drowning King​
​Crystal King, Feast of Sorrow

Alyssa Palombo, The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence​

May:
Claire Cameron, The Last Neanderthal
​​Natalie Haynes, The Children of Jocasta 
​Sarah Shoemaker, Mr. Rochester​
​Dana Stabenow, Silk and Song​
​Colm Tóibín, House of Names​
​Melodie Winawer, The Scribe of Siena​

​

June:
Michael Crichton, Dragon Teeth
Leonard Goldberg, The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes 

Emily Hauser, For the Winner​
Ian Mortimer, The Outcasts of Time​

​
July:​
Ashley Hay, The Body in the Clouds
Andrew Wilson, A Talent for Murder

​
August:​

​Linnea Hartsuyker, The Half-Drowned King​
​Katherine Nouri Hughes, The Mapmaker’s Daughter​

September:

Robert Downes, Windigo Moon

Hannah Kent, The Good People 

They keep updating the list so I will be visiting the link again but as for now ... I may have just laid out a portion of my reading challenge for 2017! 

Thanks again, Sarah and Sarah. :-)​

RA Tip: Finding Time to Read!

Have seen similar lists before although a few words to the wise on ways to encourage reading are always welcome reminders! Check out this post from Mashable with 11 tips and tricks to make yourself read more.

I practice numbers 1 (usually more than one), 2 (most of the time), 4 (this can be hard, though make myself do it), 5 (whenever/wherever happen to be waiting in line), 7 (sometimes), 8 (one of my favorite pastimes), and 10 (my family knows to leave me be when am ensconced in my rocking chair with a book). :-)

Need to work on 3 (used to do this but fell out of the habit), 6 (have plans to combine this with my audiobook listening), 9 (does listening to one and reading another count?) and while I'm not a whiskey drinker, I must find the wherewithal to follow number 11!

Give some (if not all) of the tips and tricks a try, you just might like it! :-)

RA Tip: Unconventional RA Techniques

It's been a while since I posted, I know but I've got a good one for you ... :-)

Ever had a non-reader ask for help finding something to read? The standard readers' advisory query "Tell me about a book you read and enjoyed" may not garner the response you are trying to elicit. In such cases, you might consider asking "What's your favorite TV show?"

If you haven't heard about this readers' advisory technique, a recently posted article on Public Libraries Online is a great introduction to the concept! Check out: 

 

Books are the New TV: Unconventional Readers' Advisory Techniques

And don't forget to click on the links included at the end! Great online sources to which you can subscribe as a means of keeping up.

RA Tips from Staff: Create Displays Using Monthly Themes

Displays are a great way to promote the collection, especially the back list. 

Do you create displays for your library? Always on the look-out for new ideas or themes to use with a display? An easy way to find ideas for display themes is to check for holidays or events being celebrated each month.

Try picking a theme tied to the current month and create a display. Pull some older titles from your shelves along with a few new titles and be sure to include multiple formats (Audiobooks, Music, DVDs/Blu-rays, even highlight titles available in eMedia) and reading levels (Adult, YA/Teen, Children's) so there is something for everyone.

There are plenty of themes to work with in May. Saturday, May 2nd is Free Comic Book Day and staff may be hearing the catch phrase "May the 4th be with you!" from eager movie fans on Monday, May 4th: Star Wars Day.

You probably know about Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) but did you know that at Booklist Online 'May is Mystery Month'? Why not create a display with all kinds of mysteries?

Were you aware that May 7th will be the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Lusitania? You could include titles on ships, naval disasters or expand it with a World War I theme. 

Did you know that International Nurses Day is May 12th, the birthday of Florence Nightingale? May 10th is of course, Mother's Day but did you know that May 15th is the International Day of Families? 

The month of May is also National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, National Military Appreciation Month as well as the month in which Memorial Day is celebrated, on May 25th in 2015. 

Any of these would be a great theme to use for a display and there are plenty of others you could tap into throughout the year! 

Does your library own a copy of Chase's Calendar of Events but you don't always have access to it? Could you use some online tools which may help by providing similar types of information? Here are a few I've found which may be useful:

Consider famous daily, a website that tells you "what makes today special." You can enter a month and day to see what makes that specific date special or you could subscribe and have an email delivered to you each morning with birthdays, historical events, holidays, and a famous quote for the day.

Or you could check out HistoryOrb.com,founded in 2000 which has over 200,000 entries with extensive 'Today in History' archives. The Search box allows users to hunt by person, event, place, or date. The site provides searching by Famous Birthdays, Weddings, Famous Deaths, Famous People, as well as by date, day, country, or year.

Another site is History.com's This Day in History which reflects the current date although a calendar can be accessed for the present month as well as past and future months. The site provides links to videos related to the topics specific to the date and also provides an RRS link as means to subscribe via email for a daily post.

Or take a look at National Awareness Days, a British website created as a directory of awareness days. The site is arranged by month and includes International, American, British and European awareness days. You can subscribe and receive monthly AWARENESS DAYS ALERT emails or follow their blog to be notified about specific upcoming events. 

What date related tools or websites do you use to find ideas for creating displays? Share them through the Comments link.

RA Tips from Staff - Check the Back Cover!

Over the last month or so I have been talking with staff and others about ideas for regular posts on the blog. One suggestion which I found particularly appealing was for tips gleaned from the staff on providing readers' advisory service! What a great way to share some RA wealth and let others know how their co-workers work with customers! 

Starting today, April 15th, I will present RA Tips from Staff posts once a month, more if staff inundate me with tip suggestions. :-) Why I picked April 15th to begin this I don't know except that it is TAX Day! The forms have been submitted and everyone deserves to relax with something great to read! 

Ever been working with a customer, offering title suggestions, only to run out of ideas? Here is a readers' advisory tip from SCCCLD's own Sarah H (Technical Operations Dept) which might help:

"If you have exhausted the read-alikes for a popular author, turn to the back of the book. The authors that review their fellow authors may satisfy a reader's need."

Publishers pick those authors to provide quotes on purpose! Often they write in the same genre, on related topics or have a similar writing style. Those quotes can lead to other authors and titles the customer might want to consider, especially if they haven't read any of their books! 

Below are examples from some recently released books:

THE SELLOUT by Paul Beatty - a satirical novel about race, politics and popular culture in contemporary America

"The Sellout is brilliant. Amazing. Like demented angels wrote it." - Sarah Silverman [author of The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption and Pee]

"I am glad that I read this insane book alone, with no one watching, because I fell apart with envy, hysterics, and flat-out awe. Is there a more fiercely brilliant and scathingly hilarious American novelist than Paul Beatty?" - Ben Marcus [author of The Flame Alphabet]

"Paul Beatty has always been one of smartest, funniest, gutsiest writers in America, but The Sellout sets a new standard. It's a spectacular explosion of comic daring, cultural provocation, brilliant, hilarious prose, and genuine heart." - Sam Lipsyte [author of The Fun Parts: Stories]


PAST CRIMES by Glen Erik Hamilton - an action-packed, suspenseful debut 
introducing Van Shaw, a tough, morally ambiguous former criminal


“A home run off the first pitch - this guy has got what it takes.” — LEE CHILD, New York Times bestselling author of Personal

“A debut novel from a gifted writer with a sure hand. As much fun to read as Lee Child’s Jack Reacher.” — J.A. JANCE, New York Times bestselling author of Remains of Innocence

“Glen Erik Hamilton has crafted a compelling new hero in Van Shaw, an Army Ranger with a dark streak who operates in the spaces between shadow and light. PAST CRIMES is a zipline ride of a thriller, plummeting through the back alleys of Seattle where murder and intrigue reign supreme and the undead past lurks around the next wrong turn. Buckle in and hang on!” — GREGG HURWITZ, New York Times bestselling author of Don't Look Back

If you have a readers advisory tip to share, let me know so it can be featured in a future RA Tips from Staff post!

RA Tip: Novels to Film

Coming to the big screen sometime soon ...

Are you a fan of Ernest Cline's offbeat, action-packed debut novel, Ready Player One? Been wondering IF, or more importantly, WHEN Cline's novel might be coming to a theater near you? 

If so, you may want to check out this EarlyWord post about who has been hired to direct the Ready Player One film adaptation! It's not happening right away but what a great choice for director! 


In the meantime, have you tried the audiobook of Ready Player One -- narrated by Wil Wheaton? Yes, that Wil Wheaton, 'Wesley Crusher' of TV's Star Trek: the Next Generation. For a fun listening experience, you might consider the CD or downloadable version.




Interested readers may also want to reserve the forthcoming title Armada - another rollicking adventure from Cline (this time with aliens) due out in mid-July.

RA Tip: Finding Mixed Genre Titles

Genre Blender

Do you have customers who are fans of mixed genre titles? Have trouble finding books to suggest? Wish there was a tool to help?

Well, thanks to librarian Megan McArdle there is a place where you can choose two or more genres, throw them in a 'blender' and get a list of title suggestions! 



Check out GENRIFY: Where genres mix and mingle

The blog is a companion to The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Blends by Megan M. McArdle (ALA Editions, 2014)

RA Tip: FAVORITE READS FOR 2014!

For the last 10 days, library staff from all over have be tweeting TOP 10 titles for 2014. If you didn't know, tweeting about your Top 10 reads of the year has become an annual event with the titles posted once a day in reverse order from December 1 through December 10. [NOTE: you can play catch up if you miss the starting date or happen to skip a day ... ]

See last year's post RA Tip: FAVORITE READS OF 2013!

Using #libfaves14, participants list title, author and a brief description using fewer than 130 characters. I participated again this year so here are my Top 10 reads for 2014, posted on Twitter over the last few days: 

10. Gaiman’s THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE: part childhood reminiscence, mythology, & innocence lost, with lyrical language #libfaves14

9. DRACULA VERSUS SANTA - DeJesus & Power: hilarious Graphic Novel with Christmas symbols facing off famous monsters #libfaves14

8. THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY – G. Zevin: made me feel like I was wandering the aisles of a small cozy bookstore #libfaves14

7. THE BOOK OF LIFE: search for Ashmole 782 concludes with life & family becoming more complicated for Diana & Matthew #libfaves14

6. Cain’s ONE KICK: dynamic between Kick & Bishop is intense, 2 determined, flawed individuals working toward a common goal #libfaves14

5. DANGEROUS WOMEN: great anthology of new short stories by 21 different authors who write is multiple genres #libfaves14

4. STORM FRONT: listened to with family during long drive, believe have turned my children into lifelong Dresden fans!  #libfaves14

3. FIRST LORD’S FURY - on a Jim Butcher kick in 2014: finished listening to last title in his Codex Alera fantasy series #libfaves14

2. IN THE KINGDOM OF ICE: fascinating nonfiction about lost ship & crew searching Arctic passage to the North Pole in 1880s #libfaves14

1. THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING by Erika Johansen: an epic fantasy debut with magic, mystery, adventure; 1^st in series #libfaves14

What were your top 10 reads for 2014? Let's use the COMMENTS: link below and you'll only need to list the title and author. :-)

RA Tip: BOUCHERCON - 2014 Anthony Awards

Did you miss the announcement of the 2014 Anthony Awards at BOUCHERCON, the annual World Mystery Convention, which was held Nov 13-16 in Long Beach CA.? 

This year's list of nominees can be found at BOUCHERCON: World Mystery Convention. The winners are indicated by a ' > ' before the title.

 BOUCHERCON 2015 - Raleigh, NC

According to the Bouchercon standing rules. published work candidates eligible for nomination are defined as "Crime Fiction/Mystery genre published between January 1 and December 31 in the year immediately prior the the Bouchercon at which the Anthony Award will be given." 

What 2014 mystery do you think will be nominated for next year? The next BOUCHERCON will be held Oct 8-10, 2015 in Raleigh, NC. 

Will your favorite be one of the nominees (or the winner!) of a 2015 Anthony Award?

Use the COMMENTS: link below to tell about your favorite Crime Fiction/Mystery title published in 2014.

RA Tip: Great Tips for Discussion Leaders!

Well, it's two for two for our own Sue D, the newest Booklist Online blog contributor! 

Check out her informative post, "Time-Management Tips for Book-Group Discussion Leaders," on The Booklist Reader.

RA Tip: LibraryReads 2014 Favorite of Favorites Announced

And the winner is ... The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by by Gabrielle Zevin. 

Zevin's title was the Top Ten pick on the LibraryReads April 2014 list. The novel was described by Beth Mills, of New Rochelle Public Library, New Rochell, NY  

“A middle-aged bookseller mourning his lost wife, a feisty publisher’s rep, and a charmingly precocious abandoned child come together on a small island off the New England coast in this utterly delightful novel of love and second chances.”
To see the complete list of 2014 titles with the most votes check EarlyWord.

The fully annotated list will be posted at www.libraryreads.org on December 1st.

RA Tip: Book Annotations: Short and Snappy Made Easy

On Thursday, November 6th, the Reference & User Services Association (a division of the American Library Association) and NoveList hosted a webcast on writing annotations. A summary of the main points discussed in the presentation are:

REMEMBER ...

• ANNOTATIONS: 
• Market your collection
• Promote books to their particular audience
• Are easy to repurpose (use again)
• A GOOD ANNOTATION IS:
• Clearly written and easy to identify
• Focused on appeals
• Tailored to it's audience
• TO WRITE GOOD ANNOTATIONS:
• Read OR research the book
• Think about the book's audience
• Start with a narrative hook
• Include a brief plot summary (No spoilers!)
• Include the strongest appeal factors
• Provide context and readers'/viewers'/listeners' advisory
• Keep it enticing, attention-grabbing, and BRIEF!

Before publishing/posting - have someone proofread your annotation OR if no one is available, slowly read the annotation out loud to yourself. These can help in checking for mistakes and in fine tuning your annotation.


NoveList has a great tool for appeal factors, The Secret Language of Books: a Guide to Appeal

RA Tip: "RA as a Technical Service" - a Training Opportunity

On Thursday, October 9th, during the 2014 Missouri Library Association (MLA)  Conference, Kaite Stover (Kansas City Public Library) gave a great program called: Readers' Advisory for a New Age of Readers. The Powerpoint presentation and handout for her program can be accessed online at: http://kaitestover.pbworks.com  Click on Conference Presentations, then Missouri Library Association for 2014.

During her program, Kaite mentioned an upcoming training which will be provided by RUSA-CODES (Reference and User Services Association-Collection Development and Evaluation Section of the American Library Association). The training will be email based and will begin Tuesday morning, Oct 14 and run through Wednesday afternoon/evening, Oct 15th. This CODES conversation is free and open to any library staff with an interest in readers' advisory.

RA as a Technical Service

A new CODES Conversation begins October 14th  and will run through the 15th. 

RA does not just happen in the stacks and at the public service desk. It happens in the catalog, in collection development, and in materials processing. Join a community of over 500 librarians interested in all things RA as we discuss how to make sure that the RA service that happens behind the scenes of public service gets the attention and focus necessary to make all of RA as robust and useful as possible.

Some of the topics we will address include:

• How best to calculate, and what factors to consider in setting, holds ratios?

• Genre Headings: How (if at all) do catalogers/patrons/advisors agree to what constitutes a genre? How many headings do we want/need in an age of genre blends?

• What features of the catalog support and enrich RA?

• How can the collection development staff help the public services staff keep up with new titles and genres?

• What use are stickers on books? How do they work with genre blends?

• Should we interfile or have divided collections?

• How do we ensure the best access to paperbacks? And speaking of paperbacks has the format flipped to some degree to ebooks?

***
CODES Conversations are focused electronic conversations on current issues facing collection development and readers’ advisory librarians—or anyone interested in those areas. The free, moderated discussions are open to all - just subscribe to the discussion at http://lists.ala.org/sympa/subscribe/codes-convos, then follow and contribute (or lurk!) as you wish.
 

RA Tip: LibraryReads November 2014 Top Ten Announced!!

The November 2014 Top Ten winner is ... Us: a Novel by David Nicholls (published by Harper) 

Kimberly McGee of Lake Travis Community Library (Austin, TX) describes the book ...
“Every once in a while you stumble upon a book that makes you wish you could meet the characters in real life. This is the case with Us, the poignant story of a middle-of-the-road British family spiraling out of control, and one man’s attempt to win back their love. Quirky, delightful and unpredictable, the novel delves into what makes a marriage, and what tears it apart.”

The full list of November Top Ten titles can be found at LibraryReads

RA Tip: One Blog to Bind Them - The Booklist Reader

The lovely and clever folks at Booklist and Booklist Online have launched a new one-stop access point for all their great blogs: The Booklist Reader

"Launched in September 2014, The Booklist Reader provides a single home for the respected and well-established Booklist Online blogs: Likely Stories, Book Group Buzz, Bookends, Audiobooker, and Shelf Renewal, all brought to you by Booklist Publications, a part of the American Library Association."

In REaDAlert - Newsletter # 137 - October 2, 2014, Keir Graff, editor for Booklist Online, describes the new site as "One Blog to Bind Them" 

Check out The Booklist Reader and follow all your favorite Booklist blogs at once!

RA Tip: Book Recommendation Sites

I recently read (or re-read) two readers' advisory articles from Public Libraries Online. Each mentions online book recommendation sites which may be of interest to staff and our customers:

Need More Romance? There's an App for That by Christyna Hunter on Publc Libraries Online - September 24, 2014

• Novel Engagement - download the App, aponsored by Romance Writers of America 

Your Role in Readers' Advisory by Brian R. Smith on Public Libraries Online May 29, 2014

• Includes links to two online book recommendation resources:
• Bookish 
• What Should I Read Next?