Week 14 Prompt

What a tough topic this week, but one that seriously needs to be addressed. As for LGBTQ fiction, I think that it might be helpful – budget permitting – to perhaps cross-list and have multiple titles of copies to display in a special LGBTQ section. However, would this section incorporate adult and YA materials? If space, interest and budget allowed, I would also be interested in pursuing a dedicated space to highlight LGBTQ YA materials. I can see how frustrating it could be for someone to wander through the stacks or catalog looking for such materials with little information or knowledge! 

In “I Thought I’d Find Myself at the Library”: LGBTQ Services & Collections in Public and School Libraries, Alvin M. Schrader comments on the inadequate subject headings used when categorizing such fiction:

Headings that were used to reflect LGBTQ-related

Bisexuality -- Fiction

 Homosexuality -- Fiction

 Homosexuality -- Juvenile Fiction

 Lesbians -- Fiction

 Lesbians -- Juvenile Fiction

 Lesbianism -- Fiction

 Lesbianism -- Juvenile Fiction

 Gay teenagers -- Juvenile Fiction

 Gay men -- Fiction

 Gay Parents -- Fiction

 Gay youth -- New York (State) -- New York -- Fiction

Headings used that did not identify LGBTQ-related

Coming of Age -- Fiction

 Conduct of life -- Fiction

 Emotions -- Fiction

 Erotic Stories

 Friendship -- Fiction

 High Schools -- Fiction

 Identity -- Fiction

 Interpersonal relationships -- Fiction

 Love Stories

 Schools -- Juvenile Fiction

 Self-Realization -- Fiction

 Sex -- Fiction

 Teenage boys -- Fiction

 “It is apparent that the wide range of subject headings used in library records makes it difficult for interested persons to discover the breadth of LGBTQ-related materials available in their own library – thus impeding access for users browsing the catalogue by subject”(Schrader, 5). Perhaps highlighting this specific part of the collection for users could help to increase circulation statistics. Even having the LGBTQ heading as a search facet in the catalog could help users – particularly with eBooks. I remember an article from early last year about a library (The Bessie Chin Library) opening an LGBT section that also houses films and other resources, such as college guides, but it was aimed more for youth.(http://redwoodbark.org/2013/02/library-adds-new-gtsa-section/)

As for African American books, I would first want author and reader input before separating this genre into its own area. The author N.J. Jemisin has posted an interesting blog post on the subject titled “Don’t Put My Book in the African American Section!” (http://nkjemisin.com/2010/05/dont-put-my-book-in-the-african-american-section/)

I admire her for taking a stand and being so adamant on the issue: “I hate the “African American Fiction” section. HATE. IT. I hate that it exists. I hate that it was ever deemed necessary. I hate why it was deemed necessary, and I don’t agree that it is. I hated it as a reader, long before I ever got published. And now that I’m a writer, I don’t ever want to see my books there — unless a venue has multiple copies and they’re also in the Fantasy or General Fiction section.” She goes on to state that her book The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms shouldn’t be in the African American section ‘because it Contains No Actual Black People. Which should, IMO, at least be a prerequisite for being in that section.’

I like the idea of cross-listing multiple copies along with their genres and in a special section, but at what point does this become cost and space prohibitive?! If pressure from patrons or my library board resulted in my library pursuing an African American section, what would happen if we received a proposal for a Female Authors Section? In the end, I would honestly hope that a committee or group of staff members, along with input from the public and our patrons, would help guide us to a decision that was right for our community based on their wants and needs. 

Week 13 Prompt

This week’s prompt hit really close to home for me. I have encountered similar issues in the past where co-workers were dead set against, or not completely on board with the idea of including graphic novels for youth or adults. Street lit – and really, African American literature in general – has never been a top collection priority, and the few items that our collection contains are extremely dated with virtually no circs. I feel that the debate in libraries – and possibly school libraries in terms of graphic novels – harkens back to library days when selectors were arguing about whether or not to include ‘trashy fiction’ into their collections!

It’s really frustrating when multiple patrons ask for titles and I have to turn them away because a single selector or committee decided that a type of material or subject weren’t ‘appropriate’ for our library – based on what? If there is patron interest, I think we should include these materials. As for the common belief that adults don’t read ‘that stuff’ – I can tell you from personal experience that at my library that is not true in the least. We’ve actually separated our growing adult, middle school, and teen graphic novel sections so that they are easier to find for patrons. The number of holds on such titles are fairly high, and circ stats.

With interest in The Walking Dead TV show, we have also had to purchase additional copies of the graphic novels that the TV show is based on. Art and drawing books related to graphic novels and manga are also popular with teens and adults. Luckily, we’ve never had a challenge for a graphic novel or manga title, but the ALA’s website outlines how to deal with challenges for these books: http://www.ala.org/offices/oif/ifissues/graphicnovels

I really like their answer for the question, ‘Why do libraries have to buy graphic novels?”: 

Why do libraries have to buy graphic novels?

The library has a responsibility to serve its community-your neighbors-including those you may not agree with or who may not agree with you. Libraries purchase materials, such as graphic novels, because they have a mission statement that requires them to serve a broad range of community needs and wants. The material you find in your library was selected by librarians, who are taught as part of their professional education to determine the needs of their communities and to select materials based on library policies.

As for YA titles for adults, it has been suggested that we incorporate our YA titles into our actual fiction collection – so we would end up with a second (or third) copy in an alternate location as to encourage adult patrons to discover the world of YA literature. Currently, our YA dept. is small, and always full to the brim with high school students. One way that several of our adult patrons who don’t like to visit the YA dept. to obtain YA materials get around this is by placing on-shelf holds online for the titles they’re interested in. We’ve also found that offering these titles available as eBooks, and the anonymity involved in procuring them, has increased YA stats! 

Week 12 Prompt: RA Matrix

The Readers’ Advisory Matrix

The Mad Sculptor: The Maniac, the Model, and the Murder that Shook the Nation by Harold Schecter
Published February 2014

1. Where is the book on the narrative continuum?

a.) Highly narrative (reads like fiction)
b.) A mix (combines highly narrative moments with periods of fact-based prose)
c.) Highly Face based (has few or no narrative moments)

2. What is the subject of the book? American – True Crime

3. What type of book is it? This is a true crime book that has been meticulously researched. It details the story of killer Robert Irwin, who committed a triple-murder in a fashionable area in Manhattan in the late 1930’s. The crime itself has been recreated and shared with the reader in gory detail.

4. Articulate appeal

a.) What is the pacing of the book? Narrative momentum

b.) Describe the characters of the book: Veronica Gedeon was a young photographer’s model whom, along with her mother, Mary Gedeon, and a boarder, Frank Byrnes, in Manhattan’s Beekman Place were all brutally murdered in a triple-homicide. Robert “The Mad Sculptor” Irwin was the murderer, and psychiatrist and forensic scientist Fredric Wertham was the man who predicted Irwin’s heinous crimes. Irwin’s defense attorney, Samuel Leibowitz, is portrayed as a manipulative lawyer.

c.) How does the story feel? There is a sense of drama and a lingering feeling of unbelievability and outrage throughout the book.

d.) What is the intent of the author? The intent of the author is to bring to the public’s eye the story of Robert Irwin from the late 1930’s, along with an exploration of the sensationalistic journalistic practices of the time period.

e.) What is the focus of the story? The focus of the story is on the life and crimes of Robert Irwin and the way in which media and journalists portrayed this story at the time.

f.) Does the language matter? Yes – the tone leads to an atmospheric sentiment of dread and uneasiness.

g.) Is the setting important and well described? Yes – Beekman Place, the scene of the triple-murder mentioned in the book in Manhattan, is described in depth, as are the actual crime scenes.

h.) Are there details and, if so, of what? Yes – there are graphic details of the crimes of Irwin, along with his life and history.

i.) Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear? Yes – although the crime scene photos are a bit graphic and might not be appropriate for younger readers.

j.) Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experience?

Yes - The book shares the experiences of how psychiatrists and criminologists of the day (in the 1920/1930’s) did not know how to properly handle cases such as this, and how the justice system used to handle cases of mentally incompetent criminals.

5. Why would a reader enjoy this book (rank appeal)?

a.) The story is cinematic and was a popular headline at the time – the reader can imagine the story behind ripped from the headlines!

b.) The details of images of Irwin and his victims are shocking, but help the reader to visualize the scope of his crimes.

c.) The setting is detailed and gives the reader a true sense of the past at a specific time and place. It would be especially interesting for someone who grew up in Manhattan or New York.

eBook & Audiobook Appeal Factors: Week 11 Prompt

Listener's Advisory could be a whole unique department in and of itself at the library where I work - audiobooks (in both physical format and streaming/downloadable format) are extremely popular, and we receive many RA questions that are directed at the AV department and/or the RA department!

When thinking about performing RA services for audiobooks, I like to keep in mind the format of the book in the interview: is the patron just interested in the physical audiobook (which can be upwards of 15-30+ discs!), or do they have the capability of listening to the book in digital format? Will they be listening to it on their phone in the car, or will they be using an MP3 player at the gym?

The narration is also very important. The nice thing about audiobooks is that accents and dialects can be heard, and can help to bring alive characters or accents that can be difficult to imagine if the patron is unfamiliar with the dialect or accent. Some patrons have favorite narrators, or prefer a male or female narrator more than the other! The characterization by the narrator - whether or not the narrator can make the characters seem alive and real - is also important. Sometimes, I (and many of my patrons) have reported that they just don't feel connected to a narrator. I like to suggest LibriVox recordings to my patrons because they're free, transferable/transportable, and you can preview several different narrators prior to selecting which version of the audiobook you'd like to listen to. I often find that background music can be terribly distracting for audiobook listeners, although some patrons do tell me that they listen to soft, light music in the background in addition to their audiobook.

Some unique appeal factors for audiobooks can include the option of multiple narrators, if the title is a full cast production, or if the book is read by the author. The actual appeal terms for the performance of the narrator and his or her style, such as if the narrator sounds youthful or has a deep voice, can also be considered.

Pacing is often substantially different for an audiobook compared to a print edition of the same title - I remember when I first read the last Harry Potter book: I probably read the last 200 pages in an hour, racing to get to the end, whereas with an audiobook this wouldn't have been possible (although you can often change the speed at which the audio is played, such as 1.5x, 2.5x, etc.)

One issue that arises is that some titles aren't available to public libraries in audiobook format - or are unavailable in digital audiobook format. If a title is available in digital audiobook format, it might be available only for specific devices (WMA vs. MP3, etc.) I was pleased to discover at the PLA conference a few weeks ago that NoveList will soon be incorporating audiobooks into their collection, which can help greatly with RA services!

With eBook RA, the format plays an important aspect in recommending titles to patrons. Devices that use e-ink are often found to be very similar to reading the print of a physical book, although the weight and flipping through paper and feeling the edges of a book against your skin or the smell of an older, musty book simply aren't there. Screen resolution, personalization preferences, such as background color, brightness, screen size, font size, font face, colors, etc., all play a part in patron preferences, as well. One point to share with patrons is that the book can be read horizontally or vertically, and can be adjusted for large type for disabled or visually impaired patrons. If a patron has arthritis or another disability, will they be comfortable holding a device?

It's often frustrating for patrons to figure out how much of the book they have left to read: OverDrive read, Adobe Digital Editions, Kindle, and many other platforms inform patrons how many pages of the book are left while they read - but depending on font sized and other factors, this number can change dramatically, and it's just not the same as physically looking at a book and saying, "I still have ____ left" to read! eBook pacing can also be affected by how much text is actually displayed on the screen - the amount of text and its size and look can easily be changed, however.

If the book uses footnotes, images or other materials that require jumping through the book, will an eBook be appropriate for their purposes? It can be difficult to jump back and forth through a lengthy eBook if there aren't quick links included.

I think that RA services for eBooks and audiobooks will need to continually evolve as new devices and gadgets appear on the market, and their OS are updated. The platforms used, such as 3M, OverDrive, Kindle, epub, DRM, and all of these facets of the wonderful world of digital publishing and access to materials will also affect RA services.

Fantasy Annotation

Author: Robert C. Cargill

Title: Dreams and Shadows

ISBN: 9780062190420

Genre: Fantasy fiction; Adult books for young adults; Urban fantasy fiction

Publication Date: February 2013

Number of Pages: 416 p.

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Other Formats: eBook, audiobook

Geographical Setting: Austin, Texas, USA; Limestone Kingdom (magical realm located outside of Austin, Texas)

Subject Headings:

Parallel universes

Interdimensional travel

Wizards

Magic

Technology

Fairies

Musicians


Plot Summary: Dreams and Shadows introduced us to many characters, including those of Ewan Thatacher and Colby Stevens. Ewan was cruelly kidnapped as an infant and replaced by a doppleganger - a changeling named Knocks. Ewan is raised in a fairy realm (in Austin, Texas) called the Limestone Kingdom. A young neglected boy - Colby Stevens - encounters a djinn (a genie) in the Texas woods, and makes a wish to see all that there is to see - including meeting a fairy, who turns out to be Ewan. While the two boys and the djinn meet in the fairy kingdom, Colby discovers that Ewan is to be sacrificed, and takes it upon himself to rescue Ewan from his unfortunate fate.

Appeal


Pacing: Meandering

Story: Intricately plotted; World-building

Characters: Multiple points of view; quirky characters

Setting: Detailed setting; sense of place

Language: Lyrical; narrative

Tone: Bleak; Dramatic; Violent

Graphic Meter: Graphic violence

Writing Style: Richly detailed


Read-Alikes (Fiction and Nonfiction)

Fiction –

The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue

Reason for Suggestion: These novels recount stories of changelings and humans who interact in their parallel but very different worlds. Dreams and Shadows is a darker and faster-paced story, while The Stolen Child, though it has plenty of action, is more pensive. -- Katherine Johnson

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Reason for Suggestion: If you enjoy fantasy that features contemporary teens and young adults who get involved with magical realms, you'll want to try both these compelling, gritty novels. -- Katherine Johnson

From the Corner of His Eye by Dean R. Koontz

Reason for Suggestion: These books are Violent and Intricately plotted, and they share: the genre 'Adult books for young adults' and the subject 'Parallel universes'.

Nonfiction –

So You Created a Wormhole: A Time Traveler’s Guide to Time Travel by Phil Hornshaw

Provides novices with the rules of time travel, including why wormholes are not the safest way to travel, things you shouldn't say when meeting your future or past versions of yourself, and how to avoid "spaghettification."

Faery Tale: One Woman’s Search for Enchantment in a Modern World by Signe Pike

Details the true story of one woman's international quest for the elusive magical faeries whose stories sparked her childhood imagination, a pilgrimage that took her through Mexico, England, Ireland, Scotland and New York.

Magic: A Very Short Introduction by Owen Davies

A wide-ranging overview of how magic has been defined, understood and practiced over the millennia introduces it in today's world as a real force that helps people overcome misfortune, poverty and illness.

Read a Preview Here: http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Shadows-C-Robert-Cargill/dp/0062190423

User Reviews from GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15818357-dreams-and-shadows

When Nonfiction Goes Bad

Weight-loss and self-help books are tricky. Many of us have been sucked in by alluring, unbelievable titles and claims from nonfiction books - lose 10 pounds in 10 days! The Fast Metabolism Diet! The Blood Type Diet! These books, and their typically svelte, attractive authors, have been huge sellers over the past few decades. At the library where I work, these types of books seem to be endlessly on hold.

Take for example the case of Kevin Trudeau. Were you one of the unlucky readers who shelled out nearly $30 for one of the 850,000+ copies of Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About? Trudeau's 2007 nonfiction diet plan seemed too good to be true - and when it was revealed he has absolutely no medical training, a huge backlash ensued - including a lawsuit. U.S. District Court Judge Robert W. Gettleman ruled that Trudeau “clearly misrepresents in his advertisements the difficulty of the diet described in his book, and by doing so, he has misled thousands of consumers.” On Monday, nearly seven years after the release of the book, he was sentences to serve ten years in prison (http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/17/justice/illinois-pitch-man/.)

So, the question arises - how do you perform RA services for these types of materials? How would you respond if you had a patron inquire about this book - or your opinion - on this title? When you look at user ratings, such as those found on Amazon, the book is only listed as having 2/5 stars - but the sales ranking listed the book at #16 on the Amazon Bestsellers list when it was initially released.

Despite having 3/5 stars on GoodReads (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/681.Natural_Cures_They_Don_t_Want_You_to_Know_about), reviews are ALL over the place. While one reader claims that this book is a 'must read,' yet another states adamantly that it is 'the biggest pile of poo I have encountered in a long time.' Would you feel it ethical to recommend a book without telling a patron about the controversy surrounding it?

Booktalks

Creating these booktalks has allowed me to explore a creative side of myself - and I really enjoyed it! At times, it was extremely frustrating, and there was much yelling at and throwing of devices and books alike!

I have to be honest: I do a lot of video work in my professional library job. I create all of the video tutorials for my library, and I typically use Final Cut/Camtasia to create or edit videos. I have a fantastic professional stand mic, a sound box, and some pretty nice equipment to work with. That being said...I didn't think it would be fair to take advantage of that equipment, and I also thought it would be interesting to see what options are out there that are low cost or free for patrons and for librarians alike. I know that I'm extremely lucky, and that small, rural or budget constrained libraries might not have funding to afford specialized software and equipment just to make videos.

I've been very interested in the concept of digital booktalks for the past few months. I think that as more of our patrons move from the use of our physical space to using more (or just) or digital resources, a way to directly reach readers would be to offer digital book talks and interactive, online book discussions through the library's website. I decided to create 2-3 digital booktalks and 1 traditional book talk to see how viewers respond differently to 'digital' booktalks - booktalks with narration, images of book covers and scenes from the books, as opposed to the traditional book talk where the viewer is greeted by a friendly, smiling librarian. (Hopefully they're smiling!)

The digital booktalks seem to be more like book trailers than traditional booktalks. I think they could be very useful as teasers for getting patrons interested in coming to longer book discussions or programs. The digital aspect of all of the videos I created made it difficult to imagine a room full of patrons listening - or not listening! - to the booktalk. I think there's a narrow line between an online video book review and a book talk. You really have to sell the book, the author, and/or the plot without coming off as disingenuous or pushy. It's also difficult to make the talk interesting/funny/creative without coming off as too ridiculous or bizarre. Depending upon the audience, dressing up as a wizard when discussing Harry Potter could REALLY be the hook that could get a reader interested in a title; with the wrong audience, it could end up with the librarian being ridiculed. When I asked several RA librarians at my library if they ever dressed up or used props (aside from the book itself) for a book talk, discussion or program, NONE of them said they had actually dressed up, used voices (accents, etc.) or props. I was really surprised!

I played around with adding music to several of my videos, but found that using background music throughout the videos was too distracting for viewers after having several friends and family members viewing the videos. I focused on a plot summary (with cliffhanger) for Death Comes to Pemberley. This was a book that I truly enjoyed, and it was recently turned into a TV miniseries by the BBC. I was able to incorporate several screenshots and images from the television adaptation in the digital booktalk. One of my friends said she felt that having real actors/characters represented in the talk made her want to read the actual book more. One issue that I know could arise with digital booktalks and use of images is copyright - I couldn't post these videos to my library's website without permission from BBC and other copyright holders for several of the images I used, which is a huge issue! The Thirteenth Tale was also turned into a television special in December of this past year, and I used images from the film version, as well. For the booktalk of this novel, I used a first-person, character/mood based style of talk that included actual passages of the book woven in from the main character's perspective.

Some of the tech/content issues I encountered included:

• Poor sound quality recording with an iPhone 4
• Poor sound quality recording with an iPhone 5
• Better, but still poor sound quality recording directly through my MacBook Pro
• Discovering that I don't have iMovie installed, and it's $14.99....
• Discovering that my Animoto account ($5/month) doesn't allow users to include video clips longer than 10 seconds
• Trying to get my iPhone hooked up to a tripod
• Splicing video in a phone app
• Harkening back to freshman undergrad speech class - it's extremely difficult to not come off as being overly rehearsed and 'fake' while still trying to emphasize your key points in a clear, concise manner!
• Not a tech issue but actually a blessing - if you haven't played around with the basic YouTube video editor, let me tell you, it has a surprising amount of advanced features that you would find in a more expensive video editor, such as the ability to add transitions and pan and zoom! Best part - absolutely free!
• Video time - if I were to include several books in one video clip, I know from experience that many viewers won't/don't want to sit through a 6-9-12 minute video! Breaking up the talks into shorter videos can also allow them to stream/download faster for mobile users or those with slow Internet speeds. 

Watch my booktalks below!!

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
http://animoto.com/play/LVad4iHHF18bML0vj85bEw

The Vanishing by Wendy Webb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piVzE5wtNgo&edit=vd

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
http://animoto.com/play/Dym2b2f2QPyVdDlVjeKEEA

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro
http://animoto.com/play/YNYrkMRstu0bpd0E8WG46A