Prompt Week 16

Both of our readings this week talk about the culture of reading and the future of the book. So I have two questions for you as readers, pulling on your own experiences and all of the readings we have done over the semester: First, how have reading and books changed since you were a child, for you specifically?

The biggest change I have seen for me personally, is the growth of Young Adult Fiction. When I "graduated" from the Children's Section of the library there wasn't a teen section. I moved straight from children's fiction to adult fiction. As an adult I really value the growth of this genre and what is provides for our youth.

Second, talk a little about what you see in the future for reading, books, or publishing - say 20 years from now. Will we read more or less, will our reading become more interactive? What will happen to traditional publishing? This is  a very free-form question, feel free to wildly extrapolate or calmly state facts, as suits your mood!

I believe all reading will be done electronically for a couple of reasons. First, publishing books electronically and not on paper saves an immense amount of resources. This includes paper, energy and much more. Secondly, the transfer of data will be much more efficient, a book could go through the publishing process much quicker.

I can also see people that struggle with reading getting more assistance through audio and a learning/teaching feature opening up reading to many more people. I think technology will also allow books to be easily translated into other languages as well.

I could see the addition of virtual reality to reading making it an immersive experience. I think many readers would enjoy being able to experience the World of Harry Potter or Star Wars for instance. I look forward to seeing what the future brings to reading.

Prompt Week 15

What do you think are the best ways to market your library's fiction collection? Name and describe three ways you do or would like to market your library or your future library's fiction. These can be tools, programs, services, displays - anything that you see as getting the word out.

Social Media would be the first tool/program I would use. I think with today’s society it is important to have a presence on social media. I would like to post new additions to the library’s collection, reading lists that correspond with what is currently popular (such as TV shows or movies), advertise programs such as book clubs, and and promote seasonal reads. I would utilize, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

I would utilize displays to increase circulation of fiction books. I would primarily have themed displays that relate to the season, holidays, subgenres, TV shows and more. The display needs to be eye catching and constantly checked to see if additional books need to be added for patrons to check out.

I would also use programs to market my fiction collection. I would like to offer some themed book clubs, such as Mysteries, YA for Adults, Romance, and Book to Movie. I also think having some kind of program for when a much anticipated release comes out would be a good way to promote a part of the collection.

Week 14 Prompt

Consider yourself part of the collection management committee of your local library, or a library at which you would like to work. You must decide whether or not to separate LGBTQ fiction and African American Fiction from the general collection to its own special place. Some patrons have requested this, yet many staff are uncomfortable with the idea - saying it promotes segregation and disrupts serendipitous discovery of an author who might be different from the reader. Do you separate them? Do you separate one and not the other? Why or why not? You must provide at least 3 reasons for or against your decision. Feel free to use outside sources - this is a weighty question that is answered differently in a lot of different libraries.

The first time I read this prompt I was leaning towards labeling these sub-genres in a similar manner to the way we label a mystery or romance. However, upon further thought I have decided not to separate these from the general collection. Instead I would like to create bookmarks and booklists to help those who are not familiar with the authors locate them.

I made this decision for a couple of reasons.

1. A label is never going to perfectly identify an object or person. The LGBTQ society is all about recognizing that people don’t always fit into the “norm”, so why should be try to label them?
2. My second reason is that once you start labeling more specifically where do you decide to draw the line? I think labeling these sub-genres would open up many more issues in the library.
3. I believe patrons that are checking out books generally read the synopsis and a reader can get a good idea of whether the book would fit into these guidelines. For readers who are not familiar with these sub-genres, this is where bookmarks, displays and reading lists come into play.
4. A big theme in library studies is that a library or librarian does not censor. If we are separating these books from the general collection it feels like that is censorship.

Including these sub-genres in regular themed book displays is important as well. These genres will include themes such as romance, suspense, redemption and much more, so be sure to always try to include these in your choices.

This quote states it perfectly.

This article really fit this theme in my opinion and had a similar line of thinking. 

https://scroll.in/article/804094/why-we-dont-and-why-we-do-need-a-lgbtq-label-for-fiction

Janice Pariat. "Why we don’t (and why we do) need a LGBTQ label for fiction." Scroll.in. 3 Jan. 2017. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.

Week Thirteen Prompt - Adults Reading YA

Though this week's group of "genres" all seem very different, they all have in common the fact that many people don't feel that they are legitimate literary choices and libraries shouldn't be spending money on them or promoting them to adults. The common belief is that adults still don't or shouldn't read that stuff. How can we as librarians, work to ensure that we are able to serve adults who enjoy YA literature or graphic novels? Or should we?

I find this a very interesting topic, especially considering I primarily read YA Fiction.

   

There is a great article that was featured in The Guardian that also addresses this topic, I highly recommend it. The article also states “A survey in 2012 showed that 55% of YA readers are actually adults”. As I have taken classes for my degree in Library Science I have learned that I am definitely not the only adult that reads this genre and the article coincides with that thought. The article gives many reasons for why this genre is so popular for all ages.

Why are so many adults reading YA and teen fiction?

I personally think the Harry Potter series attracted many adults to the genre to begin with, followed by the Hunger Games and Divergent. These stories all feature another world and allow the readers to use their imagination while reading. The storyline in all of these is also one of good vs. evil, a classic.

Another reason that I believe this genre is more popular is because it doesn’t totally focus on sex or violence. These topics might be referenced or featured but it doesn’t consume the story or go into graphic detail. I believe more attention is given to the characters, story line and world building as a result making it so popular.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with adults reading YA fiction, as long as they are reading. Everyone is entitled to their own preferences and that definitely should include choice of genre. During our studies this semester I have also seen book clubs focused on adults that read YA, and I know I would love to participate in one! Pinterest if full of recommendations for adults that enjoy YA!

Georgina Howlett (Britishbiblioholic). "Why are so many adults reading YA and teen fiction?." the Guardian. 24 Feb. 2015. Web. 9 Apr. 2017.

YA Annotation - Everything, Everything

  
Title: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Date Published: 9/01/2015
Setting: California & Hawaii
Pages: 310

Maddy hasn't been outside of her house in seventeen years because she has a very rare disease, SCID (Severe Combined Immunodeficiency). The only people she has any contact with are her Mother and her nurse, she handles this with ease until a family moves in next door. The family has two children, one of them is a handsome teenager named Olly. Maddy soon becomes obsessed watching him from her window, and they soon establish an online friendship. Maddy knows she is falling in love with him, but will she survive it?

Young adult fiction is typically written for ages 12-18 and the main character will be within in that age range as well. This genre deals with contemporary issues and experiences while having characters that teens can relate to, and uses contemporary language. The issues faced in this book are lying, abuse, health, and parent relationships.

I chose this book because I often feel like I am allergic to the outside world because of all my allergies and was able to empathize with the character. I like that the main character was an Afro-Asian girl, more books need to feature characters that represent the different ethnicities in our country. Based on the reviews I have read most people either love it or hate it. I don't hate the book but I also don't think it is very realistic.


The book has been made into a movie and will be released May 19th. I am looking forward to the movie because Amandla Stenberg is playing Maddy, for those that don't know she played Rue in the Hunger Games. I can't wait to see how closely it follows the book.

Read Alikes:
The books all feature a character that deals with some type of illness.

             

                      














These options feature multi-racial characters. Everything, Everything does not focus on the fact that the main character is multi-racial; however, I feel that it is important to promote these books.

Readers Advisory Matrix - Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas

Readers Advisory Matrix - Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas

1. Where is the book on the narrative continuum? This is a graphic novel and reads like narrative nonfiction.
2. What is the subject of the book? The book looks at the study of primates and three female scientists that made major breakthroughs in this area.
3. What type of book is it? Graphic narrative nonfiction novel
4. Articulate Appeal

1. What is the pacing of the book? The pacing is quick, this might be in part due to it being a graphic novel.
2. Describe the characters of the book. The story focuses on Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall and Birute Galdikas and how they ended up in the field studying primates. All three of the women had many things in common. They were all very intelligent and dedicated to their work.
3. How does the story feel? Though these ladies experienced many trials and tribulations during their time the story focuses on the good.
4. What is the intent of  the author? To educate about the breakthroughs these women made in their field.
5. What is the focus of the story? Louis Leakey found these women and helped secure funding for their research, he was positive that women would make greater strides with primates than men, Goodall studies chimps, Fossey studied gorillas and Galdikas studies orangutans.
6. Does the language matter? Yes, it is written in language everyone can understand. As an introductory book on the topic, it is important that a layperson be able to understand the words used.
7. Is the setting important and well described? The setting is very important, the scientists studied the primates in their habitat. Good descriptions are given and graphics also add to the details about the habitat.
8. Are there details and, if so, of what? There are details about how each scientist worked hard to get close to the different kind of primates, their habitats and their discoveries.
9. Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear? It is a graphic novel so there are plenty of pictures, there aren’t any charts to support the story.
10. Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding and experience? The book focuses on these three things and on the breakthroughs the women made in the study of primates.
5. Why would a reader enjoy this book.
1. Rate appeal.
1. Great graphics
2. Good story
3. Educational

Week 11 Prompt

Ebooks and audiobooks are a part of our landscape. What does the change in medium mean for appeal factors?

I love Ebooks and Audiobooks, this is how I get my reading in as a full time teacher, Mom of two and a grad student. If it wasn't for these options I wouldn't be able to keep up with my favorite authors or make progress on my very long To Read list.

If you can't hold a book and feel the physical weight of it in your hands, how does that affect your knowledge of the genre? How about readers being able to change the font, line spacing, and color of text - how does that affect pacing and tone?

I have a Kindle Paperwhite and know of people that use a Nook. I prefer Kindle over Nook because I have an Amazon account and they work well together. I first went with Ebooks in 2011 because of the cheaper cost and I am running out of room for books in my house! (I am horrible at returning books to the library and always end up with fines) This is actually my third Kindle, I think they are very user friendly and recommend them to everyone.

I like the portability of my Kindle, I always carry a book with me just in case I have the opportunity to read. My Kindle is much easier to carry with me everywhere and it stays charged for a long time. I don’t particularly miss the feel of holding a physical book though I know some people do. I don’t have a problem seeing close up but I know some people do, so the ability to change  the font style and size enables the reader not to have to purchase or check out a large print book.

How about audiobooks? Track length, narrator choice, is there music?  

I have listened to audiobooks for many years, I have books on cassette and cd. I have used Audible to purchase audiobooks for a couple years now. I typically listen to audiobooks while driving in the car, I drive 30 minutes to work five days a week. Audible is a subscription service run through Amazon, I pay a monthly fee that gives me a book credit, I save money by using this service versus paying per book. The narrator can make or break a story. Jim Dale and Gerard Doyle are my favorite narrators, Jim Dale narrated Harry Potter and Gerard Doyle narrated The Hunger Games among many others. In a series I find it much easier to follow the characters and more enjoyable when the same person narrates the entire series. I also prefer to have one narrator versus a male and female narrator switching back and forth between characters.

The nice thing about both formats is my local library uses Overdrive, a service that allows you to check out Ebooks and audiobooks. This service comes with my library card. There is usually a waiting list for the more popular items so it requires patience, but the savings do add up and its a great option when trying out new authors.

Western Annotation - The Revenant

Title: The Revenant
Author: Michael Punke
Publisher: Picador
Date Published: January 6th, 2015
Pages: 272
Time Period: 1820s

The Revenant is based on a true life story of trapper Hugh Glass. Set in the 1820s this is a story of revenge, betrayal and retribution. Working as a scout for a trapping expedition Glass encounters a grizzly bear and it looks as though he will not survive his wounds. Against all odds Glass survives but the lengths to which he goes to accomplish this are true examples of perseverance and revenge. 

The Revenant was made into a movie and debuted in 2015. The movie starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy and Will Poulter. IMDB gave the movie 8/10 stars and earned a 76/100 from Metacritic. 

Westerns take place in the American West and descriptions of the landscape are of vital importance to the story. This genre focuses more on action and description than dialogue. This is a story of good vs. evil and at times forgiveness. Vengeance and resolution are key themes in a western and the main character, a male, is bigger than life. 

I chose this book because I had heard of the movie and that it was quite successful. I did not have high expectations for this genre. I enjoyed the descriptions of the landscape immensely and wish I could have seen it unspoiled as Hugh Glass and Jim Bridger did. I appreciated the historical references as I don't know a lot about this time period. This book really helps you get a sense of the rough lifestyle the trappers endured. I don't think this genre is growing, I think die hard fans are keeping it alive.

Read-alikes:

Historical Fiction Annotation

The Secret Wife

By: Gill Paul

Published: August 25, 2016

Publisher: Avon

Pages: 417

Genre: Historical Fiction

Period: WW1 and Present

Summary:

This novel is a blend of two stories from very different eras and how they are connected. The story during the WW1 era focuses on Dmitri Malama and Duchess Tatiana and their forbidden romance. We eventually come to understand their connection to the main character, Kitty. The present day portion focuses on Kitty as she learns of her husband’s infidelity and flees to a cabin she recently inherited from a relative she knew nothing about. Kitty restores the cabin and searches for information about her great grandfather and what caused him to live in this secluded cabin estranged from family.

Genre:

This historical fiction novel focuses on Duchess Tatiana and the rest of the royal family. Due to the many theories about whether all members of the family truly died; there is a dedicated following already in place for this story. The story provides a wealth of information about life in Russia, the royal family, and other historic events. The author did a wonderful job including these in the story without including too much information. The novel flows at a leisurely pace following the main characters lives.

Read-alikes:

These historical fiction novels feature the Romanov Family.

This Nonfiction choice provides a very close look at the Romanov Family.

These Historical Fiction choices are written in a similar style to that of the author.

Book Club Experience

Book Club

I am part of a book club at my school that consists of 8-10 female teachers. The school librarian organized this at the beginning of the year. At our first meeting, we discussed what type of books we wanted to read and we agreed that we wanted to choose books that were made into a movie, books that were not overly depressing, and books that were realistic. We communicate through email and the librarian will send out a google form for us to choose our top picks for our next book.

The first book that was read is The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach. Some teachers used paperbacks provided by the library and others used e-readers. The group was given a month to read the book prior to meeting to discuss it and watch the movie. We met in the library after school, the librarian had provided snacks and arranged the comfy chairs in front of a projector screen we could watch the movie on. The atmosphere was one of friends talking and relaxing together away from the stress of teaching.

All attendees were excited to discuss the book and watch the movie. The librarian asked some probing questions about topics addressed in the book and everyone had the chance to respond and talk about their opinions. One member did dominate much of the conversation and one did not speak much, the librarian did a good job of moderating and trying to give everyone a chance to participate. Considering that all of the members work together and know each other pretty well everyone felt comfortable enough to give their honest opinions about the book and movie.

We watched the movie as a group and enjoyed it immensely. After the movie, most of the discussion revolved around the major differences in the book and the movie and everyone’s opinion on this. We thought there were many significant changes from the book to the movie, but that the changes made the movie work. The movie was nominated for many awards and was considered a box office hit.

I had seen the movie before reading the book and found the book hard to get into because I was constantly comparing it to the movie and thus did not finish it. I found all of the different characters interesting and their backstories were provided in the book giving you more insight to each of them. I loved the movie and some of my favorite actors star in it such as Maggie Smith and Judi Denche. I decided in the future to always try to read the book before watching the movie.
                                                                             

I have also joined the RW Book Club on Facebook, this is Reese Witherspoon’s book club that takes place on Facebook and Instagram. The discussion takes place on Facebook and the books are announced on Instagram. We are currently reading: The Dry by Jane Harper & The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. The discussions have not taken place yet, but the club members are very active and post frequently about what they are reading, looking for recommendations, and news about other books.

We are doing a March book exchange and all members that want to participate can. The theme of this exchange is "green." You may interpret this however you'd like (cover is green, the book is about money or flowers, etc). One of the admins of the group is organizing it and will send out who you are sending a book to on March 15th and all books need to be sent by March 31st.


I can’t wait to be a librarian full time and get to participate in more book clubs or help with one.