Prompt Wk. 16

I used to travel by bus with my sister each Saturday to our local library. It was a Carnegie library and I loved to walk up the marble stairway to the children’s department. I still have my first library card. Reading was my primary hobby and I took my visits to the library seriously. There were fewer activities and sports offered in the 60’s and 70’s, particularly for girls. Today, there are many more demands on children’s free time and reading sometimes takes a back seat. Each week I chose several books from the shelves and then waited for my sister who was browsing in the young adult area. At that time, young adult books were housed on the first floor next to the adult section.  Besides a quieter atmosphere, the function of the library was also quite different from libraries today. It was primarily a repository for books.

Today libraries are striving to be the hub and center of the community as well as an information resource.  There are programs for every age level that strive to satisfy many different interests.   It is the destination for those needing computer access, tax forms or assistance researching their family ancestry. 

A major difference in library services today is that libraries serve each individual’s unique needs on their own terms. Accessing library resources today does not have to take place in the physical building. Library patrons can check out e-books from home. Materials can be renewed, holds can be placed, and the library catalog can be viewed all from the comfort of home. At the same time, the library can be a community center and a destination. Children and teens can attend a variety of programs or just hang out with their friends. Instructional classes are held as well as a variety of book clubs. While readers may not be as dependent on open library hours to have access to books, they may seek out the library to be their 'third place.'

I think reading for pleasure may increase in the future because of so many varied formats now available. So many readers, both young and old, enjoy and often prefer the feel of a paper book in their hands, so I would not expect print books to disappear.I think different formats will coexist, each filling a niche for readers.   The abundance of different options may allow many nontraditional readers to become readers. Audio books may appeal to those who previously did not feel they had the time to read or who just prefer the auditory component for a variety of reasons. Readers can now listen to their book while driving to work or walking. E-books are often a more convenient option and digital formats will likely increase in popularity. While I anticipate there will continue to be varied reading formats to be available, I would not expect reading for pleasure to decline. I hope that just the opposite will happen.

Week 15 Prompt

Librarians market their fiction collection in an effort to grab the attention of patrons as well as to offer suggestions to their readers. Sometimes patrons are looking for these suggestions. Sometimes they may be coming to the library for a specific item, but if the fiction collection is marketed well, a new author or genre may be discovered and additional books may circulate. Marketing the library’s fiction collection occurs inside the library, but also through the library’s website and through social media.  Increasingly there are many tools that can market the collection while taking little staff time.

Sometimes it is difficult for readers to choose a book from the stacks, particularly if a specific title is not on their radar.  Eye catching displays can attract a reader’s to a smaller selection of books. In my library, there is presently little space for book displays. The tops of shelves are usually the only spots that can be earmarked for displays. Although I work in the youth services department, many of the same ideas would be effective elsewhere in the library. Often we’ll target a specific author, award winners or sometimes even a particular color to use in a book display. Near Valentine’s Day our book display was quite eclectic with only red books.  Both new and older books were displayed; many of them books that had not been checked out in months. Having them featured in a display increased their visibility and resulted in increased circulation. Displays should catch the attention of every visitor to the library if they are well done.  This is where it really pays off to have an artistic staff member! 

Often patrons will appreciate learning about a specific genre, a subject or author but are hesitant to seek the attention of the librarian. Read-alike bookmarks and annotated book lists are effective ways to market the fiction collection, both while the patron is visiting the library and later at home. Bookmarks and book lists should be placed in a prominent location, such as near a circulation or reference desk.  An additional benefit to this kind of marketing is that it can reach outside the library walls as they can be dispersed to family and friends.   

Book trailers, shown on a screen either near a circulation desk or in an open area that is not reserved for quiet study or reading can be a good way to market the fiction collection.  Staff members can volunteer to make book trailers on a rotating basis of new books in a favorite genre or by a favorite author.  This is also an inexpensive way to catch the attention of readers to new titles.

Week 14 Prompt

Deciding on the shelf location of materials in the library is often not an easy task. In fact placement often feels arbitrary. There is often more than one shelving location for a book. 

The particular demographics of the community are important to consider in making shelving determinations. What may be appropriate for a library in one community may not be appropriate in a different community. The questions posed concerning where GBLTQ books or the works of African American authors should be placed in the library are more difficult to answer, although for different reasons.

A separate shelving location for these materials could easily offend library patrons. Many African American authors write in more than one genre. One example provided in this week’s readings is Toni Morrison. Should all of her books be kept in one location that is devoted to African American authors ?  Since this kind of decision would cut across all genres, the result could cause confusion among library patrons.  Rather than helping readers find books, it would cause the opposite to occur. African American authors write in many different genres as do authors of every race and nationality. To group the works of African American authors in a separate section seems arbitrary.

The case of GBLTQ materials raises different issues. Although I do not think GBLTQ materials should be shelved separately in most instances, I think the community demographics also play a key role in this decision. My community is quite conservative and patrons interested in checking out a book may be more hesitant or uncomfortable if there is a separate shelving location. This is especially true for younger patrons who may not want their peers seeing them browsing a shelf that is solely reserved for books with a GBLTQ theme. The same patron may feel more relaxed selecting the book from the fiction shelf. More conservative patrons may be vocal about their opposition to a separate area housing GBLTQ material, although these concerns may not be voiced if there is not a separate location.

In addition, by placing books on a separate shelf, they are not being found on the shelf where they would characteristically be found. Our library cannot afford more than one copy of most books. If the only copy is shelved with other GBLTQ books or books of an African American author, then it will not be found with other mysteries, fiction or science fiction works. While some readers will have no trouble finding a particular book regardless of its location, many others will never discover a book they may have enjoyed. For example, a reader searching for a new mystery author may not find a book if it is not on the mystery shelf.   

 Why does a book appeal to a reader? Is it because it is a great work of science fiction or is it because the author is African American? I would be interested in the opinions of some authors on this subject.

However, there are ways to highlight these books other than a separate shelving location. Annotated booklists and read-alike bookmarks would draw attention to these materials. Strategically placed near circulation desks or by the stacks, this form of Readers’ Advisory would aid readers in finding books that would appeal to them.  Book displays are another way to highlight specific sections of the collection, such as GBLTQ materials or the books of African American authors. In this manner, the library can better assist all readers.

Week 13 Prompt

As librarians, we have the responsibility to provide for the reading interests of our patrons. We aim to fulfill each reader’s needs, without judgment. We should also be marketing our materials in such a way as to highlight our collection so that readers will easily find both materials they are actively searching for as well as materials they may be interested in if easily found.  This may mean creating a display of New Adult books or of graphic novels in a location that will be visible to adult readers. Bookmarks or posters that list current YA titles could also be placed in the Adult department as these readers frequently check out Young Adult materials.  

When providing readers’ advisory to children and teens in the library, I’m aware of the importance of finding the ’right’ book, one that they’ll enjoy and cause them to return for more, thus igniting a lifelong love of reading. Often a parent will complain that their child will only read comic books, graphic novels or a book such as Dork Diaries or Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Sometimes I am asked, ‘what real book could I recommend that may catch their interest.’ Reading for pleasure should always be just that, for pleasure. I have noted to more than one patron that the current Director of our library developed a love of reading as a child by reading comic books and books about super heroes.

Graphic novels have gained in popularity in recent years for every age group, including adults. Many adult readers seek graphic novels based on the subject matter or based on the particular artistic style. Because this format has become so popular, it is important that librarians’ collection development practices reflect this trend through collection development as well as the manner in which this collection is marketed. 

Young Adult novels are frequently checked out by adult patrons, sometimes for a child to read, but often to read themselves. On more than one occasion, one of my teenagers have read a YA book that appealed to me and I then chose  to read. I read a great deal of Young Adult novels, partially so that I may better suggest titles for patrons, but mostly because they appeal to me.  YA novels may appeal to adults for a variety of reasons. The pacing is often fast and many young adult books are a quick read. Although the tone may be dark and the subject matter intense, the amount of violence and sexual content is generally less than in many adult novels.

New Adult books deal with topics such as marriage, new job, college and independence from parents, and generally appeal to readers who are just beyond the teen years. Often books whose characters are going through a particular stage in life will appeal to readers who are experiencing similar circumstances. As a middle aged reader, I often enjoy books whose characters are in the same stage of life as I am and may be encountering similar issues, such as adult children and the prospect of an empty nest in the near future.  It is not surprising that adults in their early and mid twenties would seek out books whose characters are experiencing circumstances similar to their own.  Although not a separate genre, titles that fall into this category could be grouped together in a display or listed on a read-alike handout available nearby.  When listing newly acquired library materials on the library’s website or in a library newsletter, it may be easier for patrons to become aware of titles they might enjoy, but might not normally find easily on the shelves in the adult department, such as a YA novel.

Graphic novels, YA literature and New Adult should be actively promoted in the library simply because these appeal to our patrons.