The CNF Librarian

Marketing the fiction collection can be done in many different ways, but I think if you really want to make a splash and get those items circulating, here are some ideas to get it done: Host an Author Fair Do you have any local authors in your area? Chances are, you probably do. They might be self-publishing or not well-known, but they still exist! Host an author fair and invite these people to talk about their work. Most authors will bring copies of their work for people to buy, but have the titles available for checkout as well. By visiting other author fairs or big library book events, you can find more authors who might be willing to come to your event as well. It never hurts to send a letter or an email to different writing agents, either! Contact publishers, contact agents, contact authors-- all of these are viable options to get these fiction writers into the library promoting their work--and, in turn, promoting your collection (that contains their work!). Maybe they'll s

My library is in a very conservative community, so I would recommend that we keep our GLBTQ and African American genre books integrated into the whole of the fiction collection. Currently, the only adult genres that are separate in my library are Mysteries, Westerns, Romance, and Graphic Novels. These are sections that have grown (Graphic Novels) or dwindled (Westerns) over the years, based on the community's interest. The interest in African American literature has grown, but the only reason I'm able to say this is that I've seen more holds placed on items in recent years than when I started. I don't see these particular authors browsed as much, though, so that is one reason I wouldn't separate them out. There are prolific authors whose books we purchase for the collection, and they tend to remain the popular choice (Terry McMillan, Eric Jerome Dickey). Other authors (aside from the classics) we don't tend to have as they haven't been in high demand in our

I'm a firm believer that we should provide access to these genres as well as the more "legitimate" genres. There are so many people that, even into adulthood, don't enjoy reading because of some reason or another---we shouldn't be limiting these people just based on what others deem appropriate. Ranganthan's 2nd law even says, "Every reader his (or her) book." If there's a reader who wants to read these genres, why on Earth would we stop them? The YA book club that I went to last month is held with this express purpose--Adults who read YA. No matter the reason, there is a demographic that needs to be served. There are award-winning titles in these genres that we only need take one look at and we can understand the literary merit of their titles. Look at Maus by Art Spiegelman in the graphic novels, or The Book Thief  by Marcus Zusak in YA. Two very different books dealing with historical subject matter that is able to introduce the Holocaust an

Carrier: Untangling the Danger in my DNA by Bonnie J. Rough Publication Date: 2010 - Berkeley, Counterpoint Page Count:  316 pages Geographic Setting: American West (Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska), Minnesota, Seattle Time Period: 1930s-1970s, 2005-2008 Subject Headings: Ectodermal dysplasia - Patients - Biography; Bonnie Rough - Health; Pregnancy - Diseases and Complications of Pregnancy Type: Biography - Memoir Summary: Bonnie Rough has a family legacy, but she never asked for it to be passed down to her. Bonnie is a carrier of Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia (HED), a genetic disorder that affects a person's hair and tooth growth, facial bone structure, and an inability to sweat. While the symptoms don't manifest for Bonnie herself, they did for her grandfather, Earl. Carrier  explores the struggles Earl faced in his life as Rough alternates narratives between herself and her grandfather, presenting his life's obstacles in tandem with her own as she an

The Readers' Advisory Matrix for Making Toast  by Roger Rosenblatt Where is the book on the narrative continuum? Highly narrative (reads like fiction) What is the subject of the book? Roger Rosenblatt's daughter Amy dies suddenly, and Roger and his wife move in with their son-in-law and young grandchildren in order to help themselves and the young family cope with the sudden loss. What type of book is it? Memoir Articulate appeal What is the pacing of the book? The book has a leisurely pace, but the stylistic choices of breaking the story into small vignettes allows it to be read quickly. Describe the characters of the book. Roger is the grieving father to Amy, the brilliant daughter. Roger's wife, Ginny, is the grandmother to Amy's children, and she feels strange trying to care for them in the role of their mother when she believed her mothering years were behind her. Harris, the husband and father left behind, is quiet in his grief, taking care of his fam

At the beginning, when ebooks were becoming readily available and everyone touted the power of their Kindle or Nook or Kobo reader--I stayed with the physical, printed page. I told people it was because I liked the feel of the book, liked the aesthetic of a physical bookshelf--but honestly? I couldn't afford an ereader, so I made up excuses for why I didn't want one. So, when my sister gave me a Kindle for my birthday one year, I was still holding onto those ideas in my mind and barely used it. I started using it for college classes when the ebook was cheaper than the physical copy of some required reading. It was nice to be able to control the font size and the background color, although this was just the basic Kindle so there were only two options (black or white). This didn't really affect the pacing for me, though, as it was really just to prevent eye strain occasionally. Pacing, for me, doesn't have anything to do with font size. Is that a thing? I didn't kno