Week 12 Prompt

The non-fiction category I read the most is.... cookbooks!  I LOVE cookbooks! At our annual library book sale I have been known to purchases BOXES of them.  I will sit and read them like novels.  My favorites are "old timey" cookbooks that discuss recipes used in the early 1900s during war times and as well as church cookbooks!  Church potlucks typically have the BEST dishes and desserts so it is a a real "find" to me when a church compilation cookbook turns up that has the members favorite recipes included.  It may be a different take on non-fiction books, but recipe books are hot commodities in my library! 

Week 11 Prompt

Week 11 Prompt

Prompt:
EBooks and audiobooks are a part of our landscape. What does the change in medium mean for appeal factors? 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? How about audiobooks? Track length, narrator choice, is there music?  For this week, I want you to think about how eBooks and audiobooks affect appeal factors - also think about appeals that are unique to both mediums. 

As I read through, “A Sound History” article, I was thrown back to my childhood!  As a child of the 70’s, some of my earliest memories are sitting on the floor of my room with a record playing and following along with the book.  “Scooby doo”, Disney’s “Peter Pan”, “Mickey and the Beanstalk”… I spent HOURS listening to the stories and following along with the books.  I really didn’t think about that being my first exposure to “audiobooks”!  Then, when the 80’s rolled around, we had Teddy Ruxpin who used cassettes in his body to “read” to us as we followed along in the books.  Another version of “audiobooks” I had not thought about!  My older brother would put his KISS cassettes in Teddy Ruxpin and laugh as Teddy sang “Lick it Up!” as I cried because I didn’t want him to ruin Teddy!  It was fascinating to me to read about the evolution of audiobooks.  Through my life, I have experienced them from 8tracks to records to cassettes, from CDs to playaways, and now what I use the most, digital copies! 

I am going to use my personal experience with audiobooks and eBooks to address the reading prompts; I figure since I have used all of the forms in my life as well as over 11 years in the library setting, I can give pretty good feedback from experience! 

What does the change in medium mean for appeal factors?

I personally like that one book may be available in several mediums: print, large print, CD, Playaway and digital download (whether audio or eBook).  If a patron is flexible in how they consume a book, having all of the mediums increases our chances of finding the exact title requested.  I pretty much read all eBooks these days for a few reasons: I mainly read at bedtime to clear my mind and it is easier to read on my phone in the dark, I have many different routes to locate a book- Overdrive, Amazon, and Hoopla, I can download nearly any book in the world I would like at 2am, and I find it easier to browse for books in the “e” format.  I have used a combination of two mediums on a road trip- I listened to the CDs during the drive and switched to a printed book once I arrived.  I just picked up where the CD left off.  The more options available the better! 

As I was reading the “Reading with Your Ears” article, I really was shocked at the Listener Format Preferences section.  I have helped patrons for almost 11 years find books, audio included, and I have never had anyone ask the questions brought up:  length, narrator, pacing, etc.  I wonder if larger libraries actually get those kinds of questions?      

One observation with children and youth, many will check out the Playaway with the book, especially if they are struggling readers!  It is so much like me following along with a book as I listened to the record when I was a kid!  The different formats allow those who learn differently many options to choose from: visual learners, hands on learners, audio learners, and a combination of mediums.

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?

For me, it does not really change my knowledge.  I think because I have grown up with the changing mediums as they have happened, I have just adjusted as it went along.  When we introduced eBooks at our library, we would have training sessions on how to download books.  We actually overloaded our server and crashed Overdrive because we had so many people trying to download books at the same time.  It was when Kindle was not really supported and there were SO many steps involved and the Nook was the preferred ereader. 

As I was reading “E-Books and Readers’ Advisory”, it was interesting because that was a topic mentioned.  I have been working in my library all through the introduction of eBooks and how it has changed in such a short amount of time.  The only thing we really had to help people with was how to check out and download the books.  Now we rarely get any questions at all!  We have not really noticed much of a drop off of regular book circulation but have had yearly increases in eBooks.  It seems to have reached the demographic that does not come into the library much.  This was also discussed in the “The Wrong War Over eBooks” article.  The addition of eBooks helps to reach a brand new demographic!  There was a concern mentioned that borrowers were less likely to visit the library.  I have experienced the opposite!  Our eBook users are also heavy Facebook users.  We make sure to hit that demographic with our publicity so we are drawing more people than ever into the library to our programs.  Enough so that we are breaking ground on a $5 million dollar expansion in May to accommodate the increase in usage of the library as a place. 

How about readers being able to change the font, line spacing, and color of text - how does that affect pacing and tone?

When ereaders were first available, there were not many options to change font, spacing, and color.  Now that it is pretty much standard, we get a lot of positive feedback that it helps the older generation as well as anyone with eyesight issues.  They can change colors, spacing, and size to accommodate their own personal needs.  It really does not change how the book is interpreted; it seems to be the opposite.  The reader is able to change and adjust to make the book just right for him or her.  I like that instead of dragging or tapping to “turn” a page, I now have the option to scroll.  I prop up my phone while I am lying down and just a tiny touch will move the screen down.  In a world where we like everything instant and “order the way we want”… these new options really do include a whole new group of people that the traditional book does not work for. 

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

With audiobooks, there are also a lot of choices!  The first audiobook I ever purchased was “The Mist” by Stephen King which was a full on production in cassette tape format.  “The Mist” was my favorite short story by him and I was soooo excited as the audiobooks on cassette were available.  The narration was fully dramatized with sound effects, music, and different voices.  It was my first experience with an audiobook so I thought ALL audiobooks were like that! 

(Have to include an anecdote: when I was a kid in the 70s, I listened to Star Wars on an 8track tape!  Over and over I listened to it while I played with my hot wheels!  I knew every word and sound effect as it was a full on dramatic production as well!  I was a bit of a tomboy!  It is interesting to think of a movie in audio format as well!  Great for the hearing impaired!) 

What I really like with audiobooks, especially now, you can speed up the narration if you think the reading is too slow.  That helps with the length and pacing issue some people have.  It is great for the visually impaired as well!  Patrons just need to pay attention to those details when checking out audiobooks, especially digital downloads from our sites like Hoopla and Overdrive: the narrator, sound effects, length, etc.  I really like that audiobooks provide another avenue to absorb a story in a different sensory conductor.  In a world of being more inclusive, adding eBooks and audiobooks fit right in! 

Sources read:

• Cahill, M., & Moore, J. (2017). A Sound History. Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children, 15(1), 22–29. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier
• Dunneback, K., & Trott, B. (2011). E-books and Readers' Advisory. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 50(4), 325-9. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database.
• Mediatore, K. (2003). Reading with Your Ears: Readers' Advisory and Audio Books. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 42(4), 318-23. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database
• Vinjamuri, D. (2012). The wrong war over ebooks: Publishers vs. libraries. Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2012/12/11/the-wrong-war-over-ebooks-publishers-vs-libraries/

Is this the real life....

Fantasy

Great book and series!  I really enjoy her books!

What Would Jane Austen Read? Book Club Experience

I chose to visit a book club with the name: What Would Jane Austen Read?  The premise is to use your knowledge of Jane Austen and read books that she might find enjoyable in today’s day and age.  The book club is led by a member of the Public Library Board of Directors. The day I attended there were only 4 members present.  Each person is to read a book that fits the theme of the book club, then at each meeting discuss what they read and why.  The members do not read the same book, but instead try to interest each other in different books and viewpoints. 

For this meeting, they were to find a list on the internet that had to do with What Would Jane Austen Read? and choose a book from the list that they found.  I wrote down the title of the book, the website they used, and the list they chose from.  Later, I went back and did searches to find the links to include in my report.  They are included in the What Type of Questions Were Asked section below.

The following are my observations:

Who is asking the questions, is there a leader or do people take turns?

The leader of the group was the Board of Director’s lady.  She welcomed everyone and asked how their month was and how they were doing.  She had a casual conversation with them to ease everyone in to the meeting.  She leads the group every month.

If there is a leader, does the leader answer the questions as well or let the attendees respond first?

The group is pretty informal and she started off the discussion. There were no set questions each person went around the group and discussed what book they read, if they enjoyed it, and why they thought Jane Austen would enjoy it.  They did have a method this time of choosing their books this month.  They were to track down a list on the internet that had something to do with What Would Jane Austen Read? and choose a book from the list that interested them.  The other members of the group were Bre who loves horror novels, Carolyn who likes cozy mysteries, and Jill who reads anything.

What types of questions are asked? Any involving just yes or no answers?

The conversations were a lot of monologs. The most popular questions were if there was sex, strong language, or a lot of violence in the chosen books. 

The book choices were:

Cindy, Board of director’s lady:

She used Bookbub to choose her book this time.  There is a list called “13 New Books to Read if You Love Jane Austen”.  https://www.bookbub.com/blog/new-books-like-jane-austen

She chose a book called Belgravia by Julian Fellowes.  She loves Downton Abbey and the author is the creator of that series.  She enjoyed the book as she stated she enjoys reading books set in the early 1800s.  The characters were enjoyable and she recommended the book.   She thought Jane would enjoy reading it to see another side to the London society.  She also thought she would enjoy the character interactions with each other.

Bre who loves horror novels:

Bre chose: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.  (Everyone burst out laughing at the surprise of the book chosen.)  Bre laughed too and began her explanation.  She did not use a book list but she had heard about some of the mashups of taking books and giving them a horror twist.  She thought Jane might get a kick out of seeing Elizabeth Bennet as a “bad ass” zombie killer.  She answered a question that even though there was gore, a lot of the story was still close to the original.  Bre did enjoy it but she still likes more “horror” in her stories.

Carolyn who likes cozy mysteries:

She did a search for “cozy mysteries Jane Austen would like”.  She stumbled across an actual cozy mystery series called Jane Austen Mysteries which has 13 books in the series.  She was very excited to share her find as it gives her a new series to read.  She started with book 1, Jane and the unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, by Stephanie Barron.  She didn’t talk too much about the book itself, but more about that she was fascinated with the author actually using Jane herself as the title character.  She thought Jane would enjoy seeing herself as a sleuth. She chattered quite a while about her find.  She plans to read the rest of the series. 

Jill who likes to read anything:

Jill used Goodreads to choose a book.  She went to the list search and typed in Jane Austen.  She went with Best Jane Austen FanFiction.  https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/405.Best_Jane_Austen_FanFiction

She got excited when she found Austenland; she had watched the movie but did not realize it was based on a book.  She also was excited to find out it was a series.  (I was personally excited by this myself because I enjoyed the movie and didn’t know it was based on a book, either!)  But then she read the books… there we two in the series and while she enjoyed Austenland by Shannon Hale, she did not really enjoy the sequel; Midnight in Austenland. She was even more disappointed there were only two in the series.   So she had read both books but really enjoyed the first one more. 

After Austenland, the meeting went off the rails on a tangent of places people can go that feel like a book or a movie (Harry Potter at Universal, the Ice Castle Hotel that was just featured in a Hallmark movie, etc.)  This discussion went on about 20 minutes before the Director lady realized it was really time to finish up for the night.     

 

Do all attendees actively participate?

Yes, they all participated.  There were a couple of extra chatty members.

Do any attendees swoop in and steal all the spotlight?

Bre and Jill led the tangent on going to places that feel like the movie or book.  Although it was an entertaining conversation, it really excluded the other two and they looked a little frustrated as they started looking at their watches.  Finally, Cindy piped up and said they need to wrap it up. 

What is the atmosphere of the discussion, where is it taking place at?

The meeting took place in a small meeting room at Cindy’s library.  It looked like it might hold 12 people.  It was relaxed and there was room for people to feel like they had their own space.

Are snacks or drinks provided?

Members are encouraged to bring any snacks or drinks they would like.  In the meeting room, there is an option for a small donation to get bottled water, Keurig drinks, and microwave popcorn.

What types of books does this book club normally discuss?

The book club just really seemed to be what the members enjoyed and try to fit it into the category of what Jane Austen would read.  They actually did set an interesting challenge for the next meeting.  Since they found out there was a lot of Austen Fan Fiction out there, they decided to pick a book that fell into that category for the next meeting.

After reading the “Reads Well with Others” article, the book club I attended differs by the members reading books of their own choosing instead of everyone reading the same book.  Even though there is a general theme, the members could literally read anything they wanted to and make it fit into the theme.  At my library, I have formed a few friendships with authors on Facebook and one of them; she sent me several copies of her books, autographed for me to use as prizes and one set as a Christmas gift for me.  It might be fun to take her book, have a group of us read it, then do a Facetime with her unless we can talk her into visiting!  After reading this article, this is something I will put down in my Future Plans notes!

I also quickly compared the group I attended with the “Starting a Book Club” article.  There were ten main questions that it suggested the group use to start a club.  They nailed questions 1-8, I won’t go back and answer them as they are pretty well covered in the questions above.  The last two questions are where the group could make some changes:

Question 9: How does the group keep memories?  From what I could tell, no one took notes (except for me) and it didn’t seem like there was a way for members to track what they have read.

Question 10: How can the group give back to their community?  Since no money was taken in, there was not really a monetary way for them to give back.  I would suggest maybe trying the “all read the same book” and really promote it to the public.  Maybe everyone would read Sense and Sensibility then come and watch the movie and discuss!  I don’t know, just seems like that would be fun to me.

Until I read those articles, I had not really thought about having a structured group.  At my library, we have a private group that uses the meeting room for a book club but there is not a group sponsored by the library itself.  When I asked our Director, she said that group USED to be the library book club but they didn’t want just anyone to come so they decided to be a private group.  Maybe after our expansion is complete next year, I can try to revive it! Overall, I enjoyed the book club experience and may join one after my MLS is complete!

            Class Articles Referenced:

• Goldstein, Bill. (2005). Reads Well with Others. Publisher's Weekly, 252(21), 30-34. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database.
• Starting a Book Club. http://www.ilovelibraries.org/booklovers/bookclub/bookclub

Special Topics: 5 Reader's Advisory Websites

My library, since we are smaller and serve about 10,000 people, we have one circulation desk that doubles as reference.  Our circulation desk handles all of the reader's advisory questions that come in.  With us being a smaller, rural community, we get to know a lot of the patrons who come in and after awhile, we can start to see their reading pattern.  Our library, at this time, does not have any kind of customer service training or reader's advisory training.

My special topic choice was to find five, relatively easy to use reader's advisory websites, that I can provide for the ladies who work at the circulation desk on a regular basis.  We have two full-time employees who work there daily and then some of the staff rotates through in the evening or during lunch hours.  I chose 5 websites I can bookmark for them along with providing a simple explanation of how each website works. I wanted to choose options other than Goodreads or a Google search.

The five I chose are:

1. What Should I Read Next?  https://whatshouldireadnext.com/index.php
2. All Readers http://allreaders.com/
3. Fiction DB  https://www.fictiondb.com/
4. Booklist Online https://www.booklistonline.com
5. Which Book   https://www.whichbook.net//

I wanted a project that I could use and implement immediately to help out my library and patrons.  There is some downtime through the day so I will go out and work with the front desk ladies, one on one, and have them practice so they will be ready to use the sites as patrons have reader's advisory questions.    With this little bit of training, I hope to see our customer service jump up a few levels for our patrons.