Prompt 16 Future of Books and Reading

Reading has become more enjoyable for me as an adult.  I do remember having my nose in books as a kid, however, I don’t ever remember finishing a book until I graduated from college.  I love books and being around books.  Books have changed forms from when I was a kid.  Now days books are more than just paperback or hardback.  They come on CDs, audiobooks, or ebooks.  Beside reading books in the paper form, I enjoy listening to the books from audiobooks.

In the future I see books basically staying the same.  Some will come in paper form, some will be in ebooks, there will be audiobooks, and other forms that may be on the horizon.  I can see that reading may be going backwards to where not everyone is able to read or they don’t want to read, especially in poverty areas.  I would hope that this would not happen. 

Prompt Response - Marketing Fiction- Week 15

There are several ways to effectively market a library’s fiction section.  One of the ways I like is to use a book display.  Creative book displays can easily grab patron’s attention and show them some of the things the library has to offer.  “A book display consisting of a small group of books and a descriptive sign is one of the most effective ways to promote and market parts of our collections.” (Saricks)

              

Another marketing idea that I like is to put short annotations of books on the Library’s web page, Facebook page, or library newsletters.  Saricks states, “Good annotations should be both informative and inviting.”

A third way of marketing fiction books would be through introducing them in a book club.   I think book clubs not only introduces you to fiction books they also introduce you to fiction writers. You may be introduced to only one book/author a month, however that author may have written more books for you to read and share with others.

Resource:

Saricks, J. (2005) Promoting and marketing readers’ advisory collections and services. In Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library. Chicago: ALA. 136-160.

Prompt response - Shelving fiction genres

Should all fiction books be shelved together or should libraries group books according to genres?  I personally can see both sides of the issue and notice the pros and cons.  However, for this post I’ll take the side of keeping all the fiction in one group without separating certain genres.  Here are some pros that I have found while doing reading on this issue.

1.       If you have books separated into genres, combining all fiction books together saves shelf space if you need more room. (Lyttle & Walsh, 2015)

2.       Some authors believe that having African American Fiction shelved as a group of its own is a form of rasism. (Jenisin, 2010)

3.       Benefit of general fiction section without dividing into genres is the ability to browse all available books by a single author in one place even if they write across genres. (Hana, 2015)

4.       Readers maybe attracted to another title (genre) which they would not normally seek out. (Montana State Library, 2018)

5.       It can be difficult to determine what genre a book is from. (Montana State Library, 2018)

I agree with all of the above statements.  I personally like having all of the books in one general group divided by authors last names.  I do think that it might be better if there were labels on the books to tell what genre the books are.  I know that this may be just as difficult as separating out the different genres due to some books ability to be more than one genre. 

References:

Hana (2018). The great debate: When it comes to fiction, would you rather…  Retrieved from https://denverlibrary.org/blog/hana/great-debate-when-it-comes-fiction-would-you-rather

Jenisin, N.K. (2010). Don’t put my book in the African American section. Retrieved from http://nkjemisin.com/2010/05/dont-put-my-book-in-the-african-american-section/

Lyttle, M.A. & Walsh, S.D. (2015). Separate or keep together? Public Libraries Online. Retrieved from http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2015/05/separate-or-keep-together/

Montana State Library (2018). Organizing your collection.  Retrieved from http://libraries.msl.mt.gov/consulting/online_publications/newlibrarydirectorshandbook/technicalservices/organizing   

Prompt Response - YA and NA books

PROMPT: 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 can't wait to read your thoughts on this. Thanks!

RESPONSE: I would say that Young Adult (YA) and New Adult (NA) books are just as interesting as other genres.  I believe that adults should read YA and NA books.  I don’t think that the ones that don’t like these genres keep other people from reading them.  Like it’s been said, “A book for every reader, every read a book.”  It is our job as librarians to encourage people to read whatever they want and not limit the age group to some books because someone doesn’t want you to read it.  Maybe we could have some passive programming going on that promotes these genres.  If not programs, maybe displays of these genres.  I personally enjoy reading these books and I know of other adults who do also. 

Book Annotation - Young Adult

    Fallen by Lauren Kate

Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy

Publication Date: 2010

Number of pages: 480 pages

Geographical setting: Savannah, Georgia

Series: Fallen Book Series

Plot Summary:

17-year-old Luce is sent to a reformatory school in Georgia after being in a fire where only her hair was singed, but her boyfriend died.  While at Sword & Cross, she falls in love with a gorgeous, intelligent boy named Daniel.  Daniel does everything he can to deep Luce away, however, all his efforts keep drawing her closer.  Cam is the boy who loves Luce and wants her for his own.  Daniel and Cam are more than mere boys, they are also fallen angles, as are most of the students at Sword & Cross unbeknown to Luce and her friend, Penn, the only other human there.

Subject Headings:  Social & Family issues, Romance, Paranormal. Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult

Appeal: evolving, compelling, foreboding

Pace: As in reading a fantasy book, Fallen, starts out slow but increases the action increases.

Setting: The setting is a reformatory high school where things are not always what they seem.

Story Line: The story line features good versus evil.

Characters: Most of the characters are teenage high school students.

Tone/Mood: The mood is foreboding for much of the books.

3 Read-Alike Books

1.       Evernight by Claudia Gray

2.       Fade by Lisa McMann

3.       The Haunting by Jessica Verday

Prompt - Non-Fiction

        Hearts of Fire by the Voice of the Martyrs

1.       Where is the book on the narrative continuum?

High. The book is written in story form.

2.       What is the subject of the book?

8 women who were persecuted for their faith in Christ Jesus.

3.       What type of book is it?

Biography

4.       Articulate Appeal

a.       What is the pacing?

Fast pace, fast page-turner

b.       Describe the characters.

All 8 Christian women are from non-Christian countries in Europe or Asia. All of them are willing to lose all they have to keep their faith in God.

c.       How does the story feel?

The stories go from feeling oppressive to feeling hopeful.

d.       What is the intent of the author?

To show that God is with those who believe in him eve in their darkest moments.

e.       What is the focus of the story?

It tells the story of 8 women who lost most everything because they were Christians.  It tells how they kept their faith through difficult trials and how God was always with them.

f.         Does the language matter?

Yes, the language matters.  Written in a different style would change the whole focus and mood of the stories.

g.       Is the setting important and well described?

Yes, the setting is important. Each story takes place in a non-Christian country (Indonesia, Bhutan, Russia, Romania, Pakistan, China, Indian, Vietnam).  If the setting changed to a Christian country, these stories would not have happened.

h.       Are there details, and, if so, of what?

Yes, there are details of how each woman became a Christian, what persecution they went through, and how God help them through this time of trials, and s little bit of how they are living now (if they are still living).

i.         Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear?

There are no charts or other graphic materials.

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

This book is all about experiences that the women had and about their learning to lean on and trusting God more.

5.       Why would a reader enjoy this book?

1.       Characters

2.       Experiences

3.       Settings

Ebooks & Audiobooks

There is nothing better than holding a book in your hands read to begin reading.  The ability to flip through the pages, or the smell of it can bring back memories of other books or the joy of just holding a book.   Some people would agree with me that this feeling can not be replaced with the ebooks and/or audiobooks.  I have read ebooks and probably will in the future.  They are okay to read when I don’t have a book around to read.  I find it hard to not be able to flip through the book and see how many pages I have left to read in a chapter or in a book.  I do like the idea that I can read the book in the dark and not bother others with turning on a light to read.  I also like to be able to change the font size.

Audiobooks have me more excited than ebooks.  I’ve always enjoyed being read to.  I need a narrator who changes voices for the characters, someone who is not monotone, and someone who uses voice inflections where needed.  Some readers/audiences have favorite narrators, which is okay.  I tend listen to more genres than if I were to read the books themselves.  I think that if someone else is doing the reading I’ll enjoy the book more than if I were reading it.  I enjoy audiobooks anywhere at most times.