Week 16 Prompt Response

When I was a child reading was an extremely tactile and visual experience for me. I loved the feel of the pages, the bright colors, the smell. As I got older, my reading materials got longer, and less about the pictures, but I still loved the feel of a book in my hands, flipping through the pages, smelling that new book smell... Now, I do most of my reading digitally. Kindle/Nook books provide me the freedom to do more leisure reading than ever before, because I can download it to my phone or iPad, and although I value the ability to read so frequently, I do lament the lost experience of reading a book and not a file. As such, recently I have begun reading more paper books again, and I have truly enjoyed it, it feels more like reading to me, for reasons I can't vocalize beyond that... but I am reading less again, unable to steal moments as I could with my very portable phone. I think that many people feel the way that I do. Many patrons who come into the library looking to learn more about e-books and how to download them comment that they don't choose that medium because they find it enjoyable in and of itself, but rather because it provides such convenience and flexibility. I have been pondering on this quite a bit as I plan a four day trip to Texas, and try to decide to load up my bag with books or my iPad with e-books. I know which would feel more relaxing to read...but I also know which would be easier to transport. What a luxury though, to be able to make that choice in an age when so many reading options are available to us.

Another thing that has changed are the types of books that I read. I fell in love with reading through fiction, and a well told story will always have a special place in my heart. However, I was choosy with my fiction, sticking mostly with best-selling, critically acclaimed novels. Since working in a library, and truthfully since beginning this course, I have really expanded my reading pallet, venturing into non-fiction, romance, fantasy, science fiction, young adult and more! It's been fascinating acclimating myself to the different styles and learning how and why others fall so in love with them!

Thinking about the future of reading, and the publishing industry is a fascinating exercise! I truly do not think that reading will ever cease to be a popular pastime, if anything, I think that the next twenty years will see a surge in reading, but the experience will continue to evolve. The ease of e-books will likely continue to encourage more and more readers, and as we have seen in books such as "Night Film" there will likely be an abundance of interactive elements, such as video snippets, sound bytes, linked articles, and more! I also think that we will continue to see large movie franchises built from books, which is it's own argument, but which does encourage people to read the book(s) before the movie hits theaters. I also think that the ease of find new reading material suggestions online as well as discussion groups will continue to encourage readers. However, I think sadly that we will continue to see print publishing shrink, and become more of a niche market than a predominant market, with the majority of books being consumed via the e-book format, as well as possibly the audio book format. Publishers will have to adapt to this, and possibly continue to work to make the e-book reading experience more pleasurable to continue to meet the needs of readers.

Week 15 Prompt: Marketing

I am so interested in seeing other people’s responses to this one. I am always interested in learning new, exciting, or even successfully, tried and true ways of marketing in the library. I also feel, that as someone who works in the admin area of the library more so than circulation, I don’t have a true grasp of what marketing methods are successful, or how to think about them, which makes me all the more enthusiastic to read the reviews of my peers. I feel like my list is unoriginal, but in my limited experience, these are the methods which I have found to be successful.

1) Wowbrary

We use this newsletter service to send a weekly update about what has been added to our Fiction collection. It also includes additional information, but the focus is always on new additions. We get a lot of subscribers to this service as well as a lot of positive feedback regarding it being helpful and informative. Whenever Wowbrary goes out, our Holds go up!

2) Trendy Book Club(s)

We have two book clubs at our library, one in person, which is combined with an appreciation of brewing, and another, which is in person. Both book clubs utilize and promote usage of our fiction collection. We also use the contacts created through these clubs to share information about our fiction collection throughout the month. This includes sending lists of books that are organized based on genre, or perhaps if you liked this read this, as well as, alerting our readers to new fiction titles available.

3) Original, Exciting and Eye Catching Displays

Displays are what our patrons see when they enter the library! They look to displays for reading suggestions and eye catching titles that they might not find otherwise. These need to be more than “our staff suggests” and instead be more creative! Displays of Romance Books with a Watch-A-Like film for each book. Date night movies from the DVD collection which were made from fiction titles, and perhaps even combined with a bag of microwave popcorn. The possibilities are endless, and they provide fun, new and engaging opportunities to entice our patrons and help them to discover new reads while appreciating their library.

Week 14 Prompt

I think that the problem is whether or not to separate the collection by genres in general. Only separating GLBTQ and African American Fiction would be segregating part of the collection. On one hand, this separation would make it easier for people looking for these genres to find them, on the other hand, it would ensure that people not interested in these genres specifically would never stumble upon them, as they would be unlikely to enter this part of the collection. However, if every genre was separated, and the collection was organized as such, than it would not be segregation, but simply the way that the collection was divided. This method of organization makes sense, and is likely familiar to the patrons, as book stores separate their collections by genre. It would certainly simplify browsing if you know exactly what genre you are interested in already. However, just as it would if GLBTQ and African American genres are sorted separately, it would discourage people from browsing the entire collection in search of titles, cover and authors that interest them, as is sometimes referred to as genre stigma (http://blog.rusq.org/2008/01/05/a-house-divided-two-views-on-genre-separation/). Additionally, the library does not have the space to provide for each genre to be separated, although this could be considered during our next update. Furthermore, it would prove to be very difficult to define every genre, as many books cross between many genres, and reducing them to one woud not do our patrons justice when they are searching for something that they like. Therefore, at this point, given that the library is not ready to abandon Dewey Decimal and change over to genre specific classification, and because separating these two specific genres will discourage browsing, I do not believe that we should separate either or both of these genres. However, I do think that it is important that we emphasize that we have them available and make our patrons aware of them through displays and signs posted throughout the collection.

Trott, Barry, and Vicki Novak. "A House Divided? Two Views on Genre Separation." RUSQ. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Boy Snow Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

Boy, Snow, Bird

By Helen Oyeyemi

SYNOPSIS:

You know the story of Snow White, or you think that you do. This retelling imagines quite a different tale in which family secrets are revealed as they deal with the meaning and implications of race and beauty in the United States during the turbulent 1950’s and 1960’s.

Boy is a girl, a quirky, strong, independent girl. After growing up under the thumb of her abusive and distant father she emancipates herself and high tails it to a small, charming, artistic town in Massachusetts. It is here that Boy finds herself, and meats Arturo, a man who ignites her passion and challenges her, even if she isn’t completely in love with him. After Boy and Arturo marry they develop little family together, with Arturo’s daughter Snow, whom Boy is enchanted by. However, the family dynamic changes when Boy gives birth to a daughter Bird, and a deeply hidden family secret comes to light, challenging all of their lives, and changing the relationship that Boy has with Snow.

CHARACTERISTICS/APPEAL:

Mood- The mood in this book is turbulent. Boy’s life is one of constant difficulty and as such she has been hardened. She is defensive, closed off, quick to anger and hurt, which bleeds through into the mood of the book. However, the mood also includes moments of great hope, beautifully described beauty, and resilience. The result is a constant pull between feeling defeated and knowing that there is still hope for the future.

Violence- The violence in this book is more emotional than physical. The emotional trauma that results from lies, sabotage and cruelty inflicted upon us by those that we love the most.

Relationships- This book is not built on action or excitement, but rather the relationships that Boy develops with friends and later Arturo, Arturo’s family, Snow, and her own daughter, Bird. These relationships are difficult and sometimes the source of great pain, but they are also beautifully full of love and depth.

Pacing- This books is a slow burn. The story draws you in slowly but thoroughly, entwining the reader in the tale, like any good fairy tale, even if this fairy tale is set in real life.

Setting- A small, artistic town composed of artisans and craftsman in the 1950’s and 1960’s is the setting for this tale. Much of the tale takes place in Boy and Arturo’s home, the world created by their marriage and their relationship with their children, however, the outside source, the racial tension which existed in the United States in this time, is equally important.

READ-A-LIKES:

Picking bones from Ash by Marie Mutsuki Mockett

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Child of My Heart by Alice McDermott

The Girls at The Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine

Gretel and the Dark by Eliza Granville

Week 13 Prompt

We should absolutely be working to ensure that Young Adult and Graphic Novels are carried by our libraries and respected as appropriate forms of reading, by any age. At my library, we embrace a love of these genres and proudly display and discuss both collections. However, we have only reached this point because several passionate librarians have made their voices heard at staff meetings, through emails, and during one on one meetings with those in charge of collection development. The tireless work of these librarians has resulted in a library wide love of YA and Graphic Novels, which is not only clear through our displays and RA interviews but also through our inclusion of these genres in our adult, teen and children's book clubs and our social media shares/discussions.

Currently, our adult books clubs (we have 2), are both reading the graphic novel, Maus, and it has been very interesting to collect feedback from our members regarding their reading experience with a graphic novel. Many had never before picked up a graphic novel, and although it was a bit of a foreign reading experience at first, many have been converted to loving this style of reading!

Next month we have a young adult novel on our list of voting options for the book club, and I am hoping that it will get picked so that I can garner some feedback from our members regarding that genre!

New Adult Annotation: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train

By Paula Hawkins

SYNOPSIS:

Rachel’s life has fallen apart. She has lost everything that means anything to her, including her humanity, her pride, her sense of self. And each day a little more of her chips away. But each day she boards the train to London and gets to pass by the house with the couple who have it all, the couple who she imagines a whole life for, the couple who she knows without a doubt are perfect people and perfectly happy. But Rachel’s fantasy falls apart when she witnesses something shocking and then the perfect wife goes missing. Rachel soon begins to doubt many things, including her own role in the woman’s disappearance.

CHARACTERISTICS/APPEAL:

Mood:  The mood is dark and foreboding, as the reader plummets along with Rachel, desperately trying to figure it all out. The mood is also extremely depressing as Rachel fights her own demons, losing more often than not. But in rare moments throughout the book there is overwhelming hope, as you witness with Rachel her own redemption and ability to be and do good.

Violence:  The violence in this book can be difficult to read. Different parts of the story describe murder, spousal abuse, and extreme child neglect. The majority of the violence described is inflicted upon women.

Sex: The sex in this story can also be difficult to read, as each sexual experience described is sordid, wrong and full of doubt and pain. Additionally, the strong presence of extra-marital sex may be difficult for some to read.

Relationships: NONE of the relationships in this book are what they seem. This book, which is often overwhelmingly bleak, very rarely delves into the redeeming power of relationships, but instead looks at how relationships have the power to destroy people, and just how catastrophic that destruction can be.

Pacing: The pacing of this book hurtles along at an exhausting pace as we struggle with Rachel through her depressing day to day routine, feel her hope as she looks for a reason to live, and plunge with her along her difficult journey to get answers.

Setting: Much of this book takes place on the train trip to and from London, which adds to the fast-pace. However, the story also takes place in different areas of England, particularly London and several suburbs.

READ-A-LIKES:

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

The Syndrome by John Case

In fidelity by M.J. Rose

The Other Woman’s House by Sophie Hannah

The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

WATCH-A-LIKES:

Gone Girl (Film)

Derailed (Film)

The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo (Film)