Week 9, assignment 3

Overall I found this training to be beneficial, it's just unfortunate that it came at a time when the branch was very busy and understaffed. I would have liked to be able to spend more time on it. Even with the extension, I had to do much of it from home. I did learn about a lot of useful tools however, and I plan to revisit many of these sites as time allows. I'd especially like to keep up on some of the book and genre links, and to spend some time looking at the additional resources listed in week nine.

I certainly appreciate the amount of time and effort the Readers Services Committee put into creating the Be More Bookish project, and I think you all did a wonderful job!

Week 9, assignments 1 and 2

I read the articles and watched the video. Book trailers can be very entertaining, but I don't see much use for them when conducting reader's services on the public floor. There isn't usually enough time to show a customer a book trailer when you're making recommendations. I think they are useful, however, for familiarizing yourself with materials and being able to make better recommendations when working with customers.

If this trailer doesn't make you want to read the book, I don't know what will:

Week 8, assignment 4

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot

Henrietta Lacks was a Turner Station resident who died of cervical cancer 60 years ago. Doctors at Johns Hopkins successfully cultured her cells, and over the years they have been used to help create the polio vaccine and to lead advances in cloning, gene mapping, and other scientific stuff. This compelling story at the intersection of race, gender, and medical ethics takes the reader from 1950s Baltimore to the present day. It's a fascinating read for anyone interested in medical history, science, or local history.


The Sex Lives of Cannibals, by J. Maarten Troost

When he was 26 years old, J. Maarten Troost and his girlfriend picked up and moved to the remote South Pacific island of Tarawa . Expecting a lavish lifestyle in a tropical paradise, he was faced with the cold reality of life without modern creature comforts. This book is a really fast read. It's funny, contains adventure, and even some historical information about the island's role in WWII. I would highly recommend this hilarious travelogue for escapist reading, or as a reality check for anyone who's ever fantasized about moving to the tropics.

Week 8, assignments 1-3

I read the two articles and watched the E-Learning video produced by the State Library Resource Center. The four genres I chose are:

Travel Narratives

Most of these are located with the travel books, ranging from 910-919. A good one to recommend is The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost (919.595T).

True Crime

Most are in the 364s. Ann Rule is tremendously popular, so I'll use Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors and Other True Cases (364.1523R) as an example.

Medical

Located in the beginning of the 600s, depending on the specific topic. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (616.027S) is a great book to recommend.

Essays

Humorous essays are my fave, and most are located in the 814s and 818s. Like other David Sedaris titles, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls (814S) is a book I can't recommend enough. The audio versions, read by Sedaris, are even better.

Week 7, assignment 4

Harper Teen is a busy page but contains a lot of useful info. It lists forthcoming books, top books, top authors, as well as news regarding upcoming movies or TV shows based on books.

Teens at Random contains many links to new releases, author profiles, newsletters, book samples and more.

It's clear that both of these sites are aimed at a younger audience. There's a lot going on both pages - lots of links, graphics, ticker feeds, and games. From both of these sites it would appear that fantasy, and in particular urban fantasy, continues to be a growing trend in teen lit.

Week 7, assignment 3

I love John Green's blog. He is hilarious! He's got lots of adult and teen followers ("nerdfighters"), and that helps contribute to the crossover appeal of his books. He knows how to use social media and maintains a popular online presence. He's got lots of experience video blogging, and his Youtube videos are fantastic. I'd highly recommend this blog to anyone.

Stacked is written by librarians, and consists of reviews and author interviews. This site is great for librarians, teachers, adults, and teens. It's focused on readers of teen fiction and adults who might enjoy teen fiction. The reviews are very comprehensive and useful, but don't quite deliver the "mayhem" the blog's banner promises.

Week 7, assignments 1 and 2

I looked at the Prezi created by the Lawrence Public Library on what to read after The Hunger Games. It was very clever and informative. I also read two of the articles: The Next Big Thing: Adults Reading Teen Literature and YA Comes of Age. The articles were very interesting. I have found myself more and more frequently giving teen books to adult readers. Many James Patterson fans reserve and read his YA material without ever even realizing they're reading YA. Fans of the Twilight series and The Hunger Games trilogy certainly don't mind that they're catalogued YA. John Green is a huge hit with adult readers; I've given An Abundance of Katherines and The Fault in Our Stars to many adults. I've been giving teen books to adults long before The Hunger Games came along: I've been recommending Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy to adults for years now.