Special Topics: Genrification

Rearranging the Library: Dewey or Don't We?

Let me start the Dewey discussion by talking about my love for bookstores.  I truly miss them.  We don't have any nearby because of all the closures, so I can't stop to browse anymore.  I mean, I love an eBook and the library, but I LOVE book stores.  I love the way they smell, the hustle of shoppers, and the feel of a brand new book.  I know my blood pressure lowers when I walk in and browse the shelves.  I love bookstores for all those reasons, but I love them the most for how they are organized.  I like that when I walk in I see the bestsellers right up front.  I like that there are tables full of books pulled by themes.  I like that I can go to the fiction and find a science fiction book quickly because it has its own section.  What do I not like about libraries?  I have to know exactly what I want before I go there.  With bookstores, I can have an idea and browse until I find something wonderful.

When I started as a school librarian this year, I never thought about changing the setup of my libraries.  I was worried about appearance, ease of access, and a good collection.  I wanted to make the library student-friendly and a place teens want to go.  I bought new furniture, moved the circulation desk, painted, put in new carpet, changed the technology, and added flat screen TVs.  I was making it a place for teens to hang out and relax, but books still weren't being checked out.  I would make suggestions and help students find books, but they weren't browsing the shelves like I wanted them to.  I was at a loss for what I should do next.  Cue the Indiana Library Federation Conference.

I attended the 2013 ILF Conference and was inspired by the presentation made by teacher-librarians Sherry Gick, Kathy Burnette, and Megan Scott.  This "League of Librarians" discussed how to genre-fy the library in a step-by-step process.  They had data to prove the usefulness of the time-consuming change.  Sherry Gick shared that her circulation doubled in the first year, and 84% of  Megan's students liked the change on her end-of-the-year survey (Burnette).  I felt like this might be the solution to my problem.  I wanted to increase my circulation and meet the needs of the students.  Why not change my library to be more like a bookstore?

At first I was worried about time and manpower, but I figured out a plan and decided to start the process.  I knew that splitting the library up into genres would be better for my students.  It would help especially with my teen readers' advisory.  Most students come into the library with an idea of what they want. "Where can I find a book like Divergent?" or "I want a scary book."  With the current setup, I have to show them a variety of books from around the library.  I sometimes encourage them to use the online catalog, but that takes a little more time for them to search.  If the books were split into the genres already, they would be able to find more books based on what they are looking for.  Time wasn't mentioned in the ILF presentation, but many of my students come in during passing period and have a very limited amount of time to find books.  I can't do a personalized readers' advisory for each student during that short time, so I usually talk to one or two students and get them quickly checked out.  The other students hopefully find something to suit their needs.  With a genre-fied library, my students will be able to find a book much more quickly.  All around, I think my new setup will help the students and me.

I'm working on labeling the books right now and the next step will be to split them up into sections.  It's funny because my students have started asking about the labels and what they mean.  I'm even able to tell them, "Look for the pink labels if you want romance books."  They are already loving it, and I'm not close to finished!  I plan on including nonfiction in the new genre setup, but I will leave some of the nonfiction in its current location.  The spine labels will also stay the same: fiction will have F and the author's last name, and nonfiction will be labeled with the Dewey numbers.  Ultimately, I want what is best for my patrons.  If the new setup doesn't work, I will change it back, but I don't think the current setup is helping me circulate more books.  All I want to do is capture that feeling I used to have when walking into a bookstore.  If changing my library will help my students feel the same passion I do for books, I'm one step closer to my goal.

Works Cited

Burnette, Kathy, Sherry Gick and Megan Scott. "Genre-fying the Library One Shelf at a Time." Google Presentation. Indiana Library Federation Conference, Indianapolis, IN. 23 Oct. 2013.

James Patterson: Book Machine

WEEK SEVEN PROMPT

After reading the article "The James Patterson Business" by Jeff Zaleski, I have to say I'm surprised by how much criticism Patterson has taken over the years.  This article was published in 2002, so I know Patterson has continued to take hits over the past 12 years of his writing.  The criticism some readers have is that he is in the "business" of writing and therefore his writing suffers.  He uses co-authors and sees his writing as a brand that he needs to sell.  I don't understand how this is an issue.  As someone who has read and loves Patterson's books, I think the more the merrier!

Patterson's background in advertising gives him a unique take on publishing books.  He sees that people want familiarity.  It works in ads, so why wouldn't it work in books?  In the article, he classifies people as two different bookstore shoppers: the regulars and the in-and-out people.  He wants to be sure to appeal to both of those types.  If you keep a consistent cover and title art for each book, people immediately recognize and are comfortable with that author.  Changing it up makes it more difficult for people to find a book.  I totally agree with this philosophy.  If people think this mindset makes Patterson's writing suffer, then they don't have to buy his books.  The average reader wants an author and storyline they recognize without too much effort.  The more prolific reader might be more critical, but that's the beauty of choice.  As a librarian, I know that people want comfort.

What critics might forget is that this "advertising" style of writing isn't new.  We see this in children's writing all the time.  Once a child is introduced to a series of books, Clifford for example, they want nothing but that book!  I have a hard time suggesting other books to that child.  Thank goodness there are hundreds of Clifford books to choose from.  The same idea works for adults.  Once they like an author, a character, storyline, etc., they want more!  Patterson recognizes this want and provides for his readers.  If the books weren't any good, he wouldn't be able to see them.

Patterson has a newer series for middle school students, and I can't keep them on the shelf.  My nephew, who is in 6th grade, says nothing but awesome things about I Funny.  The books are hysterical, and Patterson seems to understand what middle school kids want to read.  These books are the next step past The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and kids love them.  Students keep asking me when the next one is coming out.  I'm just glad Patterson is a book machine because I can always tell my students "soon."

Book Talk: First Grave on the Right

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
St. Martin's Press, 2011
Paranormal Comedy Romance
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BOOK TALK

What would you do if you saw dead people? What if you not only saw them, but they came running toward you like you're a donut and they're police officers?

Charley Davidson has this happen on a daily basis.  She is a part-time private investigator but a full-time grim reaper.  Charley sees dead people who want her to help solve their deaths.  Sucked into solving crime after crime would be easy if she got any sleep.  Her dreams are haunted by a hot entity who begs for more than the typical sleepover.  This entity has followed Charley her entire life, but does he want more?  Who is this mysterious and hot man?  What does he mean to Charley's grim reaper life?

A hysterical paranormal romance, Darynda Jones will have you snorting with laughter in the first paragraph and blushing in the next.  Charley's adventures will keep you guessing, and the unexpected romance will make you come back for more.

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BAKER RESPONSE

I halfway agree with Baker's statement that you should "choose only books you have loved and actually read" for your book talks.  I don't think you need to have loved a book to book talk it.  I have done book talks and actually taught entire units on books I absolutely hated.  If you are good at writing book talks, you can make anything sound good.  I can admit that while I didn't like a book, that someone probably will.  Now, if a book has no redeemable qualities (poor writing, bad characters, offensive topics, etc.), I would never book talk it.  I will agree, however, that book talks are better if you loved the book.  The passion for the book can be seen and heard in your presentation.  Passion is the best seller.

For the second half of Baker's statement, I do think you need to have read the book.  If you haven't read it, how can you know what you're saying about a book is true?  It would almost be like false advertising.  I have suggested books for people that I haven't actually read, but I would never book talk one.  It would be too difficult of a sell and there wouldn't be any conviction behind what you are saying.

The Remaining Adventures

The Remaining by DJ Molles
ebook; 20 June 2012
Adventure

Here is my review for the much-maligned zombie book I used as the basis for my Secret Shopper assignment.  I only hope I can do this amazing and wonderful book justice.  I have loved the zombie culture since I started watching "The Walking Dead" and reading Jonathan Maberry's Rot & Ruin series.  Although they have zombies in the story, I actually love the adventure aspect.  Zombie-lit is fast-paced and creates situations for the characters to grow.  If you haven't tried it, don't knock it.  The biggest haters are the ones who don't know anything about it.  On to the book...

Molles' book is only available as an ebook, so you will need to read it on your favorite device.  Although technically a zombie book, this book is more about survival than anything else.  The main character, Lee Harden, is part of an exclusive special ops military group that is in charge of rebuilding the U.S. in case of a major terrorist attack.  Lee and other soldiers just like him are placed in a bunker during the threat and released if the threat ends.  If he doesn't have contact from his supervisor for 48 hours, he can read his mission.  After reading his mission, he must stay in the bunker for one month.  Although the "bunker" is actually a very comfortable underground house with all the comforts of home, it doesn't have windows and Lee quickly becomes stir crazy.  He keeps thinking about the mission - a sickness that has taken over the world - and wonders what might be going on above him.

A quick read, The Remaining shows us what could happen in the worst case scenario.  Lee is an insanely well-trained hero who still manages to make mistakes.  The reader connects to him because he is so human.  Molles' doesn't mess up the story with silly romance or excessive emotions.  The story is packed with details about the plague-ravaged world and Lee's reactions to his experiences.  His survival skills and training help him to become a natural leader, and his unquestioning loyalty to his country and mission is tested at every turn.  If you love this book as much as I did, don't worry because there are four books in the series and the fifth book will hopefully be out soon!

READ-A-LIKES (click the link for Amazon)

The Purge of Babylon: A Novel of Survival by Sam Sisavath

ebook, Road to Babylon Media; 5 July 2014

Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse by James Wesley Rawles

Ulyssess Press; 1 May 2009

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; 2011

Ground Zero...Zero Story

KIRKUS REVIEW

Ground Zero: A Zombie Apocalypse, Nicholas Ryan

A generic take on the zombie genre, Nicholas Ryan delivers a little adventure with a large side of sexism in his novel Ground Zero: A Zombie Apocalypse.

The novel starts with a terrorist plot to kill Americans.  Ryan puts the reader in the moment and inside the mind of a middle-eastern terrorist.  The next part is a POV shift and Ryan "blinks" you in and out of the lives of people who die because of the infection.  These snapshots are vivid and contain everything it takes to be a zombie novel: graphic descriptions and gory deaths.  The reader meets survivors and that is where women's roles are revealed.  The women either die or are forced to offer sex to the men as a way to survive.  Ryan's female characters seem to have no survival skills beyond their sexual appeal.  Sexual encounters are repeated throughout the story, but the main character stays noble until the end.  Cutter tries to save people but has zero survival skills.  The ending of the story proves that the "hero" isn't immune to a women's sexual prowess after all.

Nicholas Ryan's misogynistic writing is only overshadowed by the lack of a finished plot.  What started out as a promising adventure story, ended with no additional references to the terrorist plot and female characters who feel they need to subjugate themselves to survive.

Book Reviews: To Buy Or Not To Buy?

WEEK FIVE PROMPT

I think book reviews have changed a lot over the last few years.  In the past, most people did not read or even have access to book reviews.  Unless you were a librarian, you weren't looking to see what the experts had to say about a book.  You grabbed a book from the shelf at your favorite book store, read the back or judged the cover, maybe asked the store clerk, and bought it.  You didn't need to know anything else.  Reviews were written by the untouchable elite, and the average person didn't have much in common with them.

That is no longer the case.  With the ability to blog and review online, as well as the demise of the book store, the average person can easily learn more about a book using the internet.  In a lot of cases, we no longer have the ability to touch a book before we buy it.  I order most of my books through Amazon, either as an ebook or to be delivered.  As a result, I am dependent on other people's reviews.  I can't flip through the book or read the back.  I can't ask the book store worker.  What do I do?  I scroll down to the reviews or go to my favorite book blog.  I really like Goodreads.  It gives me a chance to see book reviews and other shelf lists.  I even use it to help find books to order for my library.

To be honest, I get the Kirkus Review, but I can't bring myself to read it.  It's boring and doesn't keep my attention.  I much prefer the reviews of School Library Journal or Library Media Connection.  With my short attention span, I like that their reviews are shorter and have pictures.  Above everything, I use my ordering service to review books.  There's something about the ease of reading a good review and being able to add it directly to my shopping cart.  Reading reviews online eliminates a step in my ordering process.  I'm always looking to save time!  Books not being in professional review publications doesn't affect my buying at all.

The two reviews of Wallace's book are very different.  The first shorter entry isn't really a review.  It merely summarizes the story.  The second review is much better and actually gives the reader an idea of what to expect from the author.  We learn about the author's style of writing and how this affects the story.  A review like this gives us many of the "buzz" words we can search for.  We don't always make purchases based on plot.  A lot of times we are looking for literary style or story pacing.  Dr. Rosmarin's review is definitely more clear on these aspects.  They do not follow the guidelines of Erin's presentation, but I'm glad.  Her review guidelines had no personality!  I don't want long excerpts.  If I want to read excerpts, I will read the book.  I don't mind a quotation here or there, but please don't bog down a review with too much information.  I'm a "short and sweet" kind of person.

Another honest answer: I couldn't get through those reviews over Angela's Ashes.  At first I thought I opened the wrong document.  I couldn't believe how long they were!  Each one felt like its own book!  I couldn't believe the tone of the last review.  It seemed like it was against the book, but he recommends it at the end.  So confusing.  I probably would buy the book, but not because of those reviews. I read it and liked it.

As for the content of reviews, I don't think it's fair to limit reviews to only the good.  It's okay for people to express their opinions about a book.  I know it might seem unfair because people's opinions are a lot louder now that they can post on the internet, but that should only inspire writer's to write better.  There are always going to be negative people, but if the reviews for something are overwhelming negative, it gives me (the buyer) a better idea of what to expect.  If I only see good reviews, I might get the wrong idea and be disappointed with my purchase.  I think most books get reviewed in today's world.  It may not be by a professional publication, but someone, somewhere will write about it.  Because of the availability of reviews, I never struggle with what to buy.

Speaking of length...this is getting crazy.  I think I've answered everything and am stepping off my soap box :)

Secret Shopper Showdown

Yet another blog confession: I have never gone into the public library and asked for help finding a book.  I know this might seem like odd behavior, but I prefer to keep my reading habits somewhat private, and I do a lot of my own research before choosing books, so I don't think anyone else would help me more than I already do.  I have to say that this experience did not make me feel differently.  I may be a harsh critic, but I think my secret shopping was pretty awful.  I didn't find a good book, and, worse, I felt judged about my reading preferences.  Well, here goes.  All names have been left out to protect the (not-so) innocent. I color-coded the interview so it would be easier to follow.

I started out my interview by walking straight up to the information desk.  It was centrally located and very well-marked.  There were not any reading lists available, but there was some information about their current reading programs.  There were three library workers standing around the desk and talking.  One (TL) walked away when I approached the trio.  The librarian (L) behind the computer asked if she could help me and the other librarian (OL) stood next to me during the interview. 

L: Can I help you with something?

Me: Yes, I need help finding a book.

L: Do you have a certain book in mind?

Me: No, I kind of need help with that too.

L: (deep sigh, laugh, and grimace to other librarian) Fiction or nonfiction?

Me: Fiction. I actually like zombie books. (I laugh to lighten the mood.)

L: Oh no. Hmmm. Zombies. (Starts typing on the computer.)

Me: I recently read a book called The Remaining, but I think it's only an ebook.

L: (Looks at screen and gets a slip of paper) Well, here's what I have on vampires.

Me: (I interrupt) No, not vampires.  I like zombie books.  Really anything apocalyptic works for me.

L: Oh yeah, shoot.  Not vampires.

Me: What website are you using?

L: Fantastic Fiction, but it's being weird for me, so it might not work.

Me: (Trying to get more questions going) I've read a lot of YA zombie books, but I'm looking for more adult books.

OL: Do you like "The Walking Dead?"

Me: I love it!

OL: Have you read The Governor books?

Me: No, but are they graphic novels?  I don't like graphic novels.

OL: No, they are actual books and are really great for fans of "The Walking Dead."

L: I should have written down the books I set aside for you (talking to the OL).  (To me) She loves zombie books.  Well, here's what I found (hands me the slip of paper).

Me: Where do I find these books?

L: In "F".  It starts over there (points to a large section of the library to my left). If you don't find any books that you like, come back and let me know because it means we should buy more books like that.

Me: Okay, thanks.

TL: (To L) Did she ask you about zombie books?

L: Haha. Yeah.

TL: (Grimace) Better you than me.

I walked away with my tiny slip of paper.  My confidence wasn't great, and I felt awful about my reading choice.  Who knew reading books about zombies was so terrible?  If she had bothered to ask, I would have told her that I like survivor stories. I especially liked that The Remaining had a military aspect to the story.  I like a lot of action and well-developed characters, but I wasn't asked anything past my saying zombies.  I would have loved the name and author of "The Walking Dead" books, but I didn't get that information.

Looking at the suggestions, they were all over the place.  She had Jim Butcher and Patricia Briggs - both fantasy authors, but not zombies.  I can, however, kind of see the connection between those two and my genre.  The third author was Margaret Atwood.  I absolutely cannot see how she fits into the zombie genre.  The last author was James Rawles. He was actually a good (but accidental) choice because he writes survival books from a military point of view.  I wasn't give any titles, so I wasn't sure what book to look for.  This might have helped me with which Atwood book to look at, but I'm not sure about that.

After looking through the book choices (about five minutes), I walked back toward the desk to tell her I didn't find anything.  The desk was empty.  I stood there for a minute and then decided to leave when no one came back.  Overall, I left unhappy.  I'm not sure I will ask for help again in the future.  It did give me a great view of what I shouldn't do to other people in my own library thought.  So I did learn something :)