Prompt Week 16: For the Love of Reading!

As a kid, I enjoyed reading. I was obsessed with the Nancy Drew and American Girl series, and remember others such as the Rainbow Fish and Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm to be among my favorites. There was, of course, the infamous Year of the Dead Dog, which my first grade teacher thought it was a great idea to read Shiloh, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Old Yeller. In the same year. That was traumatizing, and I even stopped reading for a while because of that teacher. However, I got over it eventually and got back into reading. It just shows how much influence teachers and librarians have over the enjoyment of reading! Regardless, I always participated in the Summer Reading Program at my library. As an adult, I have to say I have branched out significantly in terms of what I like to read, since taking this Readers' Advisory class. I guess I couldn't put a finger on what I actually enjoyed reading, and this class helped me define that I like World War II Historical Fiction, and the Classics, among other genres. I became more aware of the genres that are out there.

I am confused, and worried about the future of the library. In a matter of hours, I am told that I need to look elsewhere for a full-time job, and then in the same day there seems to be enough evidence that will compel me to stick to my career. There are so many mixed signals that I am getting, that I am unsure of where all this is headed. Sometimes I have to help patrons who are angry because of accruing fines on their accounts, and they sometimes tell me they won’t be coming back. On the other hand, I get patrons who tell me they will always want a physical book to read. It seems more frequently that even children are spending less time reading and more time on their phones or other devices, and teens are doing the same. A lot of patrons are in the library just to use the patron computers. Children and teens are two age groups are very important to reach in public library programming. The article Reading is In Decline: If Not You, Then Who? by Paula Wilson was written not very long ago, in 2017. Wilson (2017) states,

Only 51 percent of children said they love or like reading books for fun, compared to 58 percent in 2012 and 60 percent in 2010, and reading enjoyment declines sharply after age eight, according to Scholastic’s The State of Kids & Reading [3] (1).

If we cannot reach these demographics, I picture a domino effect for the rest of the programming in public libraries, for certain.

In the technology age, it seems like the public library is overcome with technology, and a lot of the patrons are using e-books and Audible more than they frequent the actual library building. Plus, the nightmare of the Retail Apocalypse is not comforting, either. While there are the usual clothing stores like Macy's and others that are closing its doors, so are bookstores. Borders was among the first to close, and now people are predicting that Barnes and Noble may not be far behind. The New Yorker published an article labeled What Barnes and Noble Doesn’t Get About Bookstores, by David Sax (2018), states,

The key question for Riggio now is figuring out what purpose Barnes & Noble serves today. Amazon dominates the industry with low prices and a vast selection and is even flirting with brick-and-mortar bookstores, having opened two in the past year. Independent bookstores—once assumed to be on their way to extinction—own the romantic notion of a bookstore as a place, like a church or a social club, where communities are nurtured. Barnes & Noble is stuck in the middle, a giant saddled with hundreds of huge stores, and an image of corporate sameness in a market that has increasingly come to treasure defiantly independent bookstores (1).

With the rise of audiobooks sellers such as Audible, and e-books, and general lack of funding, who is not to suggest that libraries are at risk of closure, too? One would think that, if patrons were angry enough about fines, they would just buy books at Barnes and Noble instead. 

A third area of concern for me is that library schools seem to be graduating a lot of librarians. This is fantastic, and I am happy that there is still an interest and always like meeting new friends and colleagues in my classes, but, from what I could see, there aren’t enough full-time jobs to go around, and the library job market is highly competitive. How do I set myself apart from the rest of the librarians who are wanting the same job as me? How do I get my foot in the door? How do I gain experience in a position that requires leadership, but the volunteer opportunities that are available do not provide chances to gain leadership skills? Most importantly, how do I prove that my age does not reflect my skill set or experience level? 

If anyone could disprove my concerns, and shed some light on them, I would be happy and completely grateful. I do know being in libraries is exactly where I need to be.  To quote The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I just hope that “the odds will be forever in my favor” for finding a full-time job when I graduate!

Works Cited

Sax, D. (2016). What Barnes and Noble Doesn’t Get About Bookstores. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/what-barnes-noble-doesnt-get-about-bookstores.

Wilson, P. (2017). Reading Is in Decline: If Not You, Then Who?. Retrieved from http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2017/01/reading-is-in-decline-if-not-you-then-who/.

Library Collection Marketing

Creating a traditional book display is perhaps the simplest, but most effective, form of advertising a library’s fiction collection. They are incredibly adaptive, and librarians can design them for any topic, and any age level, from children to adult, to even nonfiction. Seeing an eye-catching display makes a patron gravitate towards the books. Regardless of the old adage, patrons do judge book covers, according to Demco (2018), “Humans are visual creatures. We process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. It stands to reason that the individuals visiting your library are also making decisions based on aesthetics and appearance. They’re judging books by their covers, determining what they want to do at your library and how long they want to stay based on what they see and feel” (1). The choices really are endless- a book-to-movie display could be used along with free popcorn, a holiday-themed display, whatever the season or the occasion. They are also quick and easy for patrons who may not have any idea on what they are wanting to check out.

A second option for marketing a collection would be to create a program based on a book that was used from the collection. For example, a library could have a Book Club, Book Talk, Blind Date with a Book, or even a Book Tasting event with recipes from different fiction books, such as Amish recipes or recipes from books like Diane Mott Davidson, and then have a quick discussion about the books. The librarian could even take it a step further by suggesting other books that may include recipes or are read-alikes. 

A third way is to use technology. A librarian could perhaps work with an IT specialist on setting up their website so that they could be linked to the library’s social media pages or find a way to “single out” a few new books on the library’s home page. Either method could catch the patron’s attention before he or she even leaves their house. Another way to use technology for marketing a collection is to integrate QR Codes in the library that will link to the same library websites. The article QR Codes in Libraries: Some Examples by Michael Porter and Lee King (2013) on the website Public Libraries Online, states, “Half Hollow Hills Community Library in New York is using QR Codes to tag the ends of their bookshelves. These QR Codes point to subject guides related to the topics of the books on those shelves. For example, if you scan the code on the shelf labeled “cooking,” you’re directed to a subject guide on food and drink” (1). The possibilities are endless! 

Works Cited

Hornby, J. (2018). How to Spruce Up Popular Materials & Book Displays. Retrieved from http://ideas.demco.com/blog/book-displays/

Porter, M. and King, D. (2013).  QR Codes in Libraries: Some Examples. Public Libraries Online. Retrieved from http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2013/04/qr-codes-in-libraries-some-examples/

YouTube. (2017). Interactive book recommendation display. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQbETtHq-PU

Prompt Response: Should We Separate?

Modern authors are making their books harder to categorize by including multiple genres in their stories. Some books could be considered strictly mystery, while others could have a combination of two or more genres, like mystery and suspense. Sometimes individual genres are hard to define, such as suspense. What happens when librarians have to address different social groups in these books, as well? Where should these books be placed on the shelves? Should one type of genre take precedence over another? Currently, there is a debate between separating GLBTQ books and African American Literature books and have their own shelves. Some patrons may feel ostracized if they have to go to a completely separate part of the library to check out books they feel are relevant to them or that they want to read. Other patrons may not want to read these books and may be concerned about accidentally picking one up. How should librarians satisfy both types of patrons while still maintaining intellectual freedom? 

These genres of fiction should not be separated. Instead, librarians should purchase genre labels such as a rainbow sticker for GLBTQ and another label for African American literature. That way, the books are clearly labeled for the patrons who want to see them and avoid them, and then the patrons who want to read them can privately get the books without feeling segregated or judged by other patrons. Everything in fiction would be incorporated on the same shelves. Patrons can be educated about the type of books that are available to them, thus maintaining the fact that libraries should be as unbiased as humanly possible. While people may still view genre labels as segregation, at least there would not be a blatant part of the library that they are “forced” to go to in order to get the books they want. Library office supply companies such as Demco often provides these labels available for purchase for public libraries and are relatively inexpensive.

There is a process that librarians need to follow in order to condition their patrons to accept this change. The article Separate or Keep Together by Melanie A. Lyttle and Shawn D. Walsh (2015) encourages librarians to analyze their current collection, reason why or why not their collection should be rearranged, how to prepare librarians to explain to patrons why this change occurred, and how to advertise this change to patrons in a way that would make the change easier to accept.

Part of this change may include having to rearrange the shelves so that patrons can find books in a better way. Another change may be purchasing more books so that different social groups may feel more included in the library. The article Separate or Keep Together by Melanie A. Lyttle and Shawn D. Walsh (2015), further states,

Whatever you decide to do, someone isn’t going to like it. That’s just the way it goes. However, providing clear signage to help people find what they’re looking for will help quite a bit. However, making sure your decision is the right thing for your community is ultimately the most important thing (1).

Librarians need to understand that public libraries need to adapt to new social changes in order for libraries- and their patrons- to thrive.

Works Cited

Demco (2018). Genre Labels. Retrieved from https://www.demco.com./?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9NDehf232gIVjrjACh1DCwmpEAAYASAAEgLA8_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Lyttle, Melanie A. and Walsh, Shawn D. (2015). Separate or Keep Together? Public Libraries Online. Retrieved from http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2015/05/separate-or-keep-together/.

Young Adult Literature Prompt

I feel as though libraries should be a “judgment-free” zone when it comes to allowing adults to read YA. There are some very adult issues in YA, such as immigration, school shootings, war, etc.; if adults read about these topics through a teenage perspective, then maybe there could be a better dialogue between the two generations on these issues. We were all teenagers once, and adults need to be empathetic when it comes to this age group.

In my Special Topics paper on Young Adult literature, I found an article from Publisher’s Weekly that really drives home the point that there are a staggering number of adults who read YA. Publisher’s Weekly (2012),

More than half the consumers of books classified for young adults aren’t all that young. According to a new study, fully 55% of buyers of works that publishers designate for kids aged 12 to 17 -- known as YA books -- are 18 or older, with the largest segment aged 30 to 44, a group that alone accounted for 28% of YA sales. And adults aren’t just purchasing for others -- when asked about the intended recipient, they report that 78% of the time they are purchasing books for their own reading. The insights are courtesy of Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer in the Digital Age, an ongoing biannual study from Bowker Market Research that explores the changing nature of publishing for kids (1).

Having said that, there needs to be an identified YA genre that will allow teenagers to feel included in the library world and not necessarily have to resort to reading children’s books or jump right in to adult literature; this genre is a perfect in-between stage for library patrons. It will also draw teens in and explore the library further- maybe participate in the Summer Reading Program or check out other programming during the year. If the YA collection in a library is accessible to everyone in a general location, say, on the main level of a library instead of a special loft or room for teenagers, maybe adults won’t feel as guilty crossing this line to get the books they want. Young Adult literature should be available to both teenagers and adults.

Works Cited

Publisher’s Weekly. (2012). New Study: 55% of YA Books Bought by Adults. Retrieved from https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/53937-new-study-55-of-ya-books-bought-by-adults.html