Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Click My Link! July 24, 2012

Leah White talks about building an adult graphic novel collection.

Librarians anticipate the next great reads

iDreamBooks Applies Rotten Tomatoes Model to Book Reviews

A loooong New Republic article on the Bookless Library.

English Teacher: "I was wrong about 'Hunger Games'." This sounds way more like a tabloid article than it ought to, but the basic point is that The Art of Fielding is no more "literary" than the Collins trilogy.

From the GuardianCrime Fiction: Evidence Points to a Clash in Genres: Some big names in detective fiction argue that their novels are closer to the fantastical genres--science fiction, fantasy and horror--than many had suspected.

The bestselling Sci-Fi books of all time. Not sure how Lord of the Rings ends up on this list.

Just For Fun:

From PWxyz, Ugly Covers for Great Books.

Don't you want to see what people are reading on the New York subway?


Thursday, July 19, 2012

After you've seen The Dark Knight Rises.....

You may have heard of a movie releasing this weekend about a certain Caped Crusader.  After you've seen it (and, if you're like me, seen it AGAIN), you'll be looking for something to keep the superhero buzz going until the next movie.   Fear not, the library is here to fill the need.

"A Movie in Your Mind."  Graphic Audio takes on audiobooks in a whole new way.  They are full cast, complete with sound effects that sound incredibly real.  More than once, I've thought a siren in the audio was about to pull me over.  For an immediate post-DKR Batman fix, try....

Batman: Inferno 











Batman: The Stone King










Batman: No Man's Land Pt. 1 and Pt. 2










Batman: Dead White











If you're ready to upgrade to the full Justice League, we also have Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinite Crisis Pt. 1 and Pt. 2, 52  Pt. 1 and Pt. 2, Trail of Time, Exterminators, and individual stories featuring Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and The Flash.

If you prefer the action in front of you, instead of in your mind, we've got you covered there as well!  From my personal favorite:

Batman: The Animated Series ( v. 2, v. 3, v.4)










Batman: The Brave and the Bold











We'll even help you go old skool with Superfriends!  (I didn't know this Lost Episodes thing existed!)









Animation not your thing?  Fear not, we ALSO have your live action Superhero needs covered.   Who do you want under the cowl?















﻿
Or maybe, you're just trying to get your Batman mood music on.  Believe it or not, the library has your back.  Whether you are going back into time to get your Prince Batdance on ﻿


Or your like your soundtracks a little more traditional


﻿
The Library has your Batman and superhero needs covered.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.  Come visit us and see what heroes we can send home with you. 

Oh, and yes.  If you want books, we've got those too

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

In My Ear: Big Finish

So, Anna tells me that someone came to the blog looking for audiobook publishers who were similar to GraphicAudio in style. I talked about my love for GraphicAudio in May 2011, and it is still one of our most popular posts. I hope that translated into lots of new customers, because I really do love their stuff (and I want them to stay in business!)

But, here is another good place to find similar audiobooks: Big Finish. Big Finish is a British production company that makes audio productions similar to what you will find at GraphicAudio: multiple cast members, great sound effects, and high enjoyment. They specialize in SF/F based on tv shows, so expect to find Dr. Who, Stargate, Highlander, along with Big Finish Classics, drama, comedy and many other series.

I bought Stargate for the library, just to see how they would do, and they've done pretty well. Because those are one disc, and are packaged in DVD type cases, they often were missed by the patrons looking for books on CD. Also, for some strange reason, we have them classified in the radio plays Dewey number instead of regular FIC or SF. That is something we're going to change, as they will get more visibility in the genre areas. But, despite that, they've done fairly well in the library. I credit a lot of that to patrons who, having discovered GraphicAudio, branched out to something different. 

So, if you're interested in GraphicAudio productions, Science Fiction and/or Fantasy, or just want to try a different kind of audiobook, give Big Finish a listen.

Monday, July 2, 2012

If You Like This, You'll LOVE That! Nonfiction Reader's Advisory

At ALA last week, I participated in a panel called "The Great Non-Fiction Readalike: If You Like This, You'll LOVE That," which featured readalike recommendations in different subject areas based on carefully chosen "touchstone" books.

What does reader's advisory have to do with collection development? Good collection development requires a librarian to look ahead in the publication schedule and figure out what books patrons will need and want, based on the library's collection policies, patron requests, past demand, and intuition. Reader's advisory uses many of the same skills to match up patrons and books; the two processes are part of the same continuum of collection management and customer service. Ideally, patrons should end up checking out books they want to read and know that they can come back to the library for similar books.

What we were trying to address with the panel was a perception among librarians that it is somehow more difficult to recommend nonfiction books. Like fiction readers, nonfiction lovers want a good story. They aren't so concerned with subject matter lining up exactly between one book and the next, as long as what they're handed has a good hook. One of the things my co-presenters discussed during our panel was the reader's fascination with macabre and difficult subjects--murder, disasters, memoirs about dysfunctional families, the dark side of pop culture, and even a fascination with the human body itself. Needless to say, we enjoyed talking about our chosen books.

The touchstone books below are prominent works in each field, books that your patrons might read and then want More Like That:

Historical True Crime: Be Glad You Weren't There
Chosen by Alene E. Moroni, Manager, Selection and Order, King County Library System
  • The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
  • In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences

Sports Books: If You Don’t Have a Colon in the Title You’re Doing it Wrong!
Chosen by Anna Mickelsen, Reference Librarian, Springfield City Library
  • Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream
  • Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

My So-Called Screwed-Up Life
Chosen by Stephanie Chase, Systemwide and Virtual Information Services Administrator, Multnomah County Library
  • The Glass Castle

Pop! Goes the Culture: Pasties, Stilettos, Joy Sticks, and Some Really Mag Weed, Dude
Chosen by Kaite Stover, Director of Readers’ Services, Kansas City Public Library
  • Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker
  • Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul

Fun Science Reads – No, Really!
Chosen by Robin Nesbitt, Customer Experience Director, Columbus Metropolitan Library
  • Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them

For the full list of more than 100 readalike recommendations stemming from these touchstone books, both frontlist (published 2011 and 2012) and backlist titles, click here. Each title in the document is linked to WorldCat, and I have also indicated when an audio version is available--which is the case for more than half of the books selected.

To see our presentation slides (and all the pretty, pretty covers that go with the frontlist books), click here. Many thanks to the publishers who got us advanced copies of unpublished works, and to Chris Vaccari at Sterling Publishing and Ali Fisher at Macmillan for their expert assistance and gentle reminders.


ETA: The ALA conference also marked the first in-person meeting for me and Robin! OMG YOU GUYS SHE IS THE BEST. I think we should blog together.
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