Saturday, November 22, 2008

Quantifying the Obvious

We've known for some time that it takes some time and stress to get used to new technology. This type of stress began with the invention of both the lever and the wheel. Still, it's good to have it quantified in case someone tries to challenge the idea.

When Technology Fails, or at least gets frustrating
from Stephen's Lighthouse by stephen

Not A Bad Thing At All!

We've known for some time that the next generation uses information differently, communicates differently, and learns differently. Here are some links that discuss it more in-depth:

Teenagers’ Internet Socializing Not a Bad Thing
from http://librarystuff.onlineinc.com/wp-rdf.php by Steven

New MacArthur Foundation Study on Youth and New Media
from Stephen's Lighthouse by stephen

Award Season Rolls Merrily On

National Book Award Winners
from The Reader's Advisor Online Blog by Cindy Orr

PEN USA Winners
National Outdoor Book Awards

In Case You Missed It

Sister Souljah has a long-awaited second novel. Her POV here: Sister Souljah rejects any labels on her literary output from USATODAY.com Books - Top Stories

And You Think You Have It Bad?

‘Wi-Fi library’ finally gets a toilet
from http://librarystuff.onlineinc.com/wp-rdf.php by Steven

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Yikes George!

(title unknown) from The Reader's Advisor Online Blog by Cindy Orr

"W’s Memoirs on Hold
An Associated Press reporter contacted several publishers to ask them about the prospects for George W. Bush’s memoirs. Apparently, they are not good, as several advised that he wait for a more auspicious time. On the other hand, prospects for Condoleezza Rice or Laura Bush seem to be much better."

Yikeroo! Perhaps his memoirs are best kept in an undisclosed location, but this is really kind of nasty. C'mon. No matter what our opinions may be of him, he has impacted our history. Then again maybe some of it is double-secret classified due to Homeland Security.

Confusing. Conflicting. Modern life.

Romance IS real literature!

For those of you still dismissing your romance collections as a pile of fluff, anti-feminist, sheer titillation, or other derogatory terms, I give you Teach Me Tonight. Recent topics have included:

Romance in Teaching American Literature

Challenging the Beauty Myth

Negotiating Gender Relations: Penny Jordan's They're Wed Again

There has to be something to the romance genre. It must reflect something we need in society. While I would never equate being on a bestseller list with quality, it does say something about the culture. Bravo to Teach Me Tonight for exploring!

One Cool Cat

And, believe you me, it was a cold night in Spencer, IA when Dewey appeared. This cat seems to be the animal du jour. And for his service to the community he deserves to be.

Bonus: Meryl Streep as librarian!

Vicki Myron: "Dewey" (Grand Central Publishing)
from WAMU: The Diane Rehm Show

Dewey Goes Hollywood: Meryl Streep to Play Librarian
from In the Bookroom

Meryl Streep to star in ‘Library Cat’
from http://librarystuff.onlineinc.com/wp-rdf.php by Steven

2.0 and Reader's Advisory

What is up with me? Some talks and notes.
from librarian.net by jessamyn
Library 2.0 and what tools and tips there are in there for Reader’s Advisory.

Some of these are old favorites and some have been mentioned here. A good talk to plunder for your own RA gold!

Monday, November 10, 2008

The Thrill of the Thriller

The "Special Thriller Issue" of the Romantic Times Book Reviews has a lot of great info. So we here at Libraryland Roundup have decided to summarize. You simply must get a hand on the full issue to get the scoop. Good news? Paranormal is not the only crossover genre out there (like we didn't know.) Thrillers and Suspense are a romantic pair waiting to happen.

"Fasten Your Seatbelts: RT Looks at the Growing Thriller Phenomenon." Romantic Times Book Reviews. December, 2008, pp. 10+

Summary of Lee Child's remarks at the 2008 ThrillerFest convention (from the article): "...in a thriller time is of the essence. The story unfolds at such a breakneck pace that a protagonist barely has time to stop for a cup of coffee, let alone check his email."

Lee Child's words at the 2007 ThrillerFest convention "Thrillers are really why we all learn to read in the first place...The love stories...the danger, peril, fear, with a guaranteed resolution at the end - the restoration of order and safety. It's the universal human arc, and thrillers are the only place you can get it."

Romantic Suspense and the Thriller market are becoming linked. A romantic suspense book simply adds a resolution to a romantic relationship to the mix.

Some currently hot types of thrillers and examples

Mideast Terrorist: Daniel Silva, The Messenger; Thomas Harris, Black Sunday

Eco Thrillers: Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park

2012 or Bust (Doomsday spinoffs - having to do with the current theory that the Mayan calendar, which forecasts doomsday as being on 12/21/2012):
Whitley Strieber, 2012; Roxanne St. Claire, First you Run

Spies: John Le Carre, Mission Song; Vince Flynn, Extreme Measures

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Social Networking Marketing

Great advice here from iLibrarian:

The 22 Step Social Media Marketing Plan

Good Librarian Advice

On the heels of the good eats recommendation, let us pay heed to the following advice:

Meetings, Filibustering in from A Librarian's Guide to Etiquette by J
By learning Robert's Rules of Order and enforcing them in library-related meetings, a good librarian can act as parliamentarian and either a) learn to filibuster bad ideas and delay implementation with procedural motions, second readings, and votes or b) be totally obnoxious and get un-invited from future meetings.



SCORE!

"Best of" Season Continues!

Book roundup: Best-of collections from USATODAY.com Books - Top Stories
American travel writing, short stories, mystery stories and writing about music are covered in these 2008 best-of collections.

Librarians and food

Way back when I was in library school, the late Gerald Hodges taught us one thing that has remained true: Librarians like to cook. Librarians like to eat. Librarians heart food.

Gooey Butter and Other Things! from PLA Blog by Jennifer Millikan

Predicting the future

If Trendwatching isn't enough for you, consider that it's that time of year when predictions for the future in tech and other areas begins to run rampant. Stephen's Lighthouse kicks us off for the season: The Futurist Top 10 Forecasts from Stephen's Lighthouse by stephen

RA Tips and Trends

Have we reminded you lately that The Reader's Advisor Online Blog is simply the best way to keep up with all things reader's advisorly? Below are a few gems from their recent blog posts:

Urban Fiction a Hit in Libraries of All KindsThe New York Times has a story on urban fiction, or street lit, as some call it, and it success in the Queens Library and others. “We’ve got people who are reading for the first time. We’ve got people coming into our building asking for Teri Woods — who have never come here before,” said Lora-Lynn Rice, the director of collections at the Martin Library in York County, which held a symposium on urban fiction during National Library Week in April. “Why would we not embrace this?”

The Ultimate Guide to Pairing Alcohol and Literature

Historical Fiction Online

Trends!

November 2008 TOP 15 TREND QUESTIONS

Once again Trendwatch comes up with some great advice. Perfect for those of us who are marketing library services or get a thrill from being able to out-predict your friends! We here at Libraryland Roundup found the resources page particularly exciting.