Reflections on 605 and Reading Advisory

During 605 on November 11th we had a very interesting conversation on Reading Advisory, which brought up a lot of questions about what is the best way to offer readers advice. What fascinated me the most was the different ways people chose books to read. Some people go on recommendations, some read book reviews, some use the Amazon site to suggest books, and others just browse books on the shelves. I know that I have used all of these methods to pick books, but my favorite is just to browse the shelves looking for something interesting. However, I was a little bit embarrassed to bring this up in class because the first thing that draws me to a book is the cover. Despite knowing that one can't "judge a book by its cover" that is always the first thing that catches my attention. It is a visual thing. I was pleasantly surprised to find out in class that I was not the only one who chose books this way. The selection of a book by cover is normal.  Covers are also not the entire reason that I choose a book to read, however, it is almost always the reason I pick a book up. With the reduction in the amount of bookstores I know that my book browsing days are becoming fewer. Already I find myself ordering more books from Amazon for my kindle because of the ease. Because of this I have had to rely on the other ways in which to choose a book. I know this is going to affect the way I advise readers to choose books. Advisory is no longer as personal as it probably once was. Librarians do not have to have personal knowledge of what they recommend. Rather, they can use technology to provide them with the information they need to help them choose what they think is best for the library member. However, it is still difficult to determine which is the best way to choose what to advise members to read. Everyone has a different opinion and personal bias is always present no matter what. In addition, it is hard to discern what a member will like without knowing enough about the member. Two of the most important things I have to remember when doing readers advisory is not to assume or judge. One should never assume anything about a member because reading tastes are wide and varied. Furthermore, one should never judge a reader's habits. Just because you don't particularly like a book or genre doesn't mean you shouldn't recommend it, it is a librarian's duty to be open and non-partial.

Reflections on Class (November 8)

During this class we had talks from two different public librarians and discussed various library policies. Some of the more interesting things that were brought up were:

• Public librarians need to be intensely aware of the budget. One can't just funnel money into contracts before researching if there is a cheaper or even a do-it-yourself alternative. 
•  Gaming and how best to provide gaming options through the library. I liked the idea of having gaming tournaments so that it gives those interested in gaming something to look forward to; as well as a social environment in which to play. 
• Discussed why we still need public libraries. Public libraries are some of the only free places where people can experience socialization outside of a commercial facility. In addition, the fact that libraries provide help to the disadvantaged should not be discounted, but should not be a main talking point when it comes to public libraries. 
• For new librarians having vision and enthusiasm is necessary. Librarians have to look to the future and not towards the outmoded past. New librarians should also know the difference between good and bad database design.
• Librarians need to have a long view when it comes to new library policies. Change can be slow in occurring and librarians have to keep that in mind. Librarians should be ready for the long haul as significant change will not occur overnight. 
• I really appreciated the idea of dogs in libraries, especially the idea of a reading dog. Children come in and practice their reading by reading to a trained dog. I would have loved this as a child. 
• Also discussed the library as a commons. Our culture doesn't belong to anybody, rather it belongs to everybody, therefore one of the main goals of the library should be to promote and protect the creation of culture. One of the problems with the idea of a radically open library is that some librarians don't trust the public to be decent human beings. What is the right amount of control that librarians should wield within a library. Should they or the community be in control of the library?
• I also really enjoyed the idea of encouraging conversation by having a message board of some sort where people jot down ideas or anything they wish to allay to the community. I thought this was a cheap way to promote culture and the library within the community.
• We also discussed the idea of doing library activities outside of the physical library. How will the community react to this? Should libraries handle stuff outside of the library?

These were just some of the things that we discussed with the two speakers during this class session. Both were vastly interesting and provided different perspectives on how to handle working within a public library setting. 

Reflections on Class (November 1)

During this class we discussed what is going on with School Media Librarians. A few weeks ago I had a conversation with one of my old teachers about the difference in the sixth grade curriculum. My old school is very small, there are only about thirty-five students per grade, only one library and librarian serves grades k-12. This year the sixth grade was transferred from the elementary school to the middle/high school. Along with the change in location, an information literacy and typing class was added to the sixth grade curriculum. The librarian teaches a sixth grade class every other day. I found this change extremely interesting. I took a typing class in seventh grade, which I have always found beneficial and I received some sporadic lessons on how to conduct research when a class had a particularly research intensive project, but I never had regular classes on information literacy. I think that this change in curriculum is a definite step forward in the campaign to provide students with good information literacy skills. It is amazing what has changed in schools in the past five years. I am particularly impressed because my old school is not usually a forerunner when it comes to change so it is nice to see positive progress occurring within the school system.