Bookless

Bookless on Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:56:00 +0000

Bookless is now on Twitter @book_less. I will save the blog for longer discussions, if needed.

http://twitter.com/book_less

100 Notable Books to Check Out at Your Library

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:56:00 +0000

No one said you had to buy the books on this list by New York Times.

100 Notable Books of 2008

When music and literature collide

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 05:16:00 +0000

What do song writers do when they have writer's block? Read a book! Artists for Literacy is a big promoter of this fusion. Check out the YouTube link on their page for a video of "Songs Inspired by Literature."

For those of you who are unfamiliar with wizard rock, such as Harry and the Potters, a rival has arisen...Twi-rock, based on the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Check out "Harry Potter Vs. Twilight: Battle of the Bands About Books" for more info on the rivalry.

For more wizard rock, take a look at the Wizrocklopedia.

For the children literature fans out there, I leave you with a video created by Cambridge Public Library.
Harold and the Purple Crayon

Gaming in the library and on its shelves

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:52:00 +0000

Gaming in libraries continues to increase in popularity (see Using Video Games as Bait to Hook Readers). So what books do gamers want to read, or how can you find books with themes/characters similar to specific video games? Of course, many libraries offer gaming strategy guides, but some readers want to transfer the elements from their favorite game into a book form. Approach this as any other readers' advisory transaction. Here are a few steps:

1. Check your catalog to see if any books exist for the game title.

2. If you are unfamiliar with the game, ask the individual to describe it. This will give you information on the settings, characters, and objectives.

3. With this information, place the game into a couple genres or subjects and then continue your search from there.

If you're not a gamer or not familiar with the game or other media, there is no need to be intimidated. Consider a game's themes, characters, and storylines, as you would with a book, and you will be able to assist any gamer who comes your way.

Moby Games offers a helpful list of video games based on works of literature. The list of games can be organized by Game Title, Year, Publisher, or MobyScore.

Literature-inspired games

RA at RUSQ

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:55:00 +0000

Are looking for some professional readers' advisory literature? I recently read "Back to the Future? A Response to Dilevko and Magowan" by Barry Trott and Neil Hollands. This article examines Dilevko and Magowan's history of readers' advisory and reinforces the true nature and purpose of the contemporary readers' advisory services. Other readers' advisory articles are available through the Reference and User Services Quarterly website.

Back to the Future? A Response to Dilevko and Magow

RUSQ - Readers' Advisory

Build your knowledge of book releases

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:02:00 +0000

USA Today provides an interactive calendar for 2008 Fall book release dates. For some reason, it is currently defaulting to November 2008, but one can easily scroll through any month from August to December 2008. Calendar items can also be sorted by Title, Author, or Release Date. I found the Release Date sort to be the most helpful. The calendar also includes Movies, TV, and Music release dates.

USA Today 2008 Fall Books
This link defaults to the Movies calendar section. Simply select the "Books" tab.

Online book coverage expands

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:09:00 +0000

As book coverage in many print formats, such as newspapers, has been cut back, some online book coverage is expanding to fill the void. In a recent LJ "frontdesk" section, this topic was discussed.

NPR, CNBC Expand Book Coverage

For direct links to NPR's and CNBC's book coverage, see the links below.

Books: NPR

Bullish on Books

Tools for Effective RA

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:36:00 +0000

As part of the LJ Series "Redefining RA", Library Journal provides a wide array of online tools to aid us as we connect readers to books. From "The RA Tool Kit" article, the following are some the tools that stood out the most to me:

Keeping track of publication dates
With the number of books released every week, it's a bit ridiculous to think we would remember each one. However, the two tools listed below can help familiarize you with all the new and upcoming releases.

BarnesandNoble.com Coming Soon

Publishers Weekly On-Sale Calendar

Notable blogs
Libraries Unlimited's Reader's Advisor Online

Early Word

Popular reads and sales
Amazon.com's Top 100

Entertainment Weekly - Books

Essence Extended Best Sellers List

LJ's Best Sellers - Fiction

LJ's Best Sellers - Nonfiction

Newsweek - Entertainment

Time - Entertainment

See the links below to access the original LJ article and other articles in the LJ series.
The RA Tool Kit

LJ Series "Redefining RA"

Wiki-RA

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:25:00 +0000

Don't cite this link in your research paper, but this Wikipedia entry provides many helpful links to readers' advisory Internet Resources, Blogs, and Wikis.

Readers' advisory - Wikipedia

Feedback for NoveList

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:25:00 +0000

If your library has access to the NoveList database, take a moment to complete a survey regarding the "Basic Search" and "Describe a Plot" features.

NoveList Survey

The survey ends on August 12, 2008.

Best of the sold

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:22:00 +0000

There are so many bestseller lists. How can one possibly keep up with all of them? Check out the link below to access Bookspot.com's links to popular bestseller lists from newspapers, magazines, and online retailers.

Bestsellers - Bookspot.com
The links are organized under two categories: "Top Sources" and "By Genre." These links provide a great way to expand your bestseller knowledge beyond the New York Times bestseller list.

RA from ALA

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:27:00 +0000

The American Library Association provides many links to resources for readers of all ages.

Readers' Advisory - Professional Tips

Movies that are really books

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:01:00 +0000

Most people enjoy movies and others enjoy books and others enjoy movies based on books. Enough already, you get the point. Many movies originate from a book form. How can we know which movies are based on books? For current films, there is usually enough discussion to develop a general knowledge of which originated in book form. Especially around Oscar time, I often find myself saying, "I didn't know that movie was originally a book." Here are some sources to help you help you expand your book-to-movie knowledge.

Based on the Book
A readers' advisory resource from Mid-Continent Public Library. "Stories, books, and plays that have been made into movies."

Bookreporter.com - Books Into Movies
This resource provides current, detailed information about movies and the books on which they are based. Archives of past months are also available. This resource will help one stay up-to-date on the releases of movies based on books.

Internet Movie Database
If you think a movie might be based on a book, use this resource for a quick answer. After conducting a search for a movie title, select "FAQ" from the Quicklinks drop-down menu for the movie. One of the questions will often be "Is this movie based on a novel?"

Kidsreads.com - Books Into Movies
Books into movies for kids. This resource is from the same network as Bookreporter.com.

Teenreads.com - Books Into Movies
Books into movies for teens. This resource is from the same network as Bookreporter.com.

Looking for a book...list?

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:42:00 +0000

Well, then look no further than Morton Grove Public Library's Fiction_L Booklists. These lists are compiled from the Fiction_L listserv content which provides subscribers with advice/discussion on readers' advisory issues that arise in libraries. If you enjoy a challenge, look for a post where someone is trying to determine a book title based on a vague description. It is very entertaining, especially if you try to find the answer yourself. In this way, this listserv functions as a haven for assistance with difficult questions. Now, back to the point of this post. The Fiction_L Booklists are divided into the following categories: Genre, Character, Setting, Subject, Author, Audience, "Best of", and Miscellaneous. Even if you don't have a specific request to fill, one can certainly pick up some knowledge of authors/titles within the lists of each category.

If you enjoy these booklists, then I highly recommend subscribing to the Fiction_L listserv. If you're a Gmail user, like me, you can filter the listserv posts, and then they are available for easy searching in the future. If not, then just check out the Fiction_L Archives.

Lit from the urban streets

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:22:00 +0000

After having several requests for "urban fiction", I felt I should further investigate the genre to locate some resources. During my initial searches, I uncovered some info through Library Journal. Although the article entitled "Collection Development 'Urban Fiction': Streetwise Urban Fiction" was written in 2006, it provides a thorough description of the genre and its themes. This article also provides links to many best seller lists as well as book review for urban fiction.

Another great resource from LJ is their monthly "Word on Street Lit" column. Each month a different aspect of the urban fiction is examined. For example, the most recent "No. 5" column discusses the male perspective of relationships in this genre. This column allows one to keep track of upcoming releases and is well worth checking out each month to stay familiar with urban fiction publishing.

Other online resources for urban fiction:

Urban Fiction/Street Lit/Hip Hop Fiction Resources

Urban Fiction/Street Lit - GRPLpedia

Are you bookless?

noreply@blogger.com (Dirt Cheap Librarian) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:50:00 +0000

Most people do not have to look far to find something to read. Waiting rooms of all types are almost always fully stocked with a wide variety of popular magazines. I wonder how often people find themselves without a book to read. Perhaps they are simply waiting for a serendipitous encounter to bring a new title their way, which often happens.

Booklessness seems to place everyone at an equal level. Avid readers and occasional readers now share a common dilemma of being without reading material. Of course, social networking sites, like Goodreads, help minimize the amount of time one remains bookless, by providing a method for documenting future reads. So are online sources the end of traditional readers' advisory? Not at all.

Before coming into the public library realm, readers' advisory was not commonplace to me in the academic/research library realm. This blog is my continuing journey in readers' advisory with a focus on the resources/topics I find helpful as expand my knowledge of this area.