Reader's Advisory

One of the most enjoyable aspects of a librarian's job is reader's advisory. It can also be one of the most daunting tasks of a librarian. A patron approaches the desk. You put on your most pleasant, positive face. Then the patron says "I can't find anything good to read. What have you read lately that was good?" Your mind starts to spin in several directions. Do you tell her about A Singular Woman, the story of Stanley Ann Dunham, President Obama's mother? Or maybe, The Captain, a biography of New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. But what if the patron is a republican, Red Sox fan? You could suggest Bossypants by Tina Fey, but maybe her Sarah Palin immitation wasn't too their liking. I could go on and on with my recent reading list but I hope you catch my drift. I always struggle with that question. I am sometimes tempted to say, "I only read bad books," but wouldn't want to appear too flippant.

Their question is well placed at the library. It's just the wrong question. The skilled reader's advisory librarian will turn it around for them. Instead of the previous question, she will ask "What have you read recently that you liked?" When the patron replies with a suspense, mystery or maybe romance author, the librarian is off and running. "You like John Grisham, have you tried Steve Martini?" or "if you like Patricia Cornwell, maybe you will enjoy Kathy Reichs." If the patron just read a celebrity biography, there is always another celebrity biography to suggest.

In a large library, there might be several reader's advisory librarians with varying areas of expertise. In our smaller settings, the librarians are jacks-of-all-trades. Yet, once in a while, you will get a dream reader's advisory question. That happened to me today. A patron came to the desk with Richard Russo's Straight Man and said he is one my favorite authors, along with Ann Tyler. "Can you make any suggestions of other authors I might like?" Since she had just named two of my favorite authors, I had just received the reader's advisory dream question.

Today, reader's advisory was the most enjoyable aspect of my job!

'Tis the Season

'Tis the season for baseball. 'Tis also the season for baseball books! Every spring when a young man's or woman's thoughts turn to baseball, the publishers are right there ahead of them. This year is no exception. While we are barely a month into the season, and no, the Red Sox are not going to stay in last place in the American League East, and yes, the Yankees could quite possibly stay in first place for the entire season, but I doubt that too; baseball books are crowding the shelves of bookstores and libraries alike.

While there are a plethora of titles to pick from this baseball and publishing season, I have chosen to highlight the books that will be soon or are now available at your Ledyard Libraries. For the Red Sox fans, we have a new book by the current longest tenured player on the team; Tim Wakefield. Knuckler: my life with baseball's most confounding pitch is Tim's story of his long baseball career and throwing the knuckleball. For those interested in the history of baseball, John Thorn has written Baseball in the Garden of Eden: the secret history of the early game. The fans of the old Brooklyn Dodgers will enjoy two recent books, Campy: the two lives of Roy Campenella by Neil Lanctot and Jimmy Breslin's Branch Rickey. Three new books are being added to the collection of New York Yankee lore. Kostya Kennedy's 56: Joe DiMaggio and the last magic number in sports is about that magical baseball year of 1941. The House that Ruth Built: a new stadium, the first Yankees championship and the redemption of 1923 by Robert Weintraub, takes us back to earlier times. Current Yankee fans will enjoy The Captain: the journey of Derek Jeter by Ian O'Connor.

If you are a fan of baseball books, 'tis the season to request them from your local library.

The Times They are a Changin

We have known for some time that libraries are not just about books anymore. We have come to grips with the fact that DVDs and computers might be the most popular things at your local library. We have moved through the gradual format changes from cassette to compact disk to the diminutive playaway. At least all of these items were brought to the counter and duly checked out.

Now, however, items are being checked out of the library that only exist in cyberspace. First came the downloadable audio. That has become a popular way to add literature to your Ipod or MP3 player. In the last few months, the e-book has really taken off. Maybe everyone got e-readers for Christmas. The word "Kindle" has been in our vernacular since Amazon launched it in November 2007. Now, however, there are many varieties of e-readers, tablets and smartphones to which books may be downloaded. With the right equipment and a few clicks, people are reading books from the library without leaving the comfort of home or at least without setting foot in our establishment.

This really has this librarian's head spinning. Customer service has taken on a whole new meaning in the library world. We are meeting the needs of our patrons without seeing or talking to them. They can download audio and books from our website at no cost, just like checking out books in the good old days. Well, believe it or not, people do still check out books from libraries. Lots of books!

This new phenomenon of e-books, however, has caused some publishers to take measures to limit the number of check outs per book license. Maybe e-readers are becoming too much of a good thing. Libraries will continue to grapple with how to stay current, serve the needs and wants of their patrons and handle diminishing budgets. Not unlike what we are all doing in our homes these days.