Librarians of Color In 2023

This month's topic involves days we look forward to. For me, July 2023 had been a date I anticipated.  The NCAAL conference was supposed to be held then. NCAAL, National Conference of African American Librarians, and JCLC, the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color, usually alternate years. This rotation was interupted by Covid that cancelled the 2020 JCLC and 2021 NCAAL conferences.  Then, climate issues left the hotel headquarters for the 2022 JCLC flooded. So I have practically been licking my lips anticipating the 2023 NCAAL conference, scheduled for July 2023 in Indianapolis, a location close enough to my Midwest home to be within driving distance. 

Yippee! I will have another summer at a conference among librarians of color, people I consider my best buds.

Or so I thought.

It's true, I am not a librarian by profession, but I joined the American Library Association years ago. My happiest childhood memories include my school librarians, and the librarians at the Chicago Public libraries.  At a time when there was no seperate Middle Grade or Yound Adult categories, they let me roam the adult shelves even while in elementay school. If I wanted a book, they let me take it out. As an adult, I volunteered at a branch at my local library for years.  I have spoken at a number of librarian conferences, including the ALA, the American Library Association. 

During the 2018 JCLC conference, I served as one of the official conference recorder. That involved spending nearly a week in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Four of my articles were published on the conference blog.  While the high altitude made breathing a little difficult for thie midwesterner, the conference itself functioned as a breath of fresh air. Only about 6% of US librarians are black. That makes these conferences filled with librarians of color a sort of homecoming. It is as easy for POC to feel somewhat isolated while attending one of the major ALA conferences as it does at some of the major writers conferences I often attend.

I began my JCLC that experience at a preconference event, Beyond the Racial Stalemate where participants practiced listening and empathy skills. The sessions were so popular space had to be reserved in advance, and all sessions were filled. My report on that session is available  at https://www.jclcinc.org/conference/2018/beyond-the-racial-stalemate/

Most appropriately, my final session on Saturday was a workshop titled Community Building as Self Care, presented by We Here, an online community for library workers of color at https://www.wehere.space/. The very crowded session gave participants the chance to talk, create, and plan ways to improve the situation for librarians and archivists of color. 

As people entered the very crowded room, they were met with a sign that said explained:

The organizers began the session by treating the packed room to a meditation session. For five minutes, we worked on loving ourselves and looking at those who troubled us with love in our hearts for them. That beginning reminded participants to avoid a moan and groan sessions and ready do the real work tfor change.  

People broke into small groups to discuss a topic they cared about. Those choices included things like: 

I joined a group selected the topic of white fragility. Thanks to a preliminary meditation session, we knew better than to let ourselves descend into a moan and complain session. Mostly we struggled and searched for positive things to relate to our topic. We shaped strategies to handle relaed issues and keep them from dominating the workplace. These included  dialoging kindly, but firmly and boldly, informing they could take “all the time they wanted in the bathroom” to get over any fragile tears.

 
Another group described how some organizations went about recruiting people of color. Sometimes the effort involved hiring a recruiter (often a white recruiter). The result is often only 1 or 2 (or 0) POC expressing interest. Meanwhile, existing staff and para-professionals of color were ignored. They suggest efforts and funds move from recruiting people in school or providing internships that help one person at a time. Instead, take a look at existing staff members of color, individuals who are already interested in librarianship, and putting money and effort into helping them get degrees in library sciences.

Perhaps the best and simplest suggestions at the 2018 JCLC came from a group that focused on what it was like being the only librarian of color on staff. “Learn to say no.” And, “If something is not OK, say so." The  week of camaraderie and relaxing among peers from across the country and whose backgrounds span almost every country on the globe was one of the best conferences in my memory. I say that after also attending and presenting at conferences like ALA and various state library associations, as well as RWA and SCBWI.  .

I have been anticipatint this summer's conference for ages. Covid cancelled both the 2020 JCLC, and the 2021 NCAAL. Mother Nature stepped in and sent floods to close the hotel where the 2022 JCLC was scheduled to be held. By 2023, I felt overdue and eager.

Then controversy inside the Indianapolis Public Library board changed everything.  The full story is too long to be documented here. It involves years of both the staff and community members protesting the boards actions and inactions.  As a result, in January 2023, the NCAAL issued a statement saying: 

“The National Conference of African Americans Librarians (NCAAL) is a time for us to engage, communicate, reflect, and enjoy fellowship in a welcoming city. Due to actions of the Indianapolis Public Library Board of Trustees, BCALA members have determined that Indianapolis is an inhospitable location, and the conference will not be held there."

Now I have another year without the comeraderie these events bring. This time the cause is not an impartial disease or equally impartial climate change. I will miss the feeling of camaraderie and connection caused by these events that serve as both a homecoming and a reunion, even for a retiree like me.

A Picture Paints 70,000 words by Janet Raye Stevens

Story ideas can come from anywhere, a dream, a memory, a random comment overheard in a coffee shop. As for my romantic WWII-set time travel, Beryl Blue, Time Cop, the idea came from this picture I found in an antiques shop.

A good time was had by all!

Now, it’s no secret I’m a World War II history buff, so when I saw that picture, I had to buy it (two dollars!). My first thought was, what would it be like to be there with these guys? Well, no, that was my second thought, my first thought was, these happy fellas are totally pickled.

 

A lot of other questions cropped up, but since there’s no identifying info on the back of this 5x7, those questions are still unanswered. Where was this photo taken? Who were these guys? Were they friends meeting up one last time before they were shipped out? Or just a bunch of guys on leave who grabbed an open chair at the local bar and met some new friends?

 

Another not-so-secret thing about me is I'm obsessed with the time travel genre. I love to read, watch movies and TV shows, and especially write time travel (and especially, especially if it’s set in WWII). So, seeing this picture, a time travel story popped into my mind: What would happen if a contemporary woman, a feisty librarian, perhaps, time traveled into this world, and fell for one of these guys?

 

Interesting idea, but it needed more depth.

 

What if she’s plucked out of her own time by a cop from the future, who sends her to 1943 with

a mission to protect the soldier she falls for? And what if the cop from the future tells her a time traveling assassin is after the soldier she falls for and her job is to stop the bad guy by killing him, or the future is toast? Now we’re talking!

 

And so, Beryl Blue, Time Cop, a time travel adventure, was born (or written, rather).

Her mission: Save the soldier, save the future…even if she loses her heart

 It took me a while to get going. There were a lot of who, what, where, and especially why questions to answer before the story came together. Beryl's backstory got complicated. So did her love life. That picture of a group of GIs gathered around a tiny table in a nightclub became a pivotal scene. A wicked funny, romantic, but bittersweet scene that set the tone for the rest of book.

 

You can check out Beryl’s story here: Beryl Blue, Time Cop.

 

And here’s a bonus sneak peek at the cover of the second book in the Beryl Blue series. It’s July 1946, the war is over, and Beryl is once again hurtled across time to save the man she loves in, It’s Been A Long, Long Time. 

Coming Soon!

Thanks so much for spending time with me today – I love hearing from readers, so feel free to drop me a line or sign up for my newsletter at https://janetrayestevens.com/!

 

Meet author Janet Raye Stevens – mom, reader, tea-drinker (okay, tea guzzler), and weaver of smart, stealthily romantic tales. A Daphne du Maurier award and Romance Writers of America Golden Heart award winner, Janet writes mystery, time travel, paranormal, and the occasional Christmas romance with humor, heart, and lots of kissing.

 

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Website: janetrayestevens.com 

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Book cover design: Elizabeth Turner Stokes

Author photo: Tim Rice Photography 

We Still Need Diverse Books

Hi everyone! 

I am YA, and now MG author Barbara Binns , writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for adolescents and teens. My tagline tells you what I am about - Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them.  My debut middle grade novel, Courage, was recently published by Harper Collins.

I happen to be between conferences right now. I was at the Joint Council of Librarians of Color (JCLC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico last week. Today (Wednesday) I am speaking at the Illinois Library Association conference in Peoria, Il.  In lieu of a new post, I am giving you a post a made during the JCLC conference, as librarians discussed children's books and We Need Diverse Books.  An appropriate topic as I prepare to begin my Diverse Writing class  for next week. So here goes, an overview of the Youth Author Luncheon at the recent JCLC conference.

The Youth Author Lunch on Friday included an opportunity to discuss with a panel of WNDB personnel, Dhonielle Clayton, Lamar Giles, Caroline Richmond, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, and Juleah del Rosario. We had a full house including great conversations at individual tables, a lovely lunch, and a lot of information about changes in diversity in the publishing industry.

The panelists started by going over the history of We Need Diverse Books. The first wave of activity after the birth of the #WNDB hashtag and movement involved publishers looking at authors and illustrators writing outside their lane to provide “fixes for the problem.” Fortunately, most now embrace the #ownvoices movement. In addition, many books written by POC and other #ownvoices are finding spots on bestseller lists. As Lamar Giles notes, that is not because these authors went from bad to good overnight. Its because the authors and books are finally being taken seriously by publishers, and getting the marketing and publicity push behind them to propel them into visibility. Diverse books by diverse authors are no longer being shoved into a pigeon hole to die, quietly and unnoticed. Once these books are discovered by readers and reviewers, the quality that was always there is seen.

We are coming up on the fifth anniversary of the organization. The panelists discussed many of their accomplishments including:

1. Sponsoring numerous diverse interns into large publishing houses. Publishers often hire from pools of unpaid interns, and many authors from marginalized populations found in difficult to afford to take on an unpaid job in the very expensive land of New York. In the last few years, several of the interns subsidized by WNDB have gone on to permanent employment in publishing. 
2. The Walter Awards celebrating diverse books by diverse authors. 
3. Short story anthologies of diverse authors designed to be school-friendly. Each anthology includes a slot reserved for an unpublished author to help undiscovered #ownvoices get a start. 
4. Copies of the anthologies, Walter award winners, and other books are regularly given away to classrooms across the country. And several participants at the luncheon went home with autographed copies of several of the books involved in the giveaway. 
5. Created an Our Story app as an easy-to-use resource for students, teachers, and librarians to help find diverse books of interest. The app includes a quiz readers can take to help the app suggest books for them. That includes so-called reluctant readers who may simply not have found a book that speaks to them…yet. 

During the Q&A period, several questions about the self-publishing surge came up. The panelists felt self-publishing was more a band-aid than a solution to the problem of getting more diverse books published and into libraries. They advocate for actions that will help fix institutional problems, such as the internship program. While self-publishing is now a viable publication path for authors to pursue, it should not absolve publishers from dealing with real issues that remain in the publishing industry.

New releases by the presenters:

Indies & Libraries, Together In Midwinter

Hi everyone! I am YA, and now MG author Barbara Binns , writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for adolescents and teens. My tagline tells you what I am about - Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them.  My newest book, Courage, is middle grade fiction that will be coming out next summer from Harper Collins.

I spent the weekend at the American Library Association Midwinter conference in Denver, Colorado. I attended the conference as a retired (and current volunteer) library worker. And because, as a writer, I consider librarians a major part of my audience. (I feel the same about RTG readers, so please read all the way to the end for a surprise. Pretty please with sugar on it, as I used to say when I was young.)

Beautiful Downtown Denver

First, let me say, being “Mile High” is a real thing, not to be trifled with. The convention leaders greeted us with instructions on staying hydrated and other survival tips. Literally thousands of librarians crowded the city from all across the country, occupying almost a dozen hotels.

Librarians and vendors.

The exhibit hall was filled with companies that make every type of library tool. And all kinds of publishers. Not just the big five. There were dozens of small presses. And, a surprising number of Indie publishing houses.

It has been two years since I last attended an ALA meeting. I was surprised to see how many booths were manned by either individual Indie authors/publishers, or by groups of indie authors joined together to manage the costs of participating at the conference. I am going to tell you some of the things I saw. This is not an endorsement of any group or service, just my observations about the possibilities for libraries and indie authors.

Images from four different Indie  booths 

A number of companies that provide self-publishing and on-demand services, companies like Ingram, iUniverse, Xlibris had their had booths. Many were collaboration efforts, with books from authors who published using their software. These firms are making a presence to get their users books in front of librarians. 

There was also booth from Indie consortiums, authors who could not afford an independent presence at the conference, but joined together to purchase a booth and get their work in front of the thousands of attendees.

The Indie Press Collective provides a number of services for Indie authors. In addition to showing books at associations like ALA, they have a review service for pre-pub bed Indie Books only, Foreword Reviews  Anyone can ask for a review, you can see more information on the process at - https://www.forewordreviews.com/about/ 

There is no cost for a review. But, since they get thousands of requests, only a small percentage of the authors who want a review actually get included in Foreword Reviews. There are costs associated with post publication reviews, as well as for being included in the books displayed at booths or for advertising in their magazines. 

Even more, the Indie books obtained a time slot on the Book Buzz stage - two to two-thirty on Saturday. The Book Buzz stage is located on the Exhibit floor of every ALA convention. This is the fourth ALA conference I have attended over the years. For the first time I know of, Indie groups had their own time slot on stage, where some of their up-and-coming books were individually highlighted for librarians in attendance.

I want to say again that I am not endorsing any of these groups or efforts. I was simply impressed by the shear number of Indie authors and small presses. Impressed by the fact that they were not only in small, less expensive booths in the back, but also in the larger, decorated booths manned with specialists ready to engage with librarians. I am happy to see the way some authors join consortiums to give themselves a chance to be noticed by librarians.

Only the future will tell how much success individual authors will have breaking into the library market. That includes public libraries, college and reference libraries, and school libraries. That represents thousands of potential sales. I spoke with one woman who was looking at possibilities for her areas "One community, One book" program, and she intends to purchase 3,000 copies of the selected book. Libraries can be a great market for Indies to break into.

---

And now, your surprise. I would love to hear any of your comments, about libraries, Indies...or about my new book - http://www.babinns.com/books/courage/ . I have some Advance Reader Copies of Courage, my Middle Grade debut coming out at the end of July.  I have reserved two for readers of this post. On Feb 28 I will select two commenters to receive copies. Check back at the end of the month to see if you are a winner of a hard copy ARC that will be mailed to you.

While I want to hear comments from everyone, please note that only commenters from the continental US will be included in the raffle. 

Ask The Librarian

Even in today's online world, many people consider libraries their primary source of reading material. It's also a place where I continue to find new authors I learn to love so much I buy their backlists and future novels the moment they are released. Physical books, eBooks and audio books can all be obtained from many of the hundred thousand public libraries in the United States, and around the globe. This week, I'm holding a virtual roundtable with librarians serving different types of readers as they discuss their role in getting the right material to the right patron and how they showcase new authors and books.

First - Introductions

Mary Jo  primarily deals with Senior Citizens in her role as the Senior Services supervisor for the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. The library, located in the Chicago suburbs, is one of the highest volume libraries in the country. She leads book discussion groups and deals with homebound customers who can't come into the library but are voracious readers.

Kara works in Adult Services. She received her library degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (my Alma mater!!) in 2006 and has worked in Adult Services at the Plainfield Public Library District for nine years with a special focus on readers’ services and digital books.  Her favorite types of books are anything with graphic violence and hot sex.  Because she loves to read and loves technology, she describes the day the book met the digital reader as "the happiest day in my life."  She is a self-proclaimed “download junkie.”

Debra is an Adult & Teen Services Librarian at the Downers Grove Public Library. She is enthusiastic about connecting individuals with information, and loves finding new ways to inspire patrons of all ages at the library. In her free time, she enjoys marathon training, eating gelato, and nerding out over anime and all things Doctor Who.

Erin is a Children's Librarian and School Liaison at the Downers Grove Public Library. She loves talking books and being able to connect kids of all ages with the books they love. Her formative years were spent checking out as many books from the public library as she could carry. Now she's grateful for ebooks and bigger 

Question 1: Do you introduce patrons to authors who are new to them?

Mary Jo: When customers come into the library we try to ask if we can help them find something. Instead of just saying, here’s the hot book, we probe first to get to know the customer. We create reading profiles for our homebound customers to use to provide suggestions for them based on current favorite authors and their different backgrounds. I believe libraries should focus on reader advisory, an area we can’t be matched by an algorithm. Amazon may tell what other readers think about a book and give some recommendations based on what others read.  We fine-tune recommendations to individual readers. Yes, many eBooks are inexpensive, but you can waste time and money buying books with a fantastic blurb that fails to deliver. It's nice to have a person who actually knows you to provide a more nuanced recommendation. 

Kara: Some readers are set on specific authors. Others might be more open to suggestions and recommendations. When the opportunity presents itself, staff take advantage  by offering to take readers in new directions.

Debra: Our patrons are amazing readers with their fingers on the pulse of the literary world. They stay up to date with the latest releases and popular authors. To provide recommendations they haven’t already read, suggesting new authors is a must! We do this in many ways: through displays, book talks, discussion groups, booklists, Goodreads, recommendations via our staff blog, through Book Genie (http://dglibrary.org/genie), and in person. We always have a staff member roving throughout the library, approaching patrons of all ages who are browsing in the stacks. This creates opportunities for conversations about books and authors and has become the perfect venue for suggesting new reading material. 

Erin: When the book someone wants isn’t on the shelf, or when a patron is just looking for a good read; that's the perfect time to point out something new: either a brand new author with a book released last week, a classical author who has been around for years and years, or someone in between.

Question 2: Where do you see libraries fitting in with leisure reading (fiction) versus non-fiction, research, studying, etc. 

Mary Jo: Leisure reading is not just about fiction. About 15% of my readership exclusively read non-fiction and biographies. Many more intermix non-fiction with fiction when they read for leisure, especially non-fiction that reads like fiction.

Kara: I hope the public sees the Library as their resource for all of those things. We have had access to eBooks since 2006 and it is still surprises me when patrons say "I didn't know we could get eBooks from the Library," despite the amount of marketing we do. It would be great if libraries could have the same recognition retailers have, like Amazon.

Debra: Our community sees the library as a venue for leisure reading as well as a source for academic pursuits. In addition to providing reading materials across a variety of formats (print, audio, ebooks, etc.), we promote reading for pleasure. Our Book Genie service is a fun way for us to share reading suggestions on our website and encourage patrons to reach out to us for more ideas. We are currently working on some exciting new projects to highlight and share librarians’ individual reading, watching and listening suggestions!

Erin: We fit in everywhere! If we don’t have what you’re looking for, we want patrons to tell us. Chances are we can either find what you seek, or we can suggest something that will be similar. 

Question 3: What would you like to see in books that you don't see now?

Mary Jo: As a person who serves many patrons who love mysteries, I would like to see more American mysteries that are compelling and non-formulaic. I would also like to see more popular fiction available in large print. Not everyone wants an eBook as the sole solution to vision problems. Readers often want to hold a physical book in their hands. Publishers should consider putting out large print versions of backlists, especially with a series. Customer get turned off when only some volumes in a series are available to them.

Kara: Quicker and easier accessibility, especially to eBooks. Publishers still don't sell all their content to us like they to do consumers, and patrons still have to jump through several hoops to access content (Overdrive or Adobe accounts and apps, check out length restrictions, etc.)

Debra: There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to this question, since each individual reader is looking for something different. It’s our job to get the right book into the right hands. That’s why it’s so vital that we provide variety in our collections and reflect the diversity of the population that we serve.

Erin: I want more novels, specifically young adult novels, that show girls working together to achieve something that doesn’t have anything to do with a love interest. There’s been a recent push for stronger female characters, which is awesome! Now let’s get those strong female characters some friends.

Question 4. Are library patrons embracing digital books? Any insights on why or why not?

Mary Jo: Technology levels vary. People can learn technology at almost any age if they are sufficiently motivated. But some applications need to be simpler, and that includes everything from Overdrive to the Amazon app. Yes, even Amazon confuses some users, especially once something goes wrong.

Kara: It is hard to say since I don't think kids who use our eContent are coming to the desk and asking for assistance, whereas we receive many inquiries from adult patrons on how to use our eBooks, etc. Circulation of young adult and juvenile eBooks/eAudio in our Overdrive platform has increased by 23 percent in the last fiscal year. However, there is no way to know if this is actually kids reading the kids content, or adults. There is a lot of crossover of young adult novels that appeal to adults (Hunger Games, Divergent, Twilight, etc.).

Debra: Definitely! Our partnership with the school district was rolled out recently, but already, our checkouts in 3M eBook libraries have increased dramatically over just a few months span. In April, over half of our checkouts in 3M came from school students.  I’m very excited to see this partnership being utilized.

Erin: Our kids seem to like having ebooks, but they are also very much still about the physical book.  Our school district participates with two ebook distributors, and we at the public library have an additional one outside of our consortium, so there’s a lot of opportunity for the kids to have access to ebooks. But kids like having the physical book and they ask for that first.

Question 5: What do you see as the positive and/or negative impact of digital books on reading?

Mary Jo: I like eReading. Affordable, portable, and I can make notes and highlight areas without having to ruin the book. This feature is especially helpful for book discussion groups. But I view the trend of digital only releases as a problem. A preponderance of customers still want to hold a physical book, at least some of the time. Also, eReading, especially during the evenings, can interfere with sleep. I would like to see more on-demand printing, possibly via Espresso Book Machines or some related avenue. Unfortunately, sometimes publishers/authors make a judgment call and limit the available formats. That limits readership and crossover appeal.

Kara: I don't see any negatives. Research suggests that people retain better from print material, but I don't really buy into that. The fact that patrons are reading period is what is important. The vehicle they use shouldn't matter. Personally, I prefer reading on an eReader. It is easy to hold and I like the portability component. However, when I am preparing for my monthly book discussion group, I prefer to read those titles in print, as it is easier for me to stop to take notes and reference specific pages.

Debra: I am excited for the possibilities that digital books bring. Our library has partnered with our local elementary school district to link together our 3M ebook libraries. Every child in the district will now be able to check out our ebooks through their school, even if they don’t have a public library card with us. This has removed a significant barrier to access. With the district’s adoption of a 1:1 iPad initiative, students will be able to read anywhere on their devices.

Erin: Part of my job is to connect children with the books that they want to read. If that means they’re reading a digital book and that’s the format that they prefer, that’s okay with me. I don’t think every book translates well to the digital format just yet. This isn’t a negative so much as it’s a comment. I’m thinking specifically graphic novels, picture books, really image heavy books.

Question 6. What do you see as key in creating young readers who become lifelong readers?

Mary Jo: You have to be non-judgmental about what people are reading. You can’t get someone to become an avid reader because they need to read. But if there is a story that sufficiently interests them, they will learn to push themselves, become better readers, and keep on reading.

Erin: Start early and often! Read to children, bring them to places where there are books! Make reading fun for children--if you make it a punishment that’s how they’re going to few it. Kids are so perceptive, and they need to see the adults in their lives reading. Let kids read what they’re interested in. Don’t worry so much about what they ‘should’ be reading (school assignments are a little bit different, of course) and instead, celebrate what they do want to read. Maybe this means being creative--maybe your child doesn’t take to fiction, maybe he or she prefers listening to audiobooks, maybe your child loves graphic novels. That’s okay!

Question 7. Are you concerned about making your collection more diverse in terms of character race, sexual orientation, religion, physical and/or mental disabilities and other factors? 

Debra: Having a collection that reflects all viewpoints and experiences is a priority for us. Public libraries generally have a mission to focus first on fulfilling the needs and wants of their local community. Beyond that, they also have the opportunity to widen readers’ perspectives and broaden their horizons to cultures beyond the local community.

Erin: Yes. The best thing I heard while taking a graduate class on library materials for children for my MLIS was that your collection should be both a window and a mirror. Children should be able to see themselves in the materials in your collection, and they should also be able to look out and experience something different. I’m also super inspired by the folks over at We Need Diverse Books.

Question 8. Who do you purchase material from?

Mary Jo: Primarily Baker and Taylor. For Large Print books we use Thorndike.

Kara: Print books: Baker & Taylor. They don't always seem to carry every title our patrons demand, so occasionally we turn to Amazon. Some recent examples include The Commons: Book 1: The Journeyman by Michael Alan Peck. This is a self-published book and the next winner of the Soon To Be Famous Illinois Author project. We are adding a copy to support this project. Another example is Barefoot in Lace by Roxanne St. Clair. She is a popular romance author and we have a number of her books we were able to purchase from BT, but this particular title was not available from them so we had to order from Amazon.

We obtain audiobooks directly from the publisher  (i.e. Books on Tape, Recorded Books, Blackstone, Tantor, Brilliance Audio). eBooks & eAudiobooks: Baker & Taylor TS360, Overdrive Marketplace, and Recorded Books

Debra: We purchase the bulk of our print materials through Baker and Taylor. Our audiobooks are typically purchased through Midwest Tapes. We also provide digital materials through 3M, Overdrive, Zinio and Hoopla. If items are unavailable through our main vendors, we will purchase from outside sources.

Erin: We use a combination of book vendors who come to the library and a distributor who we place orders through after we’ve read reviews on books. The vendors often have materials that the distributor doesn’t have, especially when it comes to books featuring television and movie characters, so we like to have both options.  

Question 9. How much of the book buying decision is based on patron request?

Mary Jo: Patron interest in a more generic sense, yes. We will entertain requests, and if it fits into general interest, we buy. My job includes augmenting things when Collection Management does not purchase something my audience wants. We stock the kinds of things our patrons like and ask for.

Kara: We still read reviews and make purchase decisions proactively. For anything not purchased by selectors, we have separate monies designated for purchase on demand (POD) where we will purchase patron requests that fit within our collection policy. Additionally, we use POD funds to purchase materials we are unable to obtain via InterLibrary Loan. 

Debra: We always encourage patrons to suggest titles; our goal is to provide the community with the materials they want! If we don’t have a title that someone is looking for, we’ll do our best to obtain it, whether it’s by borrowing it from another library or by purchasing the item for our own collection. Patron requests are taken seriously.

Erin: It’s hard to give a percentage! If a patron requests a certain book, or subject, we try to accommodate because it’s important to have a collection that patrons will use. But there are sometimes extenuating factors--if the book is out of print, for example, that don’t always make that feasible. Still, we try!

Sounds like you rely on reviews heavily. Could you tell us some of the review sources your library uses to determine which books to purchase?

Mary Jo: I look at Indie Next (Independent Booksellers picks), Bookpages. I also look at ARCs and preview copies. I'm constantly looking for books that are not on the bestseller lists, the gems no one has heard of. The fact that a book has not won any awards does not mean its not a fantastic book. I try to find the unknown but fantastic books for my book groups.

Kara: Our sources include Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, NYT.
Debra: For print materials we primarily use Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Baker and Taylor Forecast, Ingram Advance. A staff member also forwards Blueink's monthly newsletter to our department. I personally also always look at other lists and sources like LibraryReads, the Indie Next List, Amazon's Best Books of the Month, NYT bestseller lists, and blogs like EarlyWord.

Erin: Here in the Children's Department we use School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, and the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.

Bonus question:
Sometimes there are challenges to having certain books on the shelves. In my library, various books, from Fifty Shades to Captain Underpants have faced requests to remove them from the library. Could you tell us if your library has a procedure for handling challenges to their material?

Kara: Procedure is as follows:

RECONSIDERATION OF MATERIALS
The District believes that people have the right to decide for themselves what is appropriate reading material. Responsibility for the material chosen by children rests with their parents or legal guardians. A patron finding material objectionable may request that the item be reconsidered.
 

A. Request for review of any material in the collection shall be made by submitting a Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials form to the Library Director.

B. The request form must be filled in completely.

C. The complainant must be a resident of the Library District.

D. The Library Director shall act upon the complaint by establishing a staff committee to review the material and render a decision. The decision shall be forwarded to the complainant in written form. A copy of the written decision together with a copy of the complaint shall be given to the Board of Trustees of the Plainfield Public Library District.

When The Journey Is As Important As The Destination.

Hi everyone!
I am YA author B. A. Binns and since spring has finally sprung I, along with many of the other genre-istas, are thinking about vacations. I'm here to say that my favorite vacation is always the one in the future, and I have that one planned. 


A few months ago I was contacted by Bailey Ortiz, a teen librarian in Connecticut. She had heard about my 2013 talk to the 8th National Conference of African American Librarians (NCAAL) on Empowering the Voice of the Black Male in Children’s and Teen Lit. She wondered if I would be willing to travel to Connecticut to give that talk to the librarians attending the CLA (Connecticut Library Association)


Minor digression:
I happen to be a very shy person. That's why I started out as a Biochemist (closeted inside a lab) and then moved to Computer Science (holed up with a machine) and now I am a writer (a more solitary profession has not been invented). Only I quickly learned that writing also involves speaking, it's part of the promotion thing. Lo and behold, I discovered I liked speaking in front of large, anonymous groups.
Digression ends.

Of course I said yes. I've never been to Connecticut, so the crowd would be totally anonymous to me and I would be facing librarians, people with a mission I respect. And that meant I could treat this as a partial vacation. Which is good, because the stipend is pretty much non-existent. Seriously, it will cost me more to board my dog than the Honorarium I am receiving from the conference. But I get the opportunity to spread the message, because diversity in YA literature is important to me, to kids, and to the future.

And I get this nifty mini-vacation.


I will board a train and overnight it to Hartford, Connecticut. I get to walk in and go directly to bed (yes, I said bed) It will be shaky, but relaxing. I wake in the morning, shower, have breakfast and look out the windows to see a new landscape, the kind of thing you never see from the heights of an airplane. I'll meet people, because there is a difference between squeezing in up-close-and-personal with passengers in an airplane, and walking down the halls in a train, sitting at a table and eating, visiting the lounge car with people who are feeling as leisurely as you are. The other  passengers are not your competition the way they feel like on a plane. 

I'm taking Amtrak because I readily admit that I hate flying. It's not a fear of flying, exactly, almost more a fear of airports

• having to arrive hours in advance and taking off my shoes for TSA
• being squeezed into a too-small seat inside a crowded fuselage
• listening to kids crying because their ears are popping
• rebreathing air that has gone through smokers and people with colds
• lost luggage or just the struggle to get your suitcase into the overfull overhead compartment
• turbulence

The nightmare list is endless.

 

I get to look around and seek out potential characters for my next book.  And I get to spread the word about my books to new people, including the men and woman who work on the trains.  A year ago on the City Of New Orleans I sold two of my books to Amtrak  employees.

 I will enjoy my trip, see parts of the U. S. right outside my window, meet nice people, spend two days in Hartford with friendly librarians and return home unfrazzled.

Need New Romance? Ask A Librarian!

Librarians are quiet heroes and heroines. They don't wear dashing capes or dive off of tall buildings (although they may dart between the stacks to help someone). And they usually don't make the headlines.
No, these unassuming heroines quietly work in their hushed environs ...

Okay, let's just stop right here!

Today's librarians are NOT just within the walls of their local library. Nope, they get around.

For you? That means you can use their super talents everywhere, to help you find your next great romance.

Example: Library Journal, one of the premier book review tools for librarians AND readers everywhere. Now online!
A quick Google search will bring you ...

Print Book Reviews  http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2013/08/books/genre-fiction/romance/romance-reviews-august-2013/

AND Ebook Reviews
 http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2013/08/books/genre-fiction/romance/xpress-reviews-e-originals-first-look-at-new-books-august-2-2013/

Yes, each month this prestigious journal features Romance Book Reviews. A great place to find the best new books of the month. These reviewers have been kind enough to give my Hawaiian Heroes their stamp of approval--a pat on the back this author will always remember.

Your local public library is also a great place to find new romance. Most public libraries have a dedicated romance section. Those that don't, probably have romance shelved with general fiction. But you can still search romance -- and you don't have to be in the library. Library catalogs are now are online, just like their journals. You can look for the latest books by a favorite author or the newest romance by subject.

And then ... you can reserve a copy without ever setting foot in the library. Some of the big libraries will even mail you the book, although budget cuts have made this less likely. But they'll let you know when it's available, and that's all part of their free service.

If you do visit your library, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised to find a friendly staff who are tickled to share their favorite new reads. Gone are the old days of the 'shushing' librarian with the frown. These days it's all about public service--with a smile and some help with technology if you need it.

Also, the big book sales sites like Amazon, BN.com and Kobo are organized much like libraries, with subject categories for romance and the genres within. And you can use them in your library search. Say you want to read the latest book by Cathryn Cade, but you've spent your book budget for the month. Look up her latest book in print, which on Amazon you'll find is Orion Rising.

Take this title to your public library, and request a copy of the book. Hmmm, they don't have it? How about this--did you know that if 2-3 library patrons request the same book, the library will do their utmost to buy that book? If you have a favorite author you think your library really ought to carry, get your friends or relatives to help. Request those books!

And what do I know about all this? Well, I am a librarian.

Happy Romance Reading,
Cathryn Cade

Best-selling author of sci fi romance

... it's hot in space, red hot!

Goodreads, My Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Samhain Author Page,

And sign up for My Newsletter for a chance to win goodies! 

Control

Hi everyone.
B. A. Binns here, back for a December round with the genre-ista's.

In honor of RTG's focus on self-publishing this month, I thought I would share the highlights of my 2012 journey. Two years ago I would have sworn I would never self-publish. My debut novel had been picked up by a traditional publisher. Pull was published in Nov 2010, won accolades including a National Reader's Choice award, and won spots on School Library Journal's 2011 Top Picks for Youth in Detention and YALSA's 2012 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers lists.  But sales were not what the publisher expected. I never found out their target, only that my book did not meet that target.

Still, by the end of 2011 I was still determined to stick to the traditional publishing route. My publisher was no longer accepting new manuscripts, and preparing to close up shop. My agent could not find anyone interested in my next three manuscripts because of the less than stellar sales of the first one. I began thinking about self-publishing, but still felt it was something for my far-distant future.

Then, early in 2012, by publisher declared Pull out of print, and, after some goading, returned my rights. Yet, people were still asking for the book. I received inquiries from a school who wanted copies for one of their classes, and from a Library Services Wholesaler who said they had orders, could I fullfil them.

So I became a self-publisher. For me, that meant going into things full-throttle. I chose CreateSpace as my printer and as one of my distribution channels. I do not consider them the publisher and purchased my own ISBN's to ensure the company I created, AllTheColorsOfLove, would be listed in Bowker and Books In Print as the publisher of record. When my attempt to purchase rights to the origional cover from the former publisher were ignored, I rolled up my sleeves, purchased a new photo of the same cover model to preserve continuity, and taught myself Photoshop. With a few tries (okay, lots of tries) I created my own new cover. By the end of October, I was up and running. Since then I have sold paperback copies on Amazon, eBook copies at Amazon's Kindle store and on Smashwords, sent copies to that classroom, and fulfilled three orders from the library services wholesaler I signed a contract with.  And it's only December 12.

Then I grabbed a number of short stories I had written, and bundled them together in a new book, Die Trying and other stories, used my new Photoshop skills to create a new cover, and self-published that in mid-November. Die Trying has sold on Amazon and Smashwords. Last, but certainly not least, I have a local bookstore carrying physical copies of both books, just in time for Christmas Shopping.

I couldn't forget marketing, even though I am lousy at it.

• I put together a Facebook page for my publishing company, please LIKE me at Facebook/allthecolorsoflove. There you can find information on a contest giveaway for Die Trying on Goodreads. Three winners of autographed copies will be selected on December 20, so enter soon.
• Being God is now in the hands of a final editor that I hired, and will be available once final changes are done. You've heard the saying, the quality goes in before...  My name will be on that book, it will be the best I can make it.
• I have updated my website with a new page just for teachers, librarians (and any other interested parties) and access to teacher's guides  for Pull, something my old publisher promised, but never delivered on. Both the guide for Pull, and now for Die Trying, can be downloaded for free from the site.  I would love having teachers and librarians and parents give me feedback on the contents.
• I am trying my hand at creating a newsletter. Wish me luck, I truly don't know what to say, but I want it out this month.
• I am arranging a book tour for next spring to publicize these books. So far, that includes judging a teen writing contest in Illinois and providing a workshop for students, presenting at an RWA conference in Luisiana, conducting two workshops on Diversity and Multicultural Books at a conference in Ohio, and speaking on Reluctant Teen Readers at the American Library Association's convention in Chicago. (I'm ehausted just thinking about next year) I'm on the lookout for other locations, stops, and potential blog-hops.

My follow-up books are no longer gathering dust. In addition to the tour I am finalizing the third book, Being God. While I have ARCs printed and going out to reviewers now, the final book will not be available for sale until the end of January, 2013. I really wanted it out this year, but it's still in the hands of an editor I hired to take one last look.  As the old saying goes, the quality has to go in before...

And my name will be on that book.

It's a name I want readers to remember in a good way. Because I have already started book number four, Minority Of One.

My life grows more full every day. And I'm loving it.

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