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Reader’s Advisory Round Table

RART logoPURPOSE: To provide a forum and occasion for discussion about adult and young adult books, both fiction and non-fiction. It is organized to share information about books and authors from the point of view of reader’s advisory services in public libraries. It will provide an opportunity to share techniques and expertise in book talking and on-the-spot reader's advisory service.

Reminder: The latest RART Newsletter went out to all active RART members. If you are an active member and did not receive it, it may be for one of several reasons:

  • The e-mail address in your MLA membership record may be incorrect.
  • Your e-mail address may not be accepting our e-mails.
  • You may no longer be an active member of MLA or RART.

Please contact the MLA office to verify your e-mail address and membership status, ask for tips on improving e-mail reception, and renew your RART membership for $5, if needed.

What’s New?

Conference, here we come!

Look for RART at the October 2010 MLA Conference in Rochester. All of our programs will be on Thursday, October 7th (thanks to the planning committee for arrange it this way!).

  • 8:00AM–9:15AM – Books: The Top 5 of the Top 5: Memoirs, Romance, Thrillers, Historical Fiction & Science Fiction
  • 9:45AM–11:00AM – 50 in 75: RART’s Third Annual Book Blast
  • 1:30PM–2:45PM – Nonfiction RA 101: The Real Story
  • 1:30PM–2:45PM – RA Crash Course
  • 3:30PM–4:45PM – “One Book, One Conference” False Mermaid author Erin Hart
  • 7:30PM–10:00PM – RART Business Meeting and Happy Hour (@ Martini’s, in the Kahler hotel)

“Feral child raised by patient librarians”

Neil Gaiman’s book talk, 4/18/10, Stillwater Junior High School
Belinda E. Lawrence (RART wannabe)

Through a series of serendipitous e-mails, I learned about the Club Book event with speaker Neil Gaiman, and of course invited myself to help volunteer as “bouncer” at the event. The day of course was sunny, an ideal time to garden, and I almost regretted having to spend the day indoors. But this was after all the author of “Coraline”, “Graveyard Book” (see Nancy Alsop’s review in RART newsletter November 2009) and “American Gods”; I made the sacrifice.

RART volunteers and MELSA staff were greeted at the front doors of the Junior High school by a huge snaking line of eager fans, and two of Stillwater’s finest police officers. The police were not needed as the fans, though excited, were polite, and well behaved. The turnout was small, compared to most of Gaiman’s events which usually draw them in the thousands, but nonetheless it created a very intimate, personable atmosphere.

Accompanying Gaiman at the event were two pure white shepherd dogs. One could not help but reflect on the overt symbolism of the attending white dogs with the man clad in black.

Gaiman began his talk with stories of his visits to his local library as a child. During his school holidays he would haunt the library; he loved it with a passion and read everything there making “no distinction between good or bad” books. The story he was told never to tell was that he a “feral child raised by patient librarians” as the librarians feared this would be “misinterpreted to mean that libraries were free daycare to children.” “It’s true”, he said.

The audience was also treated to several readings of his: “Locks” an unusual version of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” told in ‘chorus’ by a father (Gaiman) along with his daughter; “Instructions”, Gaiman’s newest book out and a poem (and picture book) about surviving a fairy tale world; a retelling of “Sheharezad” to explain, according to Gaiman, where fairy and folk tales may have originated, and his poem “In Relig Oran” a tale of two saints who build a chapel, on the grave of one of them!

Gaiman also discussed why he writes. He doesn’t write to give others answers to questions, but rather “writes to figure out stuff” for himself. He used American Gods as an example of trying to figure out this new place he was now living in, the upper Midwest, and how strange it was for him, a man from England. How could he explain all the new things around him? American Gods was born.

Gaiman ended the event with a question and answer session with the audience. One of the first questions he was confronted with was, “Where are you from, and why on God’s green earth did you move to Minnesota?” He answered quite dryly, that he was English, and that when you are paid in dollars, the money just does not stretch as far. At the time he was married to an American and had American children (dual citizenship), and as the extended family was now located in Minnesota they decided “why not?” So they moved to the area, with him truly not realizing what the world “cold” actually meant.

Gaiman then devoted much of his time to talking to each and every fan, answering additional questions about his works, about his life and giving advice to young writers about their next moves. The session ended on the back stairway of the auditorium with one young writer still in need of counsel. My patience had long waned at this point as I had another engagement I was now seriously late for, but I waited, along with Angie Noyes. She had become the caretaker of the two white shepherds, who were also growing impatient awaiting the attentions of their master. I mention this as with my growing impatience, the generosity of Gaiman’s time grew. Gaiman continued to listen intently to the young writer, never giving the impression he was tired, impatient or bored. It was truly evident that Gaiman cares deeply about his fans. The patient librarians of his childhood indeed did good raising this former feral child.

Minnesota Book Awards 2010

Saturday, April 17 found several members of the RART (Readers’ Advisory Round Table) gathered at a round table to celebrate the 22nd annual Minnesota Book Awards. One of our members was even a judge this year. It was a gala evening with much celebration and anticipation as each award was announced. We got a chance to mingle and chat with this year’s nominees at the opening reception. A wonderful evening filled with fun, champagne, desserts, and discussing books. Join us next year for the awards presentation.
– Jane Stein, RART

RART and Minitex webinar


On Tuesday, April 6th, and again on Wednesday, April 14th, Angie Noyes, of the Washington County Library System; Sarah Nagle and Karla Businaro, both of the Carver County Library System; and Jennifer Brannen, and I of the Saint Paul Public Library System, were welcomed by Librarian Jennifer Hootman to an inner bunker at Minitex on the campus of the University of Minnesota. We had been recruited by Jennifer H. to reprise the 50 in 75 Book Blast we’d presented last fall at the Minnesota Library Association conference in St. Cloud. The Minitex webinar format consisted of our PowerPoint slides on a screen that participants could view while we presented our book talks over a telephone line. Both webinars were fully booked, in spite of taking place at 9:00 in the morning. For those who are interested, the webinar has been archived and can be accessed at this link: https://www.minitex.umn.edu/Training/Details.aspx?SessionID=284. (Our webinar can only be viewed in Internet Explorer.)
– Barb Pierce, Library Associate, Highland Park Library, RART

Articles RART members have written

Resources

Useful Listservs

Local Awards

Local Literary Resources

Websites

Blogs

  • Waterboro Public Library (ME) weblog of literary and library news and resources
    http://www.waterborolibrary.org/blog.htm
    Has a slight Maine focus, but still good content.
  • Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind: Crime fiction, and more
    http://www.sarahweinman.com/
    Sarah Weinman, a freelance writer based in New York, is, the Baltimore Sun’s crime fiction columnist and writes “Dark Passages,” a monthly online mystery & suspense column for the Los Angeles Times Book Review. Previously she was an editor for GalleyCat, mediabistro.com’s publishing industry news blog.
  • Papercuts: Cutting Edge Library News, Reviews and Events
    http://www.tscpl.org/papercuts/
    Sponsored by the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. “Librarians love to talk about books. Papercuts features reviews, recommendations, staff picks, book lists, and more! From the weekly Best Sellers list, to Literary News and a broad selection of reading genres, this is the place to explore when you are looking for a good book.”
  • Ornery Librarian
    http://ornerylibrarian.blogspot.com
    (an eclectic assortment of reviews, etc.) She has moved her comments to www.goodreads.com, which appears to by like librarything.com. Blog is still archived and worth looking at.
  • Bookslut Online Journal
    http://www.bookslut.com/
    Bookslut is a monthly web magazine and daily blog dedicated to those who love to read. It provides a constant supply of news, reviews, commentary, insight, and more than occasional opinions.
  • Bookshelves of Doom
    http://bookshelvesofdoom.blogs.com
    An individual person’s blog on books and reading by a: “Librarian. Okay, okay. Uber-librarian. Minus the MLS. That might happen. Someday.” It contains: “book reviews, book news, my life and anything else I think is interesting.”
  • Daily Media News from GalleyCat
    http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat
    A blog about books and publishing
  • Reader’s Advisory Online
    http://www.readersadvisoronline.com/blog/
    This blog offers a weekly update, from a scan of more than 100 blogs, newsletters, magazines, newspapers and television.
  • MPR reading blog
    http://mnreaders.gather.com/?ref=grp_mnreaders
    Minnesota Readers, Minnesota Public Radio wants to know what you’re reading! Share reviews, tips, and your literary pursuits here. All readers are invited to the Minnesota Public Radio Reader’s group. We’ll talk about local work, the larger lit scene, and see if we identify a geography of literary taste.
  • Librarian Avengers
    http://librarianavengers.org/
    “Want to be a librarian? Got chutzpah? This is the blog for you.”

RART at MLA Conference

One Book, One Conference Titles at a Glance

RART Spring Retreats

RART Newsletters

2009 Steering Committee

  • Angie Noyes, Washington County Library System (former Chair, 2005, 2009)
    Term ends 2011
  • Karla Businaro, Carver County Library System
    Term ends 2010
  • Lynn Lucking, Washington County Library System
    Term ends 2011
  • Barbara J. Pierce, St. Paul Public Library System
    Term ends 2010
  • Jane Stein, Hennepin County Library System
    Term ends 2010
  • Linda Dallavalle, Dakota County Library System
    Term ends 2011
  • Jamie Stanley, Northfield Public Library
    Term ends 2011

Annual Reports

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