Both the film and its website, Popular Romance Project, are products of the partnership between the Library of Congress’s Center for the Book and Blueberry Hill Productions. According to the production company’s press release for the film, “Love Between the Covers is the fascinating story of the vast, funny, and savvy female community that has built a powerhouse industry sharing love stories. Romance fiction is sold in 34 languages on six continents, and the genre grosses more than a billion dollars a year—outselling mystery, sci-fi, and fantasy combined. Yet the millions of voracious women (and sometimes men) who read, write, and love romance novels have remained oddly invisible. Until now.

For three years, we follow the lives of five very diverse published romance authors and one unpublished newbie as they build their businesses, find and lose loved ones, cope with a tsunami of change in publishing, and earn a living doing what they love—while empowering others to do the same. During the three years we’ve been shooting Love Between the Covers, we have witnessed the biggest power shift that has taken place in the publishing industry over the last 200 years.”

About ten libraries have already signed up to host a screening at their locations and there are more reservations being processed at the time of this article’s posting. Jennifer Lohmann, Adult Services Manager at Durham County Southwest Regional Library, is not only a librarian but also a romance novelist and a previous Romance Writers of America Librarian of the Year. Needless to say she is eagerly supportive of hosting a screening. “Given the large number of romance authors in the area and the community of romance readers at the library, it seemed natural for us to host the event. It follows in a long line of programming the library has hosted aimed at the romance community.”

Laurie Kahn, the documentary’s director, agrees that libraries are the perfect place for a screening. “Seventy-five million Americans read at least one romance novel per year, and 46 % of romance consumers read at least one book per week! These voracious readers have not always felt welcome in public libraries, and screening the film will send a clear message, welcoming romance readers into the library to watch a film about the romance community with an audience of other people who love the genre, or are curious about it. A public screening will also help librarians establish good relations with local romance writers and these relations could lead to future popular events at the library.”

There is a rental fee for the film that includes promotional material such as fliers, posters, and postcards. Kahn’s team at Blueberry Hill Productions is super nice and ready to help plan your library’s LBtC event. Details of screening procedures are available online or via e-mail at screenings@lovebetweenthecovers.com.

Start planning your Valentine’s Day events now and include this award-winning flick! (The director would love to have 100 or more public libraries have a showing on or near February 14^th, 2016!)

Editor’s Note:  PLA will be screening this film at PLA 2016. Watch for more information on dates/times at placonference.org.

The post Love Between the Covers Documentary first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Created by Jordan Lloyd Bookey and her husband, Felix Brandon Lloyd, Beanstack is a specialized service for libraries and their patrons that offers personalized book recommendations and specific tools for learning. Beanstack librarians as well as the specific library system’s librarians work together to recommend books for young readers based on the young person’s individual interests. These specialized recommendations not only make reading enjoyable for the children, but also help build literacy at an early age.

“Beanstack is a web application, and it is mobile optimized,” says Bookey. “That means it is very easy to use on your phone, as we build first for the mobile experience. We consider it a family engagement tool, helping to better connect libraries and families. By signing up, families will receive personalized recommendations for their kids, along with recommended events and more. We know that librarians themselves are the best answer—nothing beats a librarian at readers’ advisory! Our goal is to help people begin and continue their discovery process of all the amazing things their library/librarians have to offer.” All recommendations are titles already in your library’s specific catalog.

The system has learning activities, reading logs, and an engaging badge system to entice young readers to not only read but also continue reading.

This product is helpful on its own but can be paired with a number of your own library system’s programs. “Beanstack has worked great with the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program and we’re excited to see how parents use the product in other ways,” says Garrett Hungerford, assistant director of Salem-South Lyon District Library in Michigan. Many systems have promoted it along with their summer reading programs. Beanstack also sends out a weekly reminder to visit your library for more information from librarians, and thus becomes a community engagement tool, as well. “It helps engage local families by providing personalized recommendations, tools for earning incentives, and content curated by librarians. 43% of Beanstack users do not have a library card when signing up. The flagship summer reading client experienced a 25% increase in registrations and completions,” says Bookey.

Beanstack has now partnered with over fifty public libraries throughout the United States and even into Canada. A video demonstrating how Beanstack can be partnered with your summer reading program can be seen here.

The post Beanstack: A Readers’ Advisory Tool for Young Readers first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

That’s right. In its third year, Read a Romance Month (RARM) has turned August into a month of not only sultry summer heat but also sultry romance advocacy. RARM is the brainchild of Bobbi Dumas, a Kirkus Review and National Public Radio contributor. “I wanted an event that truly celebrated romance,” says Dumas. She found several happenings that were related to the genre but usually only through certain publishers or organizations. She wanted a place for the writers themselves to promote and celebrate the genre.

Beginning on August 15, the Read a Romance Month site there will feature daily posts by romance novel authors. This year’s specific theme is “The Joy of Romance.” Currently scheduled novelists include Mary Jo Putney, Lori Wilde, Elizabeth Hoyt, Jill Shalvis, and Lisa Kleypas, just to name a few. Since there will be ninety-three diverse and successful authors contributing, there is sure to be diverse thoughts on what the joy of romance novels really is. “I try very hard for RARM to be about romance, and that writers have the freedom to express their feelings about the genre and each theme in their own unique and authentic way,” says Dumas. Also included with each author’s essay is a bio, a Q&A section, and recommendations. Giveaways will also be given out where available.

This year, three of the posts will be by librarians who support and relish the romance genre. Yes, this year RARM advocacy and community now include librarians who get to tell their stories as well. According to Dumas, “Librarians are so cool! Librarians can have a really powerful effect on readers when they don’t make them feel judged for their reading choices.” SuperWendy writes the blog, The Misadvenutres of Super Librarian, and Monique Flasch is a librarian who started the Facebook page, Romance in the Stacks. Yours truly will also be contributing to Librarians Day, which is August 21^st.

As for thoughts of only February being the most romantic month, Dumas’s research showed differently. Folks are relaxed from vacations and therefore more ready for a romantic beach read. There are no national holidays in the eighth month of the year either. So the month can be an uninterrupted flow of romance and romance genre advocacy.

The post August is Read a Romance Month first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

SELF-e

One example of this is the partnership of SELF-e and Los Angeles (CA) Public Library (LAPL). LAPL combined resources for writers that the system already had but weren’t centralized. “We decided to create a portal pulling everything together in one place,” says Catherine Royalty, LAPL’s acquisitions manager. As a result, LAPL Writes was born. “We want the LAPL Writes portal to serve both as a useful resource for LA’s aspiring authors and also as a means to facilitate a writing community centered at the library. We hope to incorporate additional programming including a speaker series and projects promoting use of the SELF-e platform and the Indie California collection.”

On the other side of the country, the Cuyahoga County (OH) Public Library (CCPL) had a prominent place in their writer community. “We already have a robust schedule of free writing programs and workshops, as well as an active author visit program featuring both local and touring authors. We see SELF-e as part of the larger picture of libraries moving into facilitating our patrons’ content creation,” says Laurie Kincer, reading communications specialist.

In addition, one of CCPL’s branches will cater specifically to writers, including a computer lab set-up so patrons can learn SELF-e, laptops with writing software, and meeting spaces used for writing classes and author visits. The newest branch in the system, opening later this year, will have a dedicated Writers Center that houses writing reference books, magazines, a meeting space, and a full-time librarian. The center will also have a separate page on the CCPL website. “We see author and writing events as being vitally linked services. While author events increase the visibility of and excitement around reading, the Writers Center will provide a place where writers at all levels (as well as readers of all interests) can find and form community,” says Kincer.

Both systems have gotten positive feedback from their patrons about their writer-geared services. If thinking about starting such a program at your own library, Royalty has some suggestions. “I would suggest first spending time thinking about what you already have to offer in terms of useful resources for writers, across all your formats and platforms. Most of what is featured on our page was already available through the library, it just needed to be organized in a useful way. I would also caution libraries to take a close look at any of the outside author resources they may link to on their site—we evaluated all our linked web resources for transparency on any fees, etc., and linked to several helpful blogs that address common scams and legal pitfalls in the self-publishing industry.”

The post Libraries Help Writers Succeed first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

El Deafo Book Cover

Public Libraries: You’ve written and illustrated a number of picture books. But what made you want to write for older kids with your Newberry Honor book El Deafo?

Cece Bell: I really felt like a graphic novel was the perfect format for this particular story—a picture book would not have been able to show all I needed to tell. And the story I wanted to tell involved a lot of the same issues that middle grade kids are experiencing now, so it just made more sense to write this book with middle grade readers in mind.

PL: What was the best and hardest part of writing/illustrating this book?

CB: In general, the hardest part was just the sheer amount of work involved in making the book. So much drawing! So much figuring out! More specifically, the chapter about sign language was extremely difficult to write. I am not proud of the attitude I had about sign language when I was a kid, but I wanted to be honest about it in the book. I worked very hard in this chapter to balance my own negative feelings with the more positive facts about sign language that the sign language teacher shares with me during this chapter.

PL: Were you a library user when you were young? Do you use the library now?

CB: I definitely used the library when I was young. I was lucky because I could walk to our local library—it was just four blocks from home. I confess that I did a lot more looking at pictures than I did actual reading. I soaked up the picture books and disappeared into the enormous collection of Winsor McCay’s Sunday comic strip, Little Nemo in Wonderland, which was so big you weren’t allowed to check it out.

I use the library today as a quiet place to get some writing and illustrating done. I still love to soak up the pictures in the picture book section, too.

PL: What do you enjoy most about library and school visits?

CB: I really enjoy answering the kids’ questions, and then getting to spend a little bit of one-on-one time with them.

PL: If you weren’t a children’s book writer and illustrator, what would you like to be?

CB: There’s nothing else I’d rather be! But I occasionally wish that I was a jazz pianist. How cool would that be?

The post I Was Lucky Because I Could Walk to Our Local Library: A Conversation with Cece Bell first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

The founder of Smashwords (Mark Coker) graduated from Los Gatos High School, making it the logical choice to begin a new chapter of libraries and e-publishing joining forces. Through a variety of connections, Henry Bankhead, the current acting director of Los Gatos Library, got in touch with high school English teacher, Tonya McQuade. They worked together to create an opportunity for students to not only write their own material but also be a part of the process of getting it published.  Thanks to a grant from the Pacific Library Partnership, two mobile labs were used to create these books. Each lab included 10 iPads, 1 MacBook air, a charging station, and Microsoft Office for all of the devices. The lab components were used mostly for creating art work but also for some of the actual writing.

“Last year’s students were the first to try this, and they really enjoyed being able to see their own work published,” says McQuade. Even more, the students enjoyed being able to be part of the process of seeing the whole book come together, from learning about self-publishing from Coker and Bankhead; to choosing a title and cover design; selecting poems to include and organizing them into sections; adding artwork; marketing the book, promoting the book through social media and news campaigns; and then finally, having our book launch party at the Los Gatos Library. There, several students read their poems for an audience of parents and students, as well as explained the process used to create the book. What’s more, on the day of the launch party, our book went to number one on Amazon’s Poetry Book List! The students were also eager to help out their freshmen class by contributing the funds raised to help support upcoming class activities.”

And the positive reactions didn’t stop with the teacher. A number of students during that first year learned not only writing and editing skills, but learned how the library can be an excellent resource. Aididh Finlayson said, “I’ve always loved the library, and this made me feel like the library was really trying to support our educational endeavors.” Another student added, “I do feel more connected to the library now.”  The success of the program is best summed up by Nitin Srivivasan, a sophomore who was in Ms. McQuade’s ninth grade English class last year. “Because of this project, I have developed a greater appreciation for literature in general, and I have grown more connected the Los Gatos Public Library.”

The tangible results of this collaborative work included the poetry anthology Windows to the Teenage Soul (available on Overdrive), as well as two short story collections, Stories to Remember and Collection of Inspirational Teenage Stories, both available on Smashwords. Due to the success of this project, Bankhead and crew will be working with the next class of ninth grade English students this year.

The post Teaching Teens Self-Publishing @ the Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Such was the question Melissa Baker asked herself and her library director at Montgomery County (TX) Memorial Library System. And the answer resulted in their newly created LFL loan program, which they hope to begin in the spring of this year. “I see this as a natural consequence, resulting from not being able to limit the project to just one area in our county. We have seven public libraries in our county, and we do reach a large number of library customers on a regular basis. But we are spread out and there are many great potential places where a Little Free Library would add value to the community,” says Baker.

Baker admits that there are a variety of ways to create the actual LFL, including partnering with local community groups or businesses. In this case, they ordered a kit from Gaylord and then customized it with their own logo. Montgomery County’s Friends of the Library group donated books to put in the LFL.

There are some things to consider if undertaking such a program. Who is going to install it at each location, the library staff or the borrower? Are release forms required depending on each location? How accessible should locations be? Should LFL be only at locations that have 24/7 patron access, like a public park, or are some limitations acceptable, such as at a mall or store? These questions are important but not insurmountable. A bit of thinking and planning can go a long way in implementing such a program at your public library.

This month, Baker has created an application and will begin the application process online. Only a few locations will be chosen every year. The announcement for the first location is expected during National Library Week in April. “We’ll list the ‘touring’ schedule of the library on our website so the little library will be kind of like a rock star, with upcoming dates in various parts of the county being announced on a regular basis,” says Baker.

The post Like a Rock Star – A Little Free Library Goes on Tour first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Public Libraries: Your book, Out of My Mind, came out in 2010. Have you been surprised by the reaction to it?

Sharon Draper: Out of My Mind has been blessed from the first day it came out.  It seems to touch the hearts and minds of people.  I received letters from parents and students and grandparents and caregivers and lots of young people who, like Melody, face the world with many challenges.  I’ve also received many letters from students in other countries, as the book has been translated into I think ten different languages now.  Yes, the book is blessed.  It changes the way we as humans look at each other.

PL: You have visited many schools and public libraries, including my own (LCPL) to discuss Out of My Mind. What has been your experience doing this? Have young readers surprised or entertained you with questions during your visits?

SD: I love visiting schools and libraries!  I was that little girl who went to the library every single Saturday, who checked out ten books at a time because I just couldn’t get enough.  So I always feel at home in any library.

And since I was a teacher I always like returning to schools because I can interact with the students and teachers.   I show up at a school in jeans and sneakers.   I talk to them.  I make jokes.  I let them ask questions—zillions and zillions of questions.  And I listen to them.  I observe them—what they’re wearing, what shoes are cool, what hairstyles are in, what words and phrases and music they like.  Then I try to incorporate their essence into each story.  I make sure lots of real teenagers read sections of a new novel before I release it to them.  Their opinion is essential to the success of the book.

PL: You must be excited for your new book, Stella by Starlight, to come out in January 2015. Please tell us about it.  What inspired it?

SD: When I was a little girl, we used to spend summers on my grandmother’s farm in North Carolina, where each night I sat quietly on the front porch and listened to the elders tell outrageous stories.  They came to that porch weary from working all day, but left there energized.  I loved the rhythm of their voices, the power of their laughter.

My father and grandmother were different people on those evenings—indulgent to me rather than strict—with Grandma sneaking me cookies and Daddy letting me stay up way past my bedtime.  They were the early threads of a quilt I didn’t even know I was weaving.

I also found out, many years later, that my grandmother, when she was a little girl, had kept a secret journal of her hopes and dreams–a notebook she wrote outside, after dark, under the stars.  I was given that journal many years ago, and I promised to write her story.  I had no idea a story of my own would emerge from those summer evenings.

I blended my memories of those glorious tales with the passion of my grandmother’s hidden scribbles into the novel that became Stella by Starlight.  Focusing on strength of family, power of community, and interspersed with music, storytelling, social commentary, and history,  Stella by Starlight is my gift to young readers.

PL: How is Stella’s story different than Melody’s in Out of My Mind?

SD: Although they are both eleven-year-old girls, Stella is very different from Melody.  Stella lives in 1932 in a community filled with lots more love than money, and also quite a bit of danger.  She struggles in school with writing and reading, and how to express her thoughts on paper.  Her journey of discovery becomes the story—the discovery of evil, the strength of family, and the power of the written word.  Like my grandmother did so many years ago when she was a child, Stella writes in a journal as well.  Her story brims with courage, compassion, creativity, and resilience.

PL: Are there any lessons you hope readers will get from this newest novel?

SD: I would like for Stella by Starlight to become a starting point for lots of discussions.  I’d like for young readers to feel the rhythms of a close community, to understand how the past reflects the present, to think about social injustice through storytelling and song.  When they read Stella by Starlight, I want them to learn a larger truth about life and humanity, without ever knowing they have done so.

Thanks so much to Sharon Draper for taking the time to do this interview. Also, learn more about the author and her work at http://sharondraper.com/.

The post I Was That Little Girl Who Went to the Library Every Single Saturday: A Conversation with Sharon Draper first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

FCPL is a pilot site for a newly developed program by SirsiDynix. According to Justin Swain, end user services consultant for SirsiDynix, FCPL was one of the library systems chosen to try the pilot program because of its openness to innovative services. “FCPL stays ahead of the game when it comes to providing new and unique services to their patrons,” says Swain. FCPL initially offered the dual use card just at their main branch but rolled out the program to all locations in the beginning of September.

I Love My Library Card is a Visa® prepaid card that has few additional fees for the cardholder, compared to many of the traditional options out there. Currently, about sixty cards have been given out at FCPL and about a third of the recipients have registered to use the debit side of the program. There’s hope those numbers will expand as the community becomes more aware of the platform.

“Customers have plenty of choices for prepaid debit cards, but this one offers a couple perks. For one, customers know that a portion of their fees are donated back to the library. For two, the card offers ‘Linkable,’ which is a rewards program that allows customers to get special deals from local and national businesses,” says Marie Slaby, FCPL’s interim manager of community and corporate partnerships office.

Swain agrees. He adds that patron privacy is upheld. It is up to library card customers to sign up for the debit card services. Library card information is not shared with the producers of the debit card and vice versa. “We ensure that all of our products comply with the most stringent privacy standards,” says Swain.

A third perk of the card is the involvement of the library with financial literacy programming. The card can be part of a larger lesson on financial responsibility. There are a number of “unbanked” individuals in the country and in Frederick County. Lower fees allow struggling patrons, who may lack the financial resources and knowledge many of us take for granted, to use the card. Also, no credit check is required.

It can be a bit of a challenge to educate library staff on the positives of this program. Although libraries and fundraising often go hand in hand, staff can be reluctant to understand the value of such a card. Slaby says, “Librarians are wary of offering any product that has a cost. We’ve offered things for sale before—t-shirts, used books, tote bags—but never a financial product. We are having to do a lot of education so that librarians know what prepaid debit cards are and how our card compares favorably to others that are available. But librarians often rise to the challenge of learning new roles in their communities.”

Swain says he is working with libraries in Mississippi and Illinois to implement similar programs, with the hope that other library systems will come on board in the future.

For a more in-depth article on this partnership, visit here.

The post I Love My Library Card: A Dual Use Library/Debit Card first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Novel Engagement (NE) has four basic components: Authors, Books, Events, and Reader Zone. The best part of the app may be the Books section, which not only allows a search for books by title, but also by subgenre and theme. Keywords such as “cowboys” or “vampires” can be entered to narrow down a search. Looking for just a romance novel is often not enough for today’s educated romance reader. Romance novel enthusiasts have their own specific tastes and this app could help a librarian narrow them down.

The application also includes contests and giveaways, both online and live. In addition, readers can sign up to be notified through the app when their favorite author has a new release coming up. An author’s entry in NE often includes a bio as well as a list of titles, website addresses, social media connections, and any awards the author has received.

Allison Kelley, RWA’s executive director, strongly believes this app will be of value to librarians. “The app is a great tool for…romance readers to use to find books they can then go check out via their library or request that their libraries add to their collections. We think this will be a great resource for librarians to use for romance readers advisory.”

The app, which is free, is still in the process of being updated. “We have a website version on the way,” Kelley says.

It’s up to RWA members to apply to be part of NE. Some of the authors currently listed include Sandra Brown, Sylvia Day, Sabrina Jefferies, and Susan Wiggs.

According to a press release, the app lists 1,000 authors and over 5,000 romance novels. With RWA’s membership of 10,000 worldwide, those listings are certain to increase in the future. And with an estimated $1 billion in sales of the genre, this app is sure to help librarians and readers find the perfect romance reading fit.

To learn more about the app and download it, visit www.rwa.org or www.novelengagement.com.

The post Need More Romance? There’s An App for That first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Even though Connecticut’s situation is unique compared to most of the country, the concept of state e-book collections is not unusual. Reading Arizona is a program being developed that allow state residents, based on IP address, access to a standalone website to check out e-books. Somewhere down the line the program hopes to provide MARC records to local libraries to allow integration of titles to individual library systems. “What makes Reading Arizona unique is that all content will be specifically focused on Arizona topics and themes,” states Digital Content Coordinator Michelle Bickert of Arizona State Library. This could include popular fiction set in the state as well as academic material.

Evoke Colorado is in the early stages of a similar program for its state’s libraries. The goal is to have content for all types of libraries in the state. “Down the road, the platform is envisioned to simply be…a place where thousands of publishers can directly sell their content to libraries, where collection development librarians can select and manage e-books and other e-content, and where end users can discover e-content,” states Jim Duncan, executive director of the Colorado Library Consortium.  At some point, there might even be a variety of content that includes e-books, e-audiobooks, movies, videos, and more.

Such an undertaking does take time, funds, and patience to cover new technological ground. Challenges have included convincing stakeholders at all levels that these projects are good for their patrons. Finding the right collaborators to not only create a central location for the e-material to be stored but also to maintain that location over a period of time can be a daunting task. But leaders within both programs seem focused on the outcome of providing rich and diverse e-content for their state’s patrons. “We want to carefully manage development so that it meets the needs of Colorado libraries first,” says Duncan.

Both programs are still working on preliminary steps and may have some testing available this fall. Check both websites for the latest info.

The post Two States Creating State-Wide Library E-book Collections first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

First, keep in mind the goal when starting a blog. Do you want to just advertise your book group or talk about every book you’ve ever read? Do you want to announce library programs at your branch or rather discuss librarianship as a whole? Should you document your journey through library school or the last year of your retirement from librarian life? Having a clear, focused objective is the first vital step in starting a blog.

Second is to be consistent—blog on a regular basis—and “be yourself.” This tip is recommended by Wendy Crutcher, blogger of The Misadventures of Super Librarian. Eleven years of writing her blog about romance novels and librarianship has led Crutcher to this piece of advice. She also recommends finding your own personal voice rather than imitating someone else’s. Blog readers will sense any whiff of inauthenticity right away and just move on to another blog.

April Shroeder, a teen librarian with Loudoun County Public Library, agrees that being consistent is a good idea. She recommends setting a goal and sticking to it to get content posted regularly. “In 2012 and 2013 I reviewed on my blog every single book I read. I was bound to blog more than once a week.”

Once the blog is established, how should a librarian be sure to keep momentum going? Giveaways and contests are one way. Crutcher joined a GoodReads Challenge for last year and this year. Her progress on both challenges is recorded on her blog. Another momentum idea is communicating with commenters. “For me, I like to respond to comments on my site and solicit ideas,” says Elizabeth Bird, author of the blog A Fuse #8 Production. For Bird, such interaction leads to new post ideas or resources in the field. Readers often share links with her and her audience on a variety of things related to children’s literature. Jennifer LaGarde, the web’s Adventures of Library Girl, said that a negative comment on her blog led her to respond by writing a post that not only responded to the negative remark but also gained a lot of support from her readers. It led to great discussions amongst readers as well as with LaGarde.

In addition, be sure to include the blog address in e-mail signatures. List it on Facebook pages if you or your organization has one. Word of mouth with book club members or patrons in general is always a good idea.

Muriel Richards of New York Public Library says it best when advocating for blogs. “I believe that blogging, as a flexible forum in terms of diverse writing styles (i.e., brief and formal, creative and lengthy, etc.), is well-suited to conveying information in a variety of formats to a heterogeneous audience.”

The post Why Blog? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

If you have a tween or a young teen, you probably know about this game already. Teen librarians recognized that this patron population was enough of a fan of the game that maybe it was time to introduce this pastime into the library. “Minecraft fit into my library because it was a teens and tweens initiated activity,” says John Gillette, Young Adult Librarian of Bettendorf Public Library in Bettendorf, Iowa. Other library systems agree. This age set is more knowledgeable of the game than the adult librarians. Teens often help the adults learn what is needed to start and maintain Minecraft servers, plugins, and rules. As a result, the teens become invested in the library. Tinna D. Mills, teen services librarian of Chippewa River District Library System, had a teen advisory board member host their first Minecraft event. Now that same young patron has helped advise staff in advancing the servers to all of the system’s branches. Another librarian shared that a reluctant reader started using Minecraft at her branch and since then has become enthusiastic about reading Manga; the student’s teacher has complained to his mother that the student reads too much during class now!

Librarians have been thrilled with the teen enthusiasm this game evokes. They have witnessed shy adolescents thrive and learn to socialize more due to leadership and team building skills the game requires. The game also promotes STEM based learning and programming, a major component lately used by librarians across the country. “With Minecraft, we can offer technology and programming classes, free-style play sessions, and tournaments. There is a wide appeal,” says Teen Services Librarian Katie Kalil of Loudoun County (VA) Public Library.

On average, this game has become a popular component of public libraries in just the last couple of years. But in that short amount of time, there have been valuable lessons learned. First, it is wise to start out with a small server and use it to do an initial Minecraft event. Find out if there’s a truly a patron interest before buying many servers or one for each branch in your system. Realize that there is a time investment needed to build the system in the initial stages of the game. Be sure to learn all of the components of the game. One librarian learned quickly that teens had found the backdoor of the server console, causing a bit of havoc along the way. Senior Library Assistant Matt Williams of Roanoke County Public Library finds Bukkit to be helpful.

Luckily, the appeal of the game and evidence of its positive social, academic, and community impact has led to few criticisms by directors or supervisors. “Minecraft helps libraries build connections between individuals within the community and provide positive growth opportunities for young people,” says Mills. It’s real hard to argue with that.

The post The Minecraft Craze at the Public Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

In the case of the branch where I work, the Lovettsville Library, a branch of Loudoun County (VA) Public Library, staff has worked with the local homeschool community by creating Homeschool Enrichment classes. The branch manager, Catherine Hall, and several members of our branch’s Friends group, brainstormed together to find ways to serve this population within their community.

Initially, one-time only programs were created, such as Library Skills for Homeschoolers. Certain programs were scheduled during traditional public school hours so that homeschooled children could attend. As these events cemented the relationship between the homeschool community and the library, library staff took a leap of faith and created a weekly set of Homeschool Enrichment programs. After some discussion, it was decided that courses would be created to complement what parents are already teaching at home.

Hall worked with Friends of Lovettsville Library board members and homeschool moms Michelle McIntyre and Beth McKenna to create the classes that accompany what’s already taught at home. In Lovettsville Library’s case, course topics such as art, personal finance, geography, literature, and engineering are just a few of the subjects covered so far. The age range of the attendees are anywhere from six to fifteen. Currently, there are four classes held each Tuesday afternoon. One of those classes is taught by library staff, but the others are taught by homeschool moms. Time is set aside for public forum presentations as well.

The program started last fall with a 12-week session. The same number of sessions was repeated this year but the topics are different since the same students who were in the first session were expected to be in the second one.

During this whole process Hall and the other contributors re-evaluated the process as they went, changing some procedures for the second session. More homeschool parents were recruited to teach courses in the second session. The public forum was scheduled at a different time than the other programs as requested by the homeschool parents. Even a month into the second session, challenges and solutions are appearing. “Since none of the leaders are classroom teachers, we are learning about managing groups of learners as we go,” says Hall.

This program is certainly making a positive impact at the branch. Door counts, program attendance, and circulation numbers are pumped up on Tuesdays. And there is a feeling of camaraderie amongst the staff and homeschool families. “It is safe to say that we really found a need in our community and filled it. I find it very rewarding to know that all of our careful thought and decision-making about how to serve the needs of the homeschool families in our community has paid off,” says Hall.

Beth McKenna, whose children attend these classes, agrees with Hall. “Programs that require teamwork are difficult to accomplish at home. During last semester’s programs, my sons enjoyed working as a team with a group of students meeting engineering challenges. Additionally, the gathering of homeschoolers at the library provides a large, friendly audience for poetry recitation or public speaking.”

The post The Perfect Partnership: Public Libraries and Homeschoolers first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

According to a recent Scientific American article, reading paper versus electronic material makes a difference when it comes to memory and learning. In digital format, readers tend to skim, looking for keywords. As a result the full content of the material is often lost.

Screen reading takes more mental energy thereby leaving less for actual content retention. Students who read text via a computer screen did a little bit worse on a reading comprehension test than those students who used actual textbooks. During the test, they were able to look back at their textbooks for answers. The students who used actual textbooks retained not only more information but memory as to where that information was located.

Also, “seeing” only a page or two at a time rather than the whole book is disorienting to the reader. Although most e-readers have a digital readout somewhere on the screen of the readers progress within the book, that’s not enough. To physically hold the book and flip through individual pages makes the reader feel more grounded to the experience than a simple readout of her progress on the screen. When readers are grounded to the experience, material is more likely to be remembered.

This article, as well as a recent report by ABC News, lists the physical side effects of e-reading. Headaches and neck pain are the biggest complaints of those who use e-readers. Eye strain and dry eyes are others. Nearly 70% of American adults show these side effects according to the ABC News report.

And the concern is higher for children. E-readers are often the only device children read nowadays so the side effects mentioned above could harm children at an early age. If not caught, the harm could lead to more problems earlier in life.

There are ways to prevent these issues. Don’t spend more than 20 minutes at a time staring at an e-reader or computer screen. Be sure to blink often to lubricate your eyes. Take many breaks. Be sure to do safe neck exercises to ward off a stiff neck and shoulders.

Or just read an actual book!

The post The Physical Effects of E-Reading first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

The Symington Press powered by Espresso Book Machine (EBM) is a fairly new endeavor for the Loudoun County Public Library (LCPL) system in northern Virginia. This program allows patrons and community members to either self-publish their own work or instantly print a book from the EBM catalog. The Espresso Book Machine catalog has more than a million book titles to choose from and sometimes the price for instant printing is lower than ordering from an on-line vend “Public libraries are about promoting the joy of reading and learning. The Espresso Book Machine fits well with the mission and vision of a public library,” says Chang Liu, the director of LCPL. According to Liu, the timeline of acquiring and installing the machine, as well as training staff, was approximately a year. At the end of the year, the ribbon cutting ceremony for Symington Press coincided with the conclusion of LCPL’s Write On! Short Story contest. Over 200 patrons, many of whom were aspiring writers, attended the event.

Symington Press

The machine itself is approximately four by 12 feet but requires a bit of buffered space around it to allow for its full operation. There is a bit of noise but not too much to disturb patrons. The time it takes to actually print a book varies on the length of the book. But the average time is about 10 minutes.

There are things to keep in mind when undertaking such a service. LCPL was fortunate to have the AV Symington Trust Fund, which is dedicated to support endeavors specifically at LCPL’s Rust Library branch, to financially support this project. Also, it is crucial to have extensive and detailed training for staff on the machine’s operation.The device does have software and technical aspects that may not be familiar to most librarians.

Espresso Book Machine

Xerox manufactures the EBM. There’s an Epson printer involved in the process, as well as a Mac Mini. Java is one of the software components.Once the technical details are learned, the service needs to be advertised. “In order for this service to be successful, staff needs to be champions for it, hand-selling this service. Word of mouth promotion is critical,” says Liu.

Although LCPL has offered the service to the public for just a few months, the library system is happy with the Symington Press. There have been some patrons that have been thrilled to get their personal writing published. One customer drove over three hours to get to the Rust Library just to use the EBM to publish her work. A few folks have ordered directly from the EBM catalog, too. And in the coming months, there are sure to be more budding writers who stop by the library to create the physical result of their writing.

The post The Symington Press: A New Publishing Adventure for a Virginia Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Smashwords is an e-book publishing portal that allows an author as much control as possible over their literary work. Authors can set their book’s price, cover art, and length. The website and project was inspired in 2008 by the founder, Mark Coker, and his own personal struggle to get his book published. In Coker’s experience, he found traditional publishers’ goals were more financial than creative. Today there are over 70,000 members of the Smashwords community that includes authors, agents, and small independent publishers.

In 2010, an off-hand comment by a library page to LGPL Town Librarian Henry Bankhead about Smashwords led Bankhead to learn more about the new world of e-books and self-publishing. Bankhead admits that in the beginning he had a distorted view of self-published e-books, which included believing they lacked integrity and value. But once he contacted Coker, the librarian’s view changed. It altered so much that Bankhead invited Coker and his team to use LGPL as a way to educate the public about e-books.

In 2012, LGPL and Smashwords put together a dynamic presentation series on self e-publishing. This series included three valuable segments: e-book overview, a primer on e-book publishing, and e-book publishing best practices. Each presentation had multiple presenters and details within it to provide a complete overview of each subject matter. All the presenters involved were impressed by the dedication and drive of their local author community

Since then, the two groups have teamed up to create a co-brand, allowing authors of the LGPL community to publish their work through Smashwords. This connection between authors and their local library is powerful. Any author’s work sent from Smashwords to LGPL still goes through the library’s vetting system. But the hope is that once the work is vetted and approved, a relationship between author and library is cemented. Also, this endeavor can support authors and their e-books without using up sometimes valuable library shelf space.

The response from Smashwords authors toward libraries is enthusiastic. “For many authors, libraries represent another significant way for new fans to discover their books,” says Azevedo [2]. Many of these authors are pleased to charge little or nothing to libraries to add their titles to the catalog.

LGPL and Smashwords continue to plan out the next steps in their collaboration. Technical glitches have slowed the process although not the enthusiasm. “Things we have discussed doing include encouraging Los Gatos’s Poet Laureate to publish a community poetry anthology,” says Bankhead. [3]

The Public Library Association offered a webinar about this partnership in June 2013. To view it, visit here.

References
______________________________

1. From e-mail to author dated 7/12/13.
2. From e-mail to author dated 7/12/13.
3. From e-mail to author dated 7/10/13.

The post E-Publishing and Libraries: A 21st Century Partnership first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Creating the studio and the website were the two biggest challenges of initiating the project according to Feddern. “We had to figure out whether or not we needed to sound proof the room where we were doing recordings and figure out which equipment to buy. With the website, we had to decide whether to use a digital archive platform like Omeka or use a content management system to give access to the digital collection we would be creating. There were no big technical issues but we did learn through trial and error what worked best as far as equipment and processes when recording, editing, and uploading the content.”

The need to hire staff and purchase equipment was an issue, as well. In Escondido’s case, funding for the program was the result of a grant by the California State Library Pitch an Idea LTSA grant. In addition, local high school and college students have been a resource to the project by working the studio equipment. Documentation and policy creation is another important step in creating a project such as LibraryYOU.

Currently, Escondido Library’s LibraryYOU Project is administered by Viktor Sjöberg. Since January 2012, the program has produced 45 videos and 4 podcasts, with more to follow. The project has a recording studio, provides public trainings, and posts the videos on their website. Currently available for viewing are videos by community members about hypnosis for stress relief, Uganda safari, natural cleaning, and color theory, just to name a few.

The system is rather proud of the fact that not only do they provide this service for the community but that the resulting material is searchable within the library’s catalog. “Through LibraryYOU, we empower the members of our community by helping them become content creators. The fact that we also distribute the content and make it a part of our digital collection is relevant to that empowerment,” says Sjöberg. “Libraries have traditionally been very closely tied to a culture where a small number of people create content that is in turn consumed by the masses. Libraries therefore need to think just as much about creation of content as we do about consumption of content.”

The hard work has paid off for Escondido. Contributors—between the ages of 16 and 92—fill a need within their community through LibraryYOU. The feedback has been optimistic. A patron recently responded about a cooking video, “I watched it two times and felt that I could try making my own pasta now.”

The post Patron Generated Video Content at the Public Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Viktor Sjöberg is the Digital Services Librarian at the Escondido Public Library. He has actively worked with his library’s LibraryYOU project. In this California library system, LibraryYOU has created several videos of community members showcasing a variety of knowledge and skill sets. Holocaust survivors have told their stories. Local farmers have done podcasts on gardening. Quilting, creating organic cleaners, chair yoga, and grief management through art are just some of the topics these podcasts cover. Community members highlight their skills through their library, which results in the library being even more closely tied to their community.

Zoe Blumenfeld from the Global Fund for Women reported on how her organization had struggled in the past with getting their organization’s mission across to the general public. That is until they started thinking in terms of stories. They held story-telling workshops for all staff. On the organization’s Facebook page, they held an International Women’s Day Staff Contest. Staff wrote on the page why they loved working for the organization, what they had achieved while at the organization, and what they had learned along the way. This allowed the public to understand the goal of the organization and the stories behind that goal. By re-connecting the staff with their own stories of why they were working at the organization, the Global Fund for Women found an impetus to jumpstart their organization’s mission and public presence.

Brandon Walowitz of Lights.Camera.Help believes that video is the most powerful communications tool a nonprofit organization can use to tell their story. They have found that with the right kind of video, not only can a group’s story be told in an attractive manner, but volunteers and sponsors can be motivated to help. Lights.Camera.Help. helps nonprofits and libraries find ways to tell their stories through video. Simple steps such as what lighting is used, where the microphone is, background music, and the length of the video can make all the difference to how your story is told and received. This group provides classes throughout the year about how to make a video tell your story. Check the website periodically for dates.

This presentation contains a wealth of details that would be valuable to libraries. Thanks to technology and the fairly low cost of certain devices such as camera phones, Flip Cameras, and software, local videos can be added to a library’s website or social media outlet. A campaign such as International Women’s Day Staff Contest could be used to advertise a library’s mission through staff storytelling. This can be especially effective when library staff is disconnected from each other and the purpose of their library system as a whole. Video contests are another way that the public, especially teens, can connect to their library.

Watch the archive of this webinar here and see how you can modify the tips and information to tell your library’s story.

The post The Importance of Storytelling first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Photo credit: Suzy Steed – A Moment’s Reflection Photography

In Hanagarne’s memoir, The World’s Strongest Librarian (ISBN-10: 1592407870; ISBN-13: 978-1592407873), out May 2^nd, he shares his life story of books, libraries, faith, and disability. In fact, each new chapter begins with Dewey Decimal numbers that will give the reader a good idea of the chapter’s subject matter. And will cause any librarian’s chest to bloom a bit with pride.

While still in his mother’s womb, he was introduced to the library. His mother made several trips to her local library before his birth and after. As a result, the public library was a favorite place for Hanagarne to hang out. “The library has everything I care about. There’s always something new to find at the library, something else to learn about,” says Hanagarne.

Books became a haven for this future librarian when Tourette Syndrome, which is a disorder that is characterized by multiple physical tics, showed up in his life around the age of six. As he progressed in years, so did the condition. Verbal and physical tics were prevalent and highly disruptive to daily living. He even gave the condition a name, “Miss T,” which progressed into Misty. Misty showed up at home, at church, in the classroom, on dates, and even in sleep. Frustrations with different medications, Botox injections and even trips to a “healer” led to depression. It took him about 10 years to complete his undergraduate program. Towards the end of his undergraduate program, he was working part-time at a public library where he was introduced to some college recruiters who excitedly promoted their MLS program. “If you’re excited about something, you can get me excited about whatever you’re excited about. And these library recruiters were pretty peppy.”

He attended a MLS program at University of North Texas, most of which was online. When he did go to Denton, Texas, for orientation to the program, he was introduced to the program by a slightly crazed professor who guzzled soda and pastries during her lecture. This unique professor is just one of several characters that readers will meet in this memoir. Thanks to Hanagarne’s gift of humor, good writing and honesty, this book is full of tears and laughs to last many a library book group discussion.

He is now a librarian at the Salt Lake City (UT) Public Library, as well as a loving husband to Janette and proud father to five-year-old Max. He hopes that his son will enjoy reading as much as he did but is not willing to push. Right now Max’s literary aspirations extend to books about “things that smell bad.”

The post The World’s Strongest Librarian first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

OverDrive Read eliminates the need to download apps or install software in order to read library e-books on smartphones, tablets, PCs, Macs, or any device with a modern web browser. Once they’ve checked out an e-book via OverDrive Read, users can access that book offline (by saving the book’s URL to their browser’s bookmarks). Also, OverDrive Read syncs between devices, so users can start reading on their PC, switch to their iPad, and pick up where they left off. To do so, simply log in to your account on your library’s website, locate the checked-out title, and click “Read.”

OverDrive Read was created to make the library e-book experience simpler for library patrons. “See Book—Read Book” is the slogan for the new technology, and accessing e-books from the library really is that simple. “Returning users appreciate the powerful new features like full-text search and the ability to sync between devices, while new users appreciate the technology’s ease of use and broad device compatibility. Librarians are spending less time answering support questions,” says Michael Lovett, Public Relations and Social Media Specialist at OverDrive.

An Australian company that was acquired by OverDrive last year first came up with the software. Since then both companies have been working together to get OverDrive Read created and usable.

My library system, Loudoun County (VA) Public Library (LCPL) rolled out the new format on February 22^nd. Julie Bauer, LCPL’s Collection Development Librarian says, “I think it is much easier and faster. The checkout and downloading process has been streamlined, and the Read format is just one click.” I have helped a few patrons with the new check-out process and it does go faster. Patrons seem to pick up the process quicker than in the past. And that’s particularly beneficial when patrons are at home and need to remember the process on their own. Fewer steps lead to better memory and therefore more patron usage of the e-book service.

This product comes at a good time. One reason is that a recent study by Scholastic reveals the percent of children who have read an e-book has almost doubled since 2010 (25% vs. 46%). And according to ALA, nationwide, 76% of public libraries report offering free access to e-books to library patrons, which is up over 20% since 2009.

For a visual demo of these latest features from Overdrive, take a look at this video.

The post OverDrive Read: A New Format Eases the E-book Check-Out Process first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

According to the organization’s website, StoryCorps’s mission is, “We do this to remind one another of our shared humanity, strengthen and build the connections between people, teach the value of listening, and weave into the fabric of our culture the understanding that every life matters. At the same time, we will create an invaluable archive of American voices and wisdom for future generations.”

For 10 years now, the nonprofit organization has accumulated over 45,000 interviews of everyday people, people who seem ordinary but often have extraordinary tales to tell. Each interview is about 40 minutes and at the end of it, one CD is given to the participants. Another CD is filed with the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. The goal of the organization is to preserve as many stories as possible for historical and cultural purposes.

Currently there are story booths in Chicago, Illinois; San Francisco, California; and Atlanta, Georgia. At each location there are several community partners that assist in the process, including libraries. In addition, there is a mobile booth, an Airstream trailer outfitted with a recording studio that travels the country year-round collecting stories. The website has the latest information on the next stop of the mobile booth tour. Do-it-yourself kits are also available. There are even directions on how to do a self-guided interview.

Due to the success and popularity of the organization, it has now evolved into more than just recorded stories. The recordings have inspired the publication of books such as Listening is an Act of Love, Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps, and All There is: Love Stories from StoryCorps. Also, there is a DVD of animated shorts created based on some of the organization’s most beloved stories. Such shorts include a heartwarming conversation between a mother and her twelve-year-old son who has Asperger’s Syndrome and the twenty-seven-year love story of Danny and Annie.

Last year was the fifth anniversary of The National Day of Listening, which StoryCorps created and sponsors. It’s usually held the day after Thanksgiving. The hope is that the event’s timing allows for dialogue between loved ones gathered during that particular holiday weekend. According to the website, “The National Day of Listening is a day to honor a loved one through listening. It’s the least expensive but most meaningful gift you can give.”

To learn more about partnering with StoryCorps, check here.

The post StoryCorps: Another Institution that Values Stories first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

PRP was the brainchild of documentarian Laurie Kahn, who partnered with the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. Another partner of the project is the Library of Congress Center for the Book.

Video commentary from noted romance authors are one aspect of the blog. Suzanne Brockmann, Caridad Piñeiro, and Elizabeth Essex comment on their personal writing histories and what clicked for them in terms of choosing the romance genre to express their creativity. Other video clips include remarks on the importance of the genre from Darlene Clark Hine, a professor of African American studies and of history at Northwestern University. Sarah Wendall of the website, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, states in her commentary that romance is “the one place where you will consistently find women’s sexuality treated fairly and positively.”

Librarian/author Crystal Jordan’s interview and video will be of particular interest to librarians. An academic librarian during the day, she’s a romance author during her off hours. She’s written a number of erotic and paranormal romances. While writing her rather steamy novels, her academic colleagues have assisted her in research and editing of her stories.

Another part of PRP is an array of topics of interest to the romance community, whether it is for writers, readers, or scholars. Recent articles in the “Talking About Romance” section have been about black romance newspapers of the 19^th and early 20^th century, examination of what is considered love and romance, discussion of the virgin hero, and even a look at the romance of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle.

The final section of the blog is “Behind the Scenes.” There’s video and text on a variety of issues such as knife fighting techniques, pitch sessions, becoming a cover artist, and romance authors’ day jobs. In addition, author Beverly Jenkins discusses her techniques on integrating history and story.

The blog is just one aspect of the overall vision of the project’s creators. Another aspect includes the production of the documentary, Love Between the Covers. This production will follow aspiring and established romance writers on their journey of finding a role for themselves within the romance arena. The filming began in 2010 and the filmmakers continue to collect material at this time.

Between the interviews, articles, and upcoming documentary, librarians are sure to learn something new and relevant about the genre. Something patrons will appreciate, no doubt!

The post The Popular Romance Project – A Tool for Readers, Writers, and Scholars of this Popular Genre first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Ellen Forney’s graphic memoir, Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo & Me, is now available from Gotham Books (ISBN-10: 1592407323; ISBN-13: 978-1592407323). Gut-wrenchingly honest, Forney’s memoir not only tells the story of her struggle with bipolar disorder, but also documents her travels along the turbulent road of creativity versus insanity.

Forney considers herself a cartoonist, although she is okay with being called an illustrator and artist. Her work of graphic creations was in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, written by Sherman Alexie. She also drew the book I Love Led Zeppelin and Lust: Kinky Online Personal Ads. According to her website, she also provides a range of personal drawing projects such as wedding invitations and portraits.

There’s a trend now for books, novels, short stories, etc., to be turned into graphic novels. But this graphic book is still unique. While words are used, Marbles also uses thin and thick lines, light and dark panels, and varying brush strokes to emphasize the emotions of Forney’s diverse situations. Combine the words and the images and it’s a double pow!

As the memoir depicts her dances with mania and all the creativity it incites, it also shows the crash and the feelings of uselessness: the mania creates and the depression destroys. Once Forney goes to a psychiatrist, she begins to notice the patterns of highs and lows. But that is only the beginning. What follows are years of trying different medications for the disorder, all with varying levels of effectiveness and side effects. And during all of this, there’s a consistent concern Forney has for sustaining her creativity. Would the meds help or harm the muse that allowed her creations?

In the end, she was able to accept that her creativity flowed better with the help of the right medication. “Stability is good for my creativity,” says Forney.

Forney found public libraries to be invaluable in her work as a cartoonist as well as in learning about her diagnosis. “Awesome,” is how the author describes her local library. As the memoir depicts, she used the library often to review art books which are fairly expensive if bought individually. The Seattle Public Library also provided resources for learning about not only her diagnosis but also the many artists who are now thought to have had a mental illness, such as Sylvia Plath, Georgia O’Keefe, and William Styron.

In addition to her cartoon creations, Forney teaches at Cornish College of the Arts. In teaching the basics, she has found a new appreciation for art and comics through her students. “For me to deconstruct and construct comics helps me. Keeping in touch with the building blocks helps bring something fresh.” Her enthusiastic students help inspire her as well.

Forney hopes that the book will provide support and comfort to those suffering with mental disorders, as well as be an educational tool for those who do not have the disorder. But in the end, she wants her memoir to be “a good read!”

Bibliography

Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me: A Graphic Memoir: New York: Gotham Books. 2012.

Lust: Kinky Online Personal Ads from Seattle’s The Stranger: Fantagraphics Books: 2008.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, Art by Ellen Forney by Sherman Alexie: Little, Brown. 2007.

 I Love Led Zepplin: Fantagraphics Books: 2006.

MONKEY FOOD: The Complete “I Was Seven in ’75” Collection: Fantagraphics Books. 1999.

The post Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, & Me first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

The event was hosted by Faith Salie, a national public radio host, writer, and Rhodes Scholar, who kept the evening rolling by with humor and enthusiasm for the book world. NPR host Terry Gross presented the Literarian Award to Arthur O. Sulzberger, Jr., publisher of The New York Times. Mr. Sulzberger accepted the award, making note of how important book reviews still are in a world of downloading and e-reading. Martin Amis presented the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters to Elmore Leonard. Leonard, the author of over 45 published novels, mostly thrillers, stated he was doing pretty well for someone who wrote “books about people with guns.”

The National Book Awards was established in 1950 and since then have recognized such authors as Philip Roth, William Faulkner, Elizabeth Bishop, and Alice Walker. Finalists are given a financial award as well as a medal and a citation. Winners receive a larger financial award and a bronze sculpture. And although the judges receive numerous books in the late spring and all summer, the final decision is not made until all the judges gather for lunch on the day of the awards ceremony. Although there may be a general consensus about where the judges are heading in terms of a winner before then, nothing is official until that luncheon.

This year’s event was particularly memorable for the staff of The National Book Foundation and not necessarily in a good way. Hurricane Sandy flooded the foundation’s offices, leaving staff without a home. “We piled our computer servers into a taxi and they are now ensconced in my dining room. The hotel where we put up our judges and others was flooded out and we had to re-book everyone to a midtown location,” explains Executive Director Harold Augenbraum.

But it was worth the struggle, Auguenbraum says. “The award itself is a champion for good writing.”

The post 2012 National Book Awards: A Night of Humor and Glitz in Spite of Hurricane Sandy’s Aftermath first appeared on Public Libraries Online.