I have a customer who needs to research a condition his dog has been diagnosed with. Are there books or online resources for pet health?

Most libraries will have a basic book or two about dog or pet health/diseases. These are examples of titles found in many Maryland libraries:

• The complete healthy dog handbook: the definitive guide to keeping your pet happy, healthy & active by Betsy Brevitz. Workman Pub., c2009
  
  
• The Merck/Merial manual for pet health edited by Cynthia M. Kahn. Merck & Co., c2007
  
  
• Dog owner's home veterinary handbook by Debra M. Eldredge. Wiley, c2007
  

You know how there are books on how to communicate better with your doctor? Since veterinary care has become more sophisticated, there are now a couple of books discussing getting second opinions, specialty vet care, communicating with your family vet, money issues, questions to ask in specific situations, etc. These books don’t go into details about health conditions or diseases, but help you to get your pet the best care.

• Speaking for spot: be the advocate your dog needs for a happy, healthy, longer life by Nancy Kay. Trafalgar Square, c2008
  
  
• Vet confidential: an insider's guide to keeping your pet healthy and safe by Louis Murray. Ballantine Books, c2008
  

Of course, there are many online resources!

Free Animal Health Resources Web Sites
From the Veterinary Library at Cornell University’s Vet School (College of Veterinary Medicine), this list of Web sites (mostly for non-veterinarians) includes sites on alternative medicine, nutrition and poisoning in addition to sites on diseases and conditions.

Merck Veterinary Manual
The 9th edition (2006) of the Merck Veterinary Manual is available online. It contains information about animal anatomy and physiology, diseases, behavior, and emergency treatment. It includes over 1400 images, video and audio files you can use to identify plants poisonous to animals or see lesions characteristic of a specific disease. The language can be technical. I find it irritating to be forced to constantly be clicking to move on to the next page.

Pet Education
This site from retailer Foster & Smith includes advertising, but the information provided by is the site is so useful it makes me almost forget the advertising. This searchable site on contains information on diseases and treatments, lab procedures & tests, drug information sheets, a dictionary of veterinary terms, and articles related to alternative and holistic medicine. It also has excellent articles on symptoms in their “Symptom Checker” section.

VeterinaryPartner.com
The University of Tennessee’s Agriculture & Veterinary Library calls this Web site “the best place to start looking for information on the Web” for general care and health information on dogs. It provides information on health, medications, therapies, surgery, behavior, and safety. New articles are added weekly.

WebMD: Healthy Dogs
Did you know that WebMD included information on pet health? Healthy Dogs is part of their Pet Health Center. Healthy Dogs has major sections on conditions, symptoms and behavior.

Please keep in mind that Maryland's State Library Resource Center has some more specialized resources that can be useful. While these books are reference (noncirculating), we are would be happy to send you any appropriate pages:

Blackwell's five-minute veterinary consult: canine and feline edited by Larry Patrick Tilley. Blackwell, c2007 (4th ed.)

The new edition of this title is on order. This book does wonderful 2 page overviews of dog and cat diseases and conditions. While technical, it is fairly understandable—I’d say it is more like a nursing textbook than a physician’s textbook if it was medical textbook.

Blackwell's five-minute veterinary consult clinical companion: canine and feline behavior by Debra F. Horwitz. Blackwell, c2007 (1st ed.)

This only covers behavioral issues.

Textbook of veterinary internal medicine: diseases of the dog and cat edited by Stephen J. Ettinger. Elsevier Saunders, c2005 (2 volumes)

We have a newer veterinary internal medicine textbook on order; as in medicine, 2005 is old for veterinary medicine. This is definitely written in technical language.

Libraries seem to have so much specific vocabulary--as well as acronyms. Is there a guide to Maryland library language?

Merlin, Maryland's Essential Resource for Library Information Networks, has put together just the right document for you! If you want to know what ARLD*, BRAC**, or WRP*** mean, check out their Library Lingo page!

If you are interested in learning about the American Library Association's various acronyms, check out their ALA & LIS Acronyms page.

Hopefully, between these two pages, you'll feel as though you've found a secret decoder ring for library lingo!

* Academic Libraries Research Division of the Maryland Library Association
** Base Realignment and Closure
*** Winter Reading Program

I went on the SLRC Tour this past fall and remember that SLRC can do a lot for the public library at which I work.

Can you tell me more about what the State Library Resource Center has to offer?

Maryland's State Library Resource Center does offer many services for Maryland public libraries. On the State Library Resource Center web site there is a great deal of information. You'll want to check out the section for Public Librarians.

The State Library Resource Center brochure also lists many services offered to local libraries.

Display Tips & Tricks

When creating displays, it is very important to make sure you have enough materials to replenish the display. But there are a few pitfalls!

Here are few rules to follow when creating displays:



1. Don’t overcrowd

When setting up a display, be careful not to overcrowd the display. It’s important to create a display that is easy for customers to browse. The titles in the above display are difficult to read and not very inviting.



2. Don’t skimp

The above display is easy to read and looks balanced; however, if a customer decides to check out one or two of the titles, the display will look empty. To avoid this pitfall, be sure to add a few more titles to fill out the display. If possible, use book easels available from library vendors.

3. Just Right!

The best solution to avoid the above pitfalls is to create a display that is balanced and eye catching. In the above example, the display is balanced and each title is clearly visible. In addition, materials are readily available to replenish the display, as needed. Always remember to display replacement books with the spine out.

By following these three simple rules, your displays will be eye catching, inviting, and balanced.

SLRC Treasures: Humanities

The Humanities Department has a run of the Baltimore/Washington edition of the TV Guide from 1957 to the current issue, in paper. These are wonderful for the covers alone, remembering Father Knows Best, I Love Lucy, The Carol Burnett Show, The Man from UNCLE, and others. If you need to know the listing for a local program or just want to take a walk down memory lane, this collection is a great place to start.

Interested in an 1854 Italian English Dictionary? A pronouncing dictionary of Gaelic?A Hopi/English-English/Hopi dictionary?Or Yoruba/English? Want to look up a word in Middle English or see how Samuel Johnson defined “Lexicographer?” How about tracing the etymology of a Russian word or looking at a 1700 page Chinese dictionary from 1925? If you ask for bouji while in Haiti, what will happen? The Brothers Grimm compiled an historical dictionary of German, if you’d like to explore the history of that language. The Humanities Department has language dictionaries for most known languages and will be glad to share the information in them!

I keep repeating the same display themes. Where can I find some ideas for fun or timely displays?

Displays are a great way to share the library’s resources and creativity with your customers.

Here are a couple of sources for new display ideas:

• Chase’s Calendar of Events, upcoming holidays
• Community Events, Neighborhood Activities
• News, Scandals
• Readers’ Advisory:
• Databases: NoveList (RA & School Resources) and Books and Authors (Browse by Genre)
• Read-alikes
• Booklists
• Authors: Visiting Authors, Author Tributes, and Award Winners
• Web Search – Google, Flickr, Library Thing
• Popular Display Topics: Gardening, Home Improvement, Sports, Back to School, etc.

Another possibility is to ask your staff for ideas. What are their interests? What are some popular subjects that they have noticed customers’ checking out? One of the most popular displays in bookstores is the Staff Picks display; why not try this at your library?
You might also do an informal survey of your patrons.What kinds of displays do they want to see? What are popular topics in school projects and papers? Maybe there is an upcoming school theater production that could generate a display topic. Staying in touch with the activities and themes popular with your customers is a sure way to create timely displays.

SLRC Treasures: Business, Science & Technology Department

Probably the greatest hidden treasure of the Business, Science, and Technology (BST) Department at Maryland's State Library Resource Center is the collection of old department store catalogs, including Sears (1897-1993), Wards (1922-1985), and Penney’s (1984-2002). These catalogs allow you to walk down memory lane and see the styles and prices of the old days. Sears used to sell just about everything from clothing and furniture to pure-bred dogs and houses.

BST also owns a fantastic collection of old car shop manuals that date from 1929-1988 and owner’s manuals that range from 1913-1984. These manuals are great for people trying to restore a classic car, and the cars they cover include the Model T, Studebaker, Edsel, Reo Speedwagon, as well as the more common makes and models.

If you’re interested in historical business information, BST has old business directories, such as the Thomas Register (1925-2005), Moody’s Manuals, which also give financial information, (1900-present), and Best’s Insurance Reports (1915-present). The department also carries Jane’s Fighting Ships (1898-present) and Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft (1915-present).

The most important treasure in BST, however, is its crack staff of librarians, who will find your answer!

What Curriculum resources are available for homeschoolers?

Before seeking out curriculum resources, homeschoolers will want to familiarize themselves with laws and regulations governing homeschooling. Start out by taking a look at the Maryland State Department of Education’s Home Instruction Fact Sheet. The Baltimore County Public School system’s Homeschooling Guide is a particularly valuable guide for homeschoolers. Here, you will find sections on homeschooling procedures, frequently asked questions about homeschooling, and other useful resources. The Baltimore County Public School site also provides a convenient link to the Maryland State Department of Education’s Voluntary State Curriculum. Homeschoolers can view the objectives for each grade level for the subjects that the Maryland Home Schooling regulations require you to include in your curriculum.

Homeschoolers looking for ideas for a curriculum for their children should start at our Home Schooling How-to Guide. Go directly to the section on Curriculum and Lesson Plans and you will find links to a variety of free Web resources. You’ll find several print sources listed as well, which are available for borrowing through interlibrary loan. One of these, Cathy Duffy’s 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum, covers a number of related issues for homeschoolers such as learning styles and age appropriate learning.

It is always helpful to consult with other homeschoolers to see what curriculum and lesson planning resources they have used. You might want to try a national, state, or local homeschooling association. For links to these, go to the section of our guide that asks the question, “Are there home schooling organizations/associations?”. There, you will find information on such organizations as the American Homeschool Association, National Black Home Educators, and Homeschool Connections – Central Maryland.

If you would like more information on homeschooling, e-mail us through our Ask A Librarian service or contact the Social Science and History Department.

SLRC Treasures: Social Science & History Department

The State Library Resource Center’s Social Science and History Department contains a large variety of resources that can assist you with geographic, genealogical, and historical questions. We frequently work with customers attempting to find the village in which one or more of their ancestors were born. Sometimes, a village or town from the 19th century no longer exists and we need to look for it in older sources. For locations in Germany, Meyers’ Orts und Verkehrs Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs, a gazetteer published in 1912, is often helpful. Andrees Allgemeiner Handatlas, published in 1906, provides detailed maps for various parts of Europe. Another gazetteer, Ritter’s Geographisch-Statistisches Lexikon, published in 1895, helps in identifying other geographic locales. Obviously, German language sources will be more oriented toward Germany, Austria, and other German-speaking countries.

What else can we offer to researchers? The Nouveau Dictionnaire de Geographie Universelle, a multi-volume source published in 1895, offers another approach to finding older towns and villages. Customers whose ancestors emigrated from the southern part of Italy might find Baedeker’s Southern Italy, a guidebook published in 1900 useful in familiarizing themselves with their ancestral homeland. Looking for a map of Charleston, South Carolina before the Civil War? Colton’s Atlas of the United States and Mexico from 1850 contains a nicely detailed street map. While we’re mentioning maps, don’t miss our digital exhibit of seventeenth and eighteenth century European maps. You’ll find colorful maps of various parts of Europe from 1629 through 1759.

Genealogists and historians aren’t the only audience for these types of resources. Aspiring authors of historical fiction need facts and authenticity to buttress their works. A writer needing to describe fin de siecle Vienna accurately would certainly benefit from perusing a 1900 edition of Baedeker’s Austria. One of the most interesting maps in our general Map Collection is the 1830 map of the former Kingdom of Poland. This huge map displays thousands of towns and cities as well as some topographic details. We have many other kinds of maps in our collection. A Guide to the General Map Collection will provide more information about our maps.

If you would like more information about our atlases, maps, and geographic resources, e-mail us through our Ask A Librarian service or contact the Social Science and History Department.

I have a customer who is interested in learning about Caribbean literature. Where should I start?

The African American Department carries some resources on Caribbean Literature. We have anthologies and critical interpretation titles that focus on women writers, politics, migration, etcetera, as well as interpretation of individual writers’ work. We also have a collection of fiction by Caribbean writers well known to the Americas such as Jamaica Kincaid, Paule Marshall, Edwidge Danticat, Claude McKay and Derek Walcott, just to name a few.

While the African American Collection focuses on a wide range of peoples of the African Diaspora, our selection of Caribbean Literature is smaller than what you may find in the Humanities and Fiction Departments. For instance, the Humanities Department has an Encylopedia on Caribbean Literature by D.H. Figueredo that may be a good place for you to start exploring your interest on the subject.

More SLRC Treasures: Sights & Sounds Department

The Sights and Sounds Department (SAS) just has so many treasures that we had to make it two blog entries! Learn more about the great hidden gems of SAS.

Frederick Wiseman Documentaries: Along with Ken Burns, “cinema verite” devotee Frederick Wiseman is considered one of today’s greatest living documentary filmmakers, but because Wiseman controls his own catalog and sells his films at prices (often several hundred dollars per title) beyond the budget of most institutions, few viewers get to see his critically acclaimed work. Thankfully, SLRC has purchased a number of his best titles over the years, including his groundbreaking Titicut Follies, High School, Hospital, Law and Order, and Near Death. The investment has paid off in terms of customer satisfaction, with the Baltimore City Paper honoring Pratt’s Wiseman collection as “Best of Baltimore” in 2005.

Annenberg/CPB Foreign Language Videos: Like Frederick Wiseman videos, these foreign language videos, funded by Annenberg/CPB (a non-profit dedicated to promoting innovation in schools), are prohibitively expensive for most institutions. But their “total immersion” approach (in which viewers are forced to listen, speak and read only in that foreign language) has been critically acclaimed. SLRC’s Annenberg/CPB series include Destinos (a 52-episode video instructional series for college and high school classrooms and adult learners that teaches speaking, listening, and comprehension skills in Spanish), French in Action (a 52-episode video series using professor Pierre Capretz’s immersion method to increase fluency in French, while introducing French culture), and Connect with English (a 50-episode video series designed to teach English as a second language to high school, college, and adult-aged foreign language speakers).

“Eyes on the Prize” Videos and DVDs: Though now readily available on DVD, this award-winning 14-hour documentary series about the American Civil Rights Movement – originally broadcast in 1987 as a PBS TV mini-series - was long out of circulation (due to copyright issues with its archival footage) until 2006. During those years, SLRC always had the complete historical series available for students and educators, who used it as an essential part of their curriculum. In addition to the original six-hour 1987 series Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years, which covered the years 1954-1965, SLRC also owns the complete eight-hour video/DVD series Eyes on the Prize II: America at the Racial Crossroads (1990), covering the period from 1965-1985.

A customer has been asking about how to find out the value of his old book. What sources should I use?

Everybody has an old book that might be worth a fortune! There are numerous resources both on paper and online to help you help your customer find out.

The condition of the book is important in terms of its market value. The Humanities Department has created a presentation for Determining Book Condition, helpful for both the librarian and the customer.

There are a number of Web sites which combine listings of booksellers for help in determining what items are selling for. Addall Book Price Search and Comparison has a “used books” tab. Fill out the form; use Keyword for publisher and date. The Advanced Book Exchange also has a form to fill out. For the Bookfinder, fill out the advanced option form so you can include more information, such as the date and publisher.

Remember: Prices you find on bookseller Web sites include the dealer’s markup. They will charge the buyer more than they will offer the seller!

There are other, more general Web sites, which are also helpful. Your Old Books lists questions and answers about book collecting, such as “What makes a book rare?” Firsts: The Book Collector’s Magazine has a useful area called “The Fundamentals of Book Collecting.” The Internet Public Library has many other links to follow!

Rare Book organizations are also useful in helping to find information. The Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America lists booksellers and appraisers near you. You can also search book titles and find selling prices, and click on the “Learn About Rare Books” tab. The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers is a similar organization for booksellers and appraisers outside of the United States. On the other side of the coin, the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies is a guide to book collecting organizations.

SLRC Treasures: Sights & Sounds Department

The Sights & Sounds Department (SAS) of the Central Library/State Library Resource Center houses a collection of audio-visual materials reflecting the general scope of most Pratt subject areas. But there’s more to SAS than just popular and world music CDs, fiction audiobooks (on cassette tape and CD), and educational and popular movies on DVD and video. Some of its lesser-known gems include:

16mm Films: Did you know that SAS maintains a collection of over 2,100 16mm film titles, including many obscure and hard-to-find titles not available in other media formats? There is a concentration in the areas of independently produced films (including many Baltimore Film Festival entries), student films, film history, children's films, animation, experimental and avant-garde shorts, and documentary films. The collection also boasts an impressive number of feature films, including films from the silent era, Hollywood classics and a broad representation of world cinema. And because all of SAS’s 16mm films have "public performance rights" (meaning they can be shown at free public screenings without having to get clearance from the copyright owners), they are frequently used by local film curators, including Station North’s Windup Space, Hexagon/Magic Eye Cinema, and the 14K Cabaret’s Nineteen23 non-theatrical film series. (All 16mm films are stored in the third floor A/V Inspection Room; although this room is not open to the public, staff will bring films down to the Sights & Sounds Department upon patron request.)

Phonograph Records: Long considered a “dead medium” in the era of digital CDs, vinyl records are coming a comeback, with a growing number of popular musicians now releasing their works on 33 1/3 albums (with the vinyl version sometimes more expensive than the CD!). Although SAS no longers adds to its phonograph collection, it boasts an impressive collection of both musical and spoken word records, including many that have never been released on CD. Strengths include ‘50s and ‘60s jazz, obscure children’s records (including a number of hard-to-find titles by electronic music pioneer Bruce Haack), UNESCO’s renowned world/folk library, and its spoken word collection that features famous authors and poets reading their works, like the extremely rare H. L. Mencken Conversing with Donald Howe Kirkley (used copies of this out-of-print 1957 interview conducted by the Baltimore Sun’s Kirkley fetch up to $60 on eBay!). You can even hear world-famous mime Marcel Marceau speak (it’s true!) on his instruction record Marcel Marceau Speaks in English. (Like its 16mm film collection, records are stored in SAS’s third floor A/V Inspection Room; staff will bring records down to the Sights & Sounds Department upon request.)

More SAS treasures to be revealed next week!

I have had customers who have become frustrated with using the computers and became upset with me.

Do you have suggestions for how to best handle this situation?

My best general advice is to learn as much as you can about the computers, keep up to date on the technology, and be prepared to apologize. Does that always work? No. The computers sometimes fail. Customers can make mistakes and mess up what they are doing. You may make a mistake. All of this is your fault and you must accept the resulting beatings. All kidding aside, computers cause a lot of frustration for both customers and for you. It helps not to take it personally and to keep your sense of humor.

Many times people who come into the library to use the computers are totally out of their element. This electronic world is frightening, and frightened people are frequently angry, demanding people. You are the Librarian, and you are an expert in all things. So when you can’t help them as quickly as they think you should, or if it is something that you can’t do, they feel even more frightened. Sometimes it helps to make some sort of light comment about having to learn new stuff, but that you will try to work through the issues together. And sometimes, if you are able to fix an issue quickly and they seem to feel foolish, it may be a good idea to downplay your expertise. For instance, they have tried to do something simple and the computer has not cooperated. You walk over and click on the mouse and lo and behold, the computer behaves. I usually make a comment like “It’s afraid of me.” They chuckle and embarrassment is over.

Hardware issues cause major headaches. Nothing is more frustrating to the customer or to you than to have the computer crash. You have to do the best you can. Apologize profusely and try to get the customer on another computer. If you don’t have another computer available, see if you can help at the reference desk. If the customer needed to look something up for example, look it up for him. And print out the results for free.

Printing problems are a big issue and can be highly frustrating. If the printer and computer aren’t speaking to one another or Adobe is not cooperating, I will apologize (notice the trend here) and do everything I can to get the document printed. Generally, that will mean that I will print it at the staff computer for no charge. Good customer service will go a long way in calming the customer down.

Internet problems can be another source of irritation for the customer. There are as many internet problems as there are web sites. The problems may range from blocked sites by your library’s filter to web sites that are down to network problems. Or the web site and your browser aren’t compatible. And don’t forget the confusing job application sites. Patience and education are vital. You will never be familiar with all social networking, blogs or web sites, so don’t let anyone make you feel guilty. Be familiar with your library’s pages, and a couple of good search engines. Share information with other librarians. You may know a lot about several networking sites and someone else may know a lot about job searching sites. Compare notes. If you find a super site on something of interest to many of your customers, post the address on a bulletin board or otherwise spread the word.

Document creation can be a nightmare. Customers want professional looking documents and they expect the librarian to be an expert in all facets of the task. Your best defense is to know as much about the software on your computers as you can. Read, play with the software, and take workshops. Don’t be afraid to ask your colleagues or other customers who you know to be well versed in the software for help.

And that brings me to my last point. Be approachable. Smile. Be friendly. If you don’t know the answer, ask for help. Cultivate your regulars who are good with computers. They will feel appreciated. When your customers see you as another person and not as “The Librarian” even problems go more smoothly.

SLRC Treasures: African American Department

The African American Department has a wealth of hidden treasures! For starters, the collection contains several rare and out of print books, dating back to the 1800s. Some of these books are so fragile that they have to be kept in a secure location and handled with extreme care.

We also have an extensive autographed book collection including the signatures of prominent Americans such as Gordon Parks, Lena Horne, John Hope Franklin and Langston Hughes. Our ephemera file has hundreds of brochures, transcripts, playbills, funeral programs and more. A significant amount focuses on the events and accomplishments of Marylanders.

The African American Department also maintain a large set of colorful drawings, posters, photographs and reproductions depicting the rich history and pioneers of African American culture.

The Trouble with Different Computer Files

I have some customers who have come in with different types of files – Open Office and Office 2007. What are some online resources that I can use to help them with these newer formats?

Staying up-to-date on the latest file formats is an important part of customer service in libraries. One of the newer software application suites is OpenOffice. OpenOffice is an open-source software, which is similar to Microsoft Office but free to download. Its programs include word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, databases and more, and it is available in many languages. Why Open Office? gives a great overview of the benefits of the software suite.

OpenOffice.org offers a number of resources for its users including FAQ’s, templates, help guides, and tutorials on using the programs.

Microsoft Office has released Office 2010 in June. This latest version of Office is similar to Office 2007 but still a major change from the previous format in 2003. Microsoft Office also has a support service for its users, which is a great place to start to familiarize with their new user interface. It also offers a printable list of Office 2010 commands and buttons. There are tutorials available though some require a free download of Silverlight to view their videos, training, and interactive guides.

One challenge with different types of files is converting files without downloading the software. Zamzar is one resource that converts files, including images, documents, music, video, and e-book formats. It does require an active email account to receive the converted file, and the new version is only available for 24 hours though you can save the new file.

You can also suggest to your customer that they look for free computer classes to become more familiar with computer software and files. Most libraries offer computer training. For example, Enoch Pratt Free Library also offers free Computer Classes, including on Microsoft Office 2010. Classes take place at several locations during both daytime and evening hours.

SLRC Treasures: Children's Department

There is a number of “hidden treasures” in the Children’s Department. We have a vast selection of retrospective as well as historical books. Some are first editions and some are autographed. We carry Children’s Literature Review for those looking for critical commentary about authors and books.

Did you know that the Children's Department has 49 versions of Cinderella or Cinderella-like tales from around the world? Many different versions of narrated or illustrated fairy tales are available from the Children's Department.

I’ve had a customer who is interested in finding an authentic African baby name. Where should I start?

For the customer looking for authentic African names for their new baby, the African American Department has many resources. All of these books fall under the CS 2375-2377 call numbers in our reading room. 1,001 African Names: First and Last Names from the African Continent by Julia Stewart is a great place to start. Not only does it give you male and female names from A to Z with pronunciation, country, village or tribe of origin as well as definition of meaning, yet Stewart also includes an introduction on traditional African naming practices, ceremonies, superstitions associated with names and much more. Other sources to consider:

• The African American Baby Name Book by Teresa Norman
  
  
• What’s In a Name? Unaitwaje?: A Swahili Book of Names by Sharfa M. Zawawi
  
  
• The Book of African Names by Molefi Kete Asante

If you are looking for a way to search for African baby names on the internet, try the following websites:

• Parents Connect: African Names & Meanings
  
  
• Baby Names - can search by country/continent of origin
  

SLRC Treasures: Fiction & Young Adult Department

What are some of the hidden treasures of SLRC in the Fiction and Young Adult Department?

With over 250,000 items, the Fiction Department has the largest collection of fiction in the state of Maryland and is one of the largest in the country. The retrospective collection has items dating back to the early 1900’s and is especially strong in American and English novels from the 1930’s on.

The Young Adult Collection spans young adult fiction from the 1940’s to the present. Many of these titles are long out of print and represent the history of young adult literature in the U.S.

A customer asked me about books being considered "classics." How do they get that designation?

According to A Handbook to Literature, a classic is "a piece of literature that by common consent has achieved a recognized superior status in literary history; also an author of similar standing."

Another definition can be found on Esther Lombardi’s excellent About.com site:

• A classic usually expresses some artistic quality--an expression of life, truth, and beauty.
  
  
• A classic stands the test of time. The work is usually considered to be a representation of the period in which it was written; and the work merits lasting recognition. In other words, if the book was published in the recent past, the work is not a classic.
  
  
• A classic has a certain universal appeal. Great works of literature touch us to our very core beings--partly because they integrate themes that are understood by readers from a wide range of backgrounds and levels of experience. Themes of love, hate, death, life, and faith touch upon some of our most basic emotional responses.
  
  
• A classic makes connections. You can study a classic and discover influences from other writers and other great works of literature. Of course, this is partly related to the universal appeal of a classic. But, the classic also is informed by the history of ideas and literature--whether unconsciously or specifically worked into the plot of the text.
  

Lombardi also discusses modern classics. She makes the point that a modern classic would have to have been written after World War I or possibly World War II because those events marked major events in global history and changed the way we view the world.

Here are some lists of classics to get you started:

• Time Magazine 100 Best English language novels from 1923 to the present
  
  
• Library Thing Most Often Tagged Classic Fiction
  
  
• A great list of links from the Internet Public Library/Librarians’ Internet Index
  
  
• Although compiled in 1999, the lists from Modern Library are useful.
  

Finally, here’s a site that provides "ultra-condensed" classics, good for a laugh but not for an assignment!

SLRC Treasures: Maryland Department

What are some of the hidden treasures of SLRC in the Maryland Department?

There are many collections held in the Maryland Department that are not apparent when one searches the catalog. Since the 1930’s the Department’s staff has been collecting and organizing materials exclusive to Maryland. Some of the interesting collections include:

Maryland Telephone Directories: Phone books dating as far back as the World War I era for every county in the state. Many of these are quite brief but, in addition to telephone listings, contain interesting advertisements from local businesses.

Annual Reports: Business and non-profit organization reports for entities that are not included in the Pratt catalog. The date range of these reports is wide, but some date from the early 19th century.

Music and Theater Programs: Actually, two separate collections that include programs back to 1795. Some contain beautiful cover art and details of famous actors (e.g., Edwin Booth) who played in the area.

Photographs: More than 20,000 black-and-white photos from all over Maryland with emphasis on the Baltimore area. Particularly strong in the 1930’s. Many are available for reproduction. In addition, there are smaller, photographer based collections from A. Aubrey Bodine and M. Robert Rappaport.

Campaign Literature: A growing collection of election advertising in many shapes and sizes for Maryland state elections and national campaigns in Maryland. Material covers mid-19th century to date.

Yearbooks: High school and college yearbooks from educational intuitions in Maryland. Dates vary, but a current list is always available.

Postcards and Stereoscopic Views: Hundreds of postcards from places and points of interest from around the state- many with personal notes. Two hundred stereoscope views of Maryland sites.

Ephemera: Almost 6000 items of material that can be viewed as time sensitive, but provide a fascinating look at life in the past. Menus, programs, invitations, awards, posters, etc. from actual events. Useful for creating displays or exhibiting with other historical material.

Think about these collections as a supplement to other SLRC materials. Since most are composed of primary source documents, they are useful for students and make excellent display material-especially when mixed and matched!

Contact the staff of the Maryland Department to talk about access to these and other collections.

Review Thursday: Fiction

Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller (2010)

Sue Miller's sweetly melancholy, beautifully patterned new novel fills the description of literary fiction as a story where nothing happens: nothing, that is, but the quiet, important tumults in people's hearts. Leslie, 59, wavers between contentment with her marriage and a craving for something more, embodied mainly in an almost-lover from her past, Sam, but also in Gus, the adored younger brother she lost to 9/11. Gus's lover, Billie, a female playwright, had just decided to break up with him when he died. Ambivalent about his death, she clings all the more fiercely to his memory, finding it hard to embrace someone new. Her paralysis confuses Sam, who sees his own attraction to her as a happy accident, unlike poor romantic choices he made in earlier years. Meanwhile, Rafe, 45, uses his lead role in Billie's new play to express his changing feelings towards his wife, stricken with Lou Gehrig's disease. Exploring a man's conflicted response to the news that his wife may have died in a terrorist attack, Billie's play reflects the inner dilemmas of all four protagonists.

Luminous detail, transparent prose, and psychological depth give Miller's world an absorbing realism, though few real people achieve the serene wisdom granted to Leslie, Billie, Sam, and Rafe in the end. Edith Wharton, another moralizing chronicler of New England, would have appreciated Miller's emphasis on wisdom's price, the renunciation of certain dreams and pleasures. But her faith that domestic happiness is possible at all makes her more akin to contemporaries Anna Quindlen and Anne Tyler. Like Billie, who rejects one play ending as "too Ethan Frome-ish," Miller tips her story's difficult emotional balance towards joy.

Review Thursday: Children's Books

Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal (2009)
Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Born a slave, legendary lawman Bass Reeves became one of the most respected marshals to tame the Wild West. He apprehended thousands in his thirty two year career, including his own son, but only had to kill fourteen of them. This arresting (pardon the pun) portrait treats its subject with dignity all the while treading close to tall tale territory in its telling. From a humorous run in with a skunk to Reeve’s powerful response when coming across a lynch mob, Nelson gives a well rounded portrayal. With plenty of colorful turns of phrase and illustrations that show a steely-eyed African American hero, this larger than life biography will capture the imagination of readers and appeal to a wider age range (8-12) than Gary Paulsen’s fictionalized The Legend of Bass Reeves (10-12). A Coretta Scott King Award Winner

A Million Shades of Gray (2010)
Cynthia Kadohata

Set in Vietnam after the Americans have ended their part of the war, we meet 13 year old Y’Tin whose only goal is to be an elephant handler. His elephant, “Lady”, is the center of his world. When his village is overrun by North Vietnamese forces, Y’Tin sees his way of life change immeasurably. Not only does he have to help dig a mass grave, he must, after escaping, find his way through the deep jungle while protecting a friend and Lady. Y’Tin fears he will never be able to trust anyone or anything again, especially when he finds that the starving survivors want to eat the village’s domesticated elephants. He finds out that the truth has as many shades of grey as an elephant’s hide or the jungle in dim light. The first juvenile novel to address this time in history from the indigenous Vietnam viewpoint, this would be a powerful counterpoint to Patrol by Walter Dean Myers (a US soldiers point of view) or Kadohata’s ( a Newbery award winning author) Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam. (11-14)

Ned’s New Home (2009)
Kevin Tseng

Ned, a charming bright green worm, has a wonderful home, an apple, but it is beginning to decompose. His mission is to find a new abode. A pear, lemon and a pile of blueberries all have serious faults (too wobbly, too sour, and won’t hold together). A plan for a cherry house is foiled by a hungry bird, who accidently delivers Ned to the best new house of all, an apple still hanging from its tree. With warm colors and visual humor, this is a comforting story that has an ecological undertone. The endpapers even show the life cycle of the apple from seed to fruit and back again. Use this with Peter Horacek’s A New House for Mouse for an equally agreeable paean to apples as the perfect dwelling place. (3-5)

Review Thursday: Attracting Success

Have many of your customers read The Secret? Are they interested in learning more about the laws of attraction for success? Try suggesting the following books for learning more about how to be successful.

Emergenetics: Tap into the New Science of Success (2006)
Geil Browning, PhD

Introduces a brain-based approach to personality profiling, explaining how to identify one's personal thinking style, behavioral set points, natural strengths and talents, and enhance the chances for personal success.

The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You are to Where You Want to Be (2005)
Jack Canfield, Janet Switzer

A self-improvement guide for business professionals, teachers, students, parents, or anyone interested in promoting themselves within today's success-oriented culture shares sixty-four practical or inspiring principles on how to reach desired goals.

Do You: 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success (2007)
Russell Simmons

Since rising out of the New York City streets over 25 years ago, Russell Simmons has helped create such groundbreaking ventures as Def Jam Records, Phat Farm and Def Comedy Jam, becoming known the world over as "The CEO of Hip Hop." He credits his success to his belief in a set of 12 laws, which he shares in this book. His path towards success can be followed by anyone struggling to realize their dreams.

Review Thursday: Genre Mysteries

Customers who read a lot of mysteries may be interested in a specific genre to explore. One that might not be very obvious is clerical mysteries. Here are some suggestions on how to get started with that genre. More are newer books in a series -- giving customers that opportunity to start from the beginning and explore an entire series!

Sister Pelagia and the Red Cockerel (2009)
Boris Akunin

When the leader of a messianic cult is murdered on a steamship, fellow passenger and amateur sleuth Sister Pelagia finds herself in danger.

(3rd in the series)

The Silent Spirit (2009)
Margaret Coel

The disappearance of an Arapaho acting in a 1923 movie in Los Angeles and the possibly connected murder of his great-grandson more than eighty years later on the Winder River reservation force Father John O’Malley and Arapaho lawyer Vicky Holden to confront some harsh realities.

(14th in the series)

The Apostate's Tale (2008)
Margaret Frazer

Dame Frevisse and the other nuns offer a safe haven when a penitent Sister Cecely returns to the priory she left nine years before and brings her illegitimate child with her. Their security is threatened when Sister Cecely’s troubles follow her.

(17th in the series)

Stained Glass (2009)
Ralph M. McInerny

Father Dowling and his congregation are fighting to keep the archdiocese from closing the parish, an effort that is complicated by a series of murders that points to a family active in the church.

(28th in the series)

I Shall Not Want (2008)
Julia Spencer-Fleming

After a devastating tragedy, Reverend Clare Fergusson and Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne have kept their distance. When Latino migrant workers are slaughtered, however, they must work together to keep their town of Millers Kill, NY from falling apart.

(6th in the series)

The Council of the Cursed: A Mystery of Ancient Ireland (2009)
Peter Tremayne

Counseling a hostile Irish delegation to the Celtic Church in 670 A.D., Fidelma of Cashel is embroiled in political intrigue and physical danger when one of the delegates is murdered and a priceless reliquary is stolen.

(19th in the series)

I have customers who need to apply for state assistance. How can I help her?

With the current economic situation, library customers are more frequently using library computers to apply for state assistance of all kinds -- including housing, education, unemployment, and more.

A great place to start is on the Maryland government website Maryland.gov. It brings together all of the information from the state including the various programs that are available for Marylanders.

Maryland.gov also has created a page specifically for bringing together the various services -- WeConnect You: Maryland. It includes links for many services and resources available for Maryland residents covering broad categories such as finance, employment, and food.

To look for non-governmental services, your customers may want to search the Maryland Community Service Locator. Provided by the Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) at the University of Maryland, College Park, it includes information on local community services. Users can search for local services close to their address. Organizations included cover a wide range of services, such as senior citizens, support groups, job readiness, and health services.

Review Thursday: Children's Fiction

Al Capone Shines My Shoes (2009)
Gennifer Choldenko

Moose Flanagan and his family live on Alcatraz. His father is a guard there and his autistic sister, Natalie, goes to a special school in San Francisco. Moose becomes concerned when he gets a note from inmate Al Capone who wants a favor for getting Natalie into a special school. What will Al ask for? Then when Moose discovers a bar spreader in Natalie’s suitcase, he really starts to worry. If he tells an adult, his father might get fired. What can he do about each problem? If you want to find out more about living on Alcatraz, check out Children of Alcatraz: Growing Up on the Rock by Claire Rudolf Murphy.

Zoobreak (2009)
Gordon Korman

Savannah Drysdale’s pet monkey Cleo disappears from her house. She and her friends Griffin and Ben take a school trip to a floating zoo where Savannah discovers a monkey that she swears is Cleo. The three children decide to pay a visit to the zoo at night and get Cleo out of her cage. They are successful but Savannah wants to release all the poor animals. Can they set all the animals free without getting caught? Where will they put all of them? Pair this book up with Cyberia by Chris Lynch.

Notes from the Dog (2009)
Gary Paulsen

Fourteen-year-old Finn is uncomfortable around people until a graduate student named Johanna shows up to house sit next door. Finn likes her and gains confidence after she encourages him to start and maintain his own garden. Johanna plans to raise money for breast cancer (which she’s dealing with) by participating in a triathlon. Unfortunately she becomes sick the night before and is unable to be in the race. Finn and his friend Matthew decide to help her. Can they find a solution? Another book recommended is Holding at Third by Linda Zinnen.

I have customers who are looking help with figuring out how to change careers. How do I help them?

There are a lot of free online career assessment tools available for library customers to use. They can range from skills assessments, personality tests, and career assessments. Try recommending a few of these:

• The Skills Profiler identifies skills and matches them to jobs.
• O*NET's Ability Profiler matches strengths with occupations.
• O*NET's Interest Profiler identifies broad interest areas.
• O*NET's Work Importance Locator identifies job features that are important to you.
• Employability Checkup provides a snapshot of your employability.
• Enneagram Test will find your personality type.

Don't forget about books! There are also quite a few popular books that you can suggest to customers to find out more about their career possibilities. Here's a couple good ones:

Do What You Are : Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger (2001)

Uses the Myers-Briggs personality types to link to possible careers. Career advice is provided and each strengths and pitfalls of each personality type is highlighted with real-life examples.



The Everything Career Tests Book by A. Bronwyn Llewellyn (2007)

Take ten different tests to reveal work habits, affinities, and interests. Emphasis on "finding your passion" to be able to find the career path that you were destined for.

Review Thursday: Cookbook Round Up

Looking for a new cookbook to spice up your dinner plans? Try any of the following cookbooks to learn more about cooking techniques, ethnic foods, or quick ways to make dinner.

Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller (2009)

From the acclaimed chef of the French Laundry, Thomas Keller gives recipes for home-style classic foods. While the food may be more what you remember from growing up, the recipes for the comfort food may still take time and effort to make. However, the time spent cooking will allow you to experience meals as conceived by a great chef! Keller also provides lots of great illustrations of how to do various tasks, such as tying up a pork loin and trussing a chicken. The link to the book includes a copy of his recipe for fried chicken, which testers have deemed delicious!

I Know How to Cook by Ginette Mathiot (2009)

The bible of home cooking in France has finally been translated into English. The cookbook includes an extensive collection of recipes, covering sauces, hors d'oeuvres, meat, vegetables, fruit, and lots of desserts. It is illustrated throughout with drawings and some photographs. A very helpful section at the back includes suggested menus for different meals and seasons of the year to help cooks put together delectable meals for sharing!

Nigella Christmas: Food, Family, Friends, Festivities by Nigella Lawson (2009)

While you may not be thinking of Christmas in May, Nigella Christmas is a great resource for planning for special occasion meals or parties. Lawson provides great advice on party preparation, meal ideas, and even edible gifts. Perhaps these might be helpful to get a jump on holidays coming up. Illustrated throughout with many, many photographs showing pictures of the recipes from beginning to completion. Looks delicious!

Pamphlet Play Database

Do you have customers looking for a play to perform with two females and four males? Check out the new Pamphlet Play Database brought to you by the Humanities Department of the Enoch Pratt Free Library.

These acting editions can be searched by the number of characters in a play, the type of play (comedy, melodrama), or the subject. The plays are available through interlibrary loan, making them especially useful for students or community groups wanting to put together theatrical productions. If you have any questions about how to use the database, please contact the Humanities Department staff and they will be happy to answer any questions.

Review Thursday: Fiction Staff Picks

Looking for some great new fiction to recommend? Check out the Fiction Department's latest picks for great fiction!

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (2009)

Ren and Toby, two women who have survived the plague known as the “waterless flood”, look back on the choices they’ve made and attend to their future survival.



Unfinished Desires by Gail Godwin (2009)

By reviving an old play at their Catholic school in the 1950s, two girls raise questions about the past and dramatically change their own futures.

Family Album by Penelope Lively (2009)

Serious problems lurk under the picturesque surface of a big family in an old house outside London.

The City & The City by China Miéville (2009)

Inspector Tyador Borlu of the city of Beszel must solve a difficult murder – one that seems linked to Ul Qoma, another city which exists in the same physical location as Beszel but is forbidden to interact with it.

The Humbling by Philip Roth

A 65-year-old failing actor hopes a romance with a 40-year-old woman will revitalize him.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (2009)

On his visits to the residents of a crumbling mansion named Hundreds Hall, Dr. Faraday witnesses phenomena that shake his belief that hauntings cannot exist.

Text or IM Us!

Need an answer quickly? Now you can text or IM the Enoch Pratt Free Library! Four departments are currently doing IMing -- Business, Science & Technology, Maryland, Sights & Sounds, and Social Science and History. Just ask us a question and we'll get back to you quickly during library hours.

Review Thursday: Pratt Picks

Did you know that the staff of the Enoch Pratt Free Library create booklists for fiction, nonfiction, and children's books? And that the lists go beyond books to cover music, movies, and magazines? Check out Pratt Picks for the latest selections.

Some of the popular lists include:

• Classics: A Selection of Lasting Favorites
  
  
• African American Biographies for Teens
  
  
• Children's Picture Books
  
  
• Bollywood Videos & DVDs
  
  
• Economics for Non-Economists

It's a great resource for reader's advisory! Whether you are looking for suggestions for teens, adults, or children, you're bound to find something different from Pratt Picks.

Free Credit Reports in Maryland

Did you know that Maryland residents are entitled to two free credit reports each year? Under separate federal and state laws, customers are entitled to one free credit report per year from each of the three Credit Reporting Agencies. Since there are two laws, this means that you can contact each Agency twice per year and request your personal credit report free of charge!

Contacting the credit reporting agencies can be done online or by phone. Want to find all the contact information? Check out the Business, Science & Technology Department's guide online -- How to Get a Free Credit Report -- for all of the details.

A customer has asked for my advice with finding good places to donate. Help!

When tragedy strikes Americans are known for their generosity. Here are some sites that may help you and your customers in making your decision about where to give.

Charity Navigator – Hot Topics
This site features charities that are given a high rating by Charity Navigator and are working with societal concerns and natural disasters.

Crisis Commons - CrisisCamp
Brings together domain experts, developers, and first responders to help improve technology and practice for humanitarian crisis management and disaster relief.

CNN Impact Your World
Read current new stories and what organizations are doing to help.

Network For Good
Learn about charities and the work that they are doing and then make an online donation through Network For Good's secure online donation system.

Maryland Volunteer Centers
Find organizations in Maryland to volunteer with.

Volunteer Match
Find organizations around the country to volunteer with.

Chile:
Embassy of Chile - Relief Efforts
Research information about Chilean relief efforts

Haiti:
Embassy of Haiti – Relief Assistance
Research information about how to help Haitian agencies directly.

Review Thursday: Children's Nonfiction

Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator by Sarah C. Campbell (2008)

Nature’s Most Extreme[ly Slow] Predators! If there really was a tabloid TV show about wolfsnails, the low speed chases portrayed therein might not make for the most exciting viewing. This book, however, is a fascinating read. Detailed photographs and vivid prose introduce young naturalists to the wolfsnail, a predatory creature that earns its name by tracking and devouring other snails. This informative volume demonstrates that the drama of the life cycle doesn’t just happen in the jungle or on the savannah – it’s happening in your own back yard on a miniscule scale and at an almost agonizingly leisurely pace. For readers 6-8.


Whaam! The Art and Life of Roy Lichtenstein by Susan Goldman Rubin (2008)

How Roy Lichtenstein put Donald Duck and Popeye on the walls of the world’s greatest art museums. In the sixties, painter Roy Lichtenstein, one of the founders of what came to be known as “Pop Art,” challenged the conventions of fine art by incorporating graphical techniques and imagery from comic books into his paintings. He asked viewers to consider, and this book asks YOU to consider, why pictures on a wall in a museum are “better” than pictures in a comic book? What is it that makes art “art”? Whaam! is a fun and informative portrait of one of the most influential American painters of the 20th century. For readers 9-12.


On the Scale: A Weighty Tale by Brian P. Cleary (2008)

An exploration in verse of comparative weight measures. Units of mass are illustrated with real-world examples (an ounce is the weight of a slice of bread; a quart of milk weighs two pounds). English and metric systems are included. “A gram,” we learn, “is not a cracker or your parent’s mother/ It’s a weight – so get this straight – smaller than most others.” Simultaneously vivid and whimsical, this book is a way to learn about gravity with levity. For readers 6-8.

What kinds of resources are available for someone trying to become more environmentally responsible?

This is a topic that has been gaining in popularity over the years, and there are a lot of sources out there. A good place to start is the State Library Resource Center’s Green Living How-to Guide. This guide provides links to sites dealing with saving energy at home or in your car, where to find locally grown food or the closest e-cycling location, or how to be a responsible shopper.

For example, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fuel Economy site allows you to look up specific car models to see what their carbon footprint is, and you can also compare and contrast several models at once. Energy Savers offers links to energy efficiency tips, ENERGY STAR rated appliances, and energy use calculators.

Recycling Maryland is a nonprofit site that lists recyclers and organizations that take donations of items for reuse, including computers, computer parts, copy machines, electronics, and many others.

For print materials, you can look at several Pratt Recommends booklists, including Green Homes, Renewable Energy, or Selected Current Green Living Magazines.

Review Thursday: Nonfiction

The Sound of Freedom: Marian Anderson, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Concert that Awakened America by Raymond Arsenault (2009)

In The Sound of Freedom, Raymond Arsenault connects the singer Marian Anderson and her famous Lincoln Memorial concert on April 9, 1939, with the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. Anderson rose to stellar heights of fame and fortune as an artist, overcoming the hurdles discrimination put in her path. By 1939, she had performed in cities across the United States and toured Europe, but her fame did not alter the American segregation laws that restricted where she could perform to places like high school auditoriums.

For a performance in Washington, D.C., originally the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Constitution Hall was requested. The D.A.R. denied Anderson use of the building because of a discriminatory policy. This provoked First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, a friend of Anderson’s, to resign from the D.A.R. and to announce her resignation in her national newspaper column. The resulting civil rights controversy reached a solution with the historic concert outdoors at the Lincoln Memorial, where Anderson performed for a racially integrated crowd of 75,000. This began fifty years of life in the national spotlight, where Anderson became a symbol of integration.

In telling this remarkable story, Arsenault’s detailed exploration and analysis of original sources includes newspaper accounts, collections from both the NAACP and the Roosevelts, and Anderson’s personal papers. This is an in-depth account of a pivotal moment in history, for patrons interested in musicians, American history, and the Civil Rights movement.

Are there reading/interest levels for graphic novels when recommending them to patrons?

There are quite a few good resources in both print and online that can aid you in you in finding age/interest levels in your graphic novel readers’ advisory work. They use various rating systems, so you will want to check their explanatory remarks.

Here are some books that you might find on your shelves:

500 Essential Graphic Novels: The Ultimate Guide by Gene Kannenberg (2008)
Divided into by genre and designates age levels as All ages, 12+, 15+ and 18+.

Graphic Novels: A Genre Guide to Comic Books, Manga, and More by Michael Pawuk (2007)
More inclusive than Kannenberg, listing all titles within series. Age levels are All ages, 10 and above, 13-15, 16-17, 18 and older.

The Librarian's Guide to Graphic Novels For Children and Tweens by David S. Serchay (2008)
Targeted specifically towards younger readers, this book uses the following age categories: younger elementary, older elementary and junior high, tweens and early teens, all ages (but appealing more to younger readers).

The Readers' Advisory Guide to Graphic Novels by Francisca Goldsmith (2010)
While this book is the most current and has much useful information on readers’ advisory, its only special designations are “appropriate for younger readers (under sixteen in some communities, as young as under twelve in others)” and “crossover titles for readers unfamiliar with the format.”

Two good books devoted exclusively to manga are:

Manga: The Complete Guide by Jason Thompson (2007)
Includes age levels with film rating equivalents: All ages (G-PG), 13+ (PG-PG13), 16+ (PG13-R), 18+ (‘hard’ R- NC17).

Understanding Manga and Anime by Robin E. Brenner (2007)
Contains both the publishers’ age ratings and the recommendations of the author (grades 6-8, grades 7-9, grades 9-12, adult).

Web Resources

YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens
Lists for 12-18 year-olds beginning 2007; with a top ten list for each year.

No Flying No Tights
Includes three separate sections of reviews: the Main site for teens, Sidekicks for ages through 12, and the Lair for older teens and adults.

Graphic Novels: Resources for Teachers & Librarians
Lists of recommended titles (by genre) for all ages, younger teens (11-14), older teens (17 and older,) plus a list of titles recommended for girls and a list of “teen favorites not recommended for younger readers.” The site also includes lists by genre and publisher.

Checking publisher web pages can also give you information on age levels. One very good example is the Dark Horse Comics page for libraries. The backlist is even sorted by age level (8+, 10+, 12+, 14+, 16+, 18+, all ages).

You can keep up-to date by reading reviews in professional journals:

• VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)
• School Library Journal
• Library Journal
• Booklist
• Publisher’s Weekly

And, of course, knowing your collection and your readers is the best way of knowing what titles to recommend.

Library Blogs

Here at the LATI Blog, we asked librarian Ray Cruitt to write a blog post about librarian blogs and how to keep up. His report follows:

I was asked to write a blog post about librarian blogs. I hadn’t kept up with them for some time, but remembered when I first became interested in being a librarian, about seven years ago, how surprised I was by the large number of them. It was intriguing; I had never been exposed to professional-oriented blogging before, and librarians seemed to have this genre covered in spades!

Since then, not only have there been a proliferation of library-related blogs, but also other professional-oriented blogs: pharmacist, police officer, waiter/server, and even a garbage man blog exists on the Internet.

There are several prominent library themes: for instance, The Union Librarian, by Kathleen de la Peña McCook is written by a well-known academic librarian involved in the Progressive Librarian Guild, a very left-of-center organization. She is a supporter of the unionization of libraries. Walt at Random is a blog that addresses many subjects relevant to librarians, from librarian blogs and bloggers to technology to library policy issues; it is written by Walt Crawford, a well known name in the library field who describes himself as a voice for the “radical middle.” On another side of the spectrum is the Conservative Librarian, the Government Information and Political Science Librarian from Purdue University, who writes very little, if anything, about librarianship, yet keeps the “Librarian” as part of his identity. He mostly writes about conservative politics. One thing is for certain, library blogs tend to be partisan affairs.

Another popular genre of library blog is the kind that either provides a forum for other librarians to vent about patrons or relate funny patron experiences, such as the LiveJournal site The Society for Librarians Who Say “M…” (ah, well, maybe I should refrain from stating the rest of the name, it isn’t exactly rated G). If you don’t like to say the “M” word, but still want to post about weird, funny, or disturbing patron stories, you can always check out the Merry Librarian (oddly enough, it starts with an M, as well!).

There are four blogs that I would like to highlight. One is old news, another is new, but based on an older group, one is thoughtful, and the other a great place to get technology news and analysis.

1) Best of Publib:

Publib is a listserv that was established in 1992 and now has over 8000 subscribers. Best of Publib is a blog that was established as a means to conveniently find some of the more interesting threads that have been woven over the years on the listserv. This new blog is an especially good resource for public librarians doing research on a subject relevant to their work. Along with some of the more serious topics there are plenty of fun threads that only a public librarian can relate to.

2) The Annoyed Librarian

As mentioned above, I’m including an old news librarian blog, The Annoyed Librarian (AL, as she is prominently known). This pseudonymous provocateur has resonated over the years with many librarians who sometimes wonder about the direction of their profession and professional organizations. With subjects ranging from the nature of the MLS degree requirement to the political nature of the ALA and the ALA Council, this librarian weighs-in on the critical side. Of course, this fact and “her” pseudonymous identity have annoyed many librarians, which is part of the allure. The AL has her favorite subjects, the ALA Council and its non-library related political resolutions, the Progressive Library Guild, Library 2.0, and the perceived drifting away of the public library’s original charter to afford the appropriate resources for a educated society. Tip: just don’t take “her” too seriously. It’s all in good fun!

3) Academic Librarian

The Academic Librarian is the head librarian for the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Princeton University. Although, his main sphere of librarianship is the academic world, his views, many times, transcend that of his particular specialty and are applicable to all librarians. The ideas treated in this blog are articulately expressed and there is always something in his posts to think about. It is a nice antidote to the partisan and snarky librarian blogs that populate the Web, including the Annoyed Librarian! Some topics recently covered: the ethics of library school students posing as patrons on reference chat, millennials, and reading.

4) Disruptive Library Technology Jester

This blog is all about technology and its influence on library and educational institutions. While there are many technology-related library blogs, the majority of them seem to be only concerned with the promotion of social networking or Library 2.0 technologies. As the name of this blogger entails, his main mission, the Jester’s mission, is to give the “raw facts,” as critical as they may be, about all the technologies available to libraries, whether ultimately useful or not. The Jester’s role has always been to entertain while simultaneously telling it like it is. This blog goes a long way in accomplishing this.