In the News and On the Shelf: Fiction & Nonfiction in your Book Groups

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 9:08 am

 

Booklist’s 2 library experts, Lucy Lockley and BGB’s own Kaite Stover, have shared their notes with us, selections below.
From Lucy:

• Once you have chosen which title to use for a book discussion, the next step is usually to find title-specific discussion questions.
  Some places to check are:
• Author and publisher websites – either may have a prepared list of questions which can be printed off and are ready to use
• Print resources such as:
• The Reader’s Choice: 200 Book Club Favorites by Victoria Golden McMains  (not owned by SCLD, SPL owns-circ) has older titles but ones which have been enjoyed by numerous book groups
• Read ‘Em Their Writes: a Handbook for Mystery and Crime Fiction Book Discussions by Gary Warren Niebuhr (not owned by SCLD, SPL owns-circ)
• Reading Women: a Book Club Guide for Women’s Fiction by Nanci Milone Hill (not owned by SCLD or SPL)
• Fellowship in a Ring: a Guide for Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Groups by Neil Hollands (not owned by SCLD or SPL)

• If you can serve food during your discussions, you might be interested in:
• The Book Club Cookbook: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club’s Favorite Books and Authors, 2nd edition by July Gelman and Vicky Levy Krupp (not owned by SCLD, SPL owns-circ)

• To add some appeal to you discussion or set the stage for the next book title, leaders may want to set up a display with read-alikes or other tools such as:
• Primary Documents – for a discussion on the book The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb, one discussion leader found newspaper articles and pictures which were specific to the subject and the time period
• Props – spruce up a display by using anything which might make it more appealing; for example: for a display on the book Homer & Langley (infamous hoarders) one discussion leader used stacks of newspapers, an old lantern, a beat-up fan (from the 1940′s), old spoons – things that might have been packed away in an attic

• Using technology to enhance the discussion:
• Laptop / WiFi Access / Projector – these can expand a book discussion to reach beyond the meeting local. For example: a recent book discussion on Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (the book contains no map or photos) used a laptop during the discussion to access the author website to find pictures of the runners mentioned in the book, to search Google for a map of the Sierra Madre mountains to ‘see’ where the Tarahumara people live, and find the product website for Vibram Fivefingers or barefoot shoes (one of the individuals discussed in the book is “Barefoot” Ted, the ultrarunner who actually runs marathons barefoot!)
• Conference Call – for a live interview with the author during your book discussion, contact the publisher, author’s representative or the author to try and arrange one for the date and time when your group will be discussing their book
• Video Chat: use Skype or Google Voice and Video Chat to have a live, in-person (visual and audio) interview with the author or with an expert on the topic of the discussion title
• Book Trailers: use YouTube or BookRiot to find a video book trailer for the upcoming discussion title or for some of the read-alikes. Many publishers are now producing book trailers for their titles, especially their book discussion suggestions so leaders wanting to try using book trailers should check their websites.

• Do your meetings keep going outside the current discussion topic? Members want to talk about something else? You can offer a program for that! Let’s Talk About It!: A News & Current Events Discussion Group is a group we do in the St. Charles City-County Library District. It provides the perfect forum for anyone who enjoys talking about current events and headlines in the news.

From Kaite:

In this advanced technological age where we are all bombarded with the news, current affairs, and issue of the moment 24/7, it’s no wonder that our readers want to sort out the miasma of info in book groups. Most book groups have a tendency to avoid these types of books because usually one one title is being discussed and it’s important the library and the programs is supports appear unbiased. But there’s a way to let readers explore their own beliefs and opinions and keep the conversation on an even keel with current events.

You may be wondering why would any book group choose to read any of these pairings if conversation could turn into a shouting match. Readers gravitate towards these types of books because they want more details and understanding than the news can provide. They want to feel informed with sound opinions. They want to understand why people and society behave the way they do.

People want to feel in-the-know and on top of the news and this is why they pay attention to the books of the moment. These are also the books getting media attention so book group leaders need to be aware of them, too.

What appeal elements should selectors be looking for? Can’t escape the popularity of some of these books, but you can look at them with a questioning eye. Most readers will enjoy the learning aspect of books about current affairs. The tone and story line adopted by the author with an air of expertise. The author’s intent is also important. Is the author supporting or refuting an established position. Is the author tracking the development of an issue, investigating, persuading. Is the argument skewed? Reasoned? Merely explanatory? Is the author looking to provide insight or just incite a reader? Writing style, amount of detail and pacing will be working with the above concerns.

Balance the selections—opportunity to offer two readings—confirm and explore. This gives readers the opportunity to consider a differing viewpoint in the interest of understanding the opposition to their own. Some readers may hold a viewpoint and need further support or education. Don’t need to ask which is a readers preference, and in some cases, it’s better for the conversation if readers are unaware of participant’s particular stance on an issue.

Bring some background—If time allows, have some additional background information on the topic at hand. Recent accounts in the news, other books, a quick history of the topic with facts. Having this info can be helpful if conversation gets a little heated. Can use it as a “cooler” and then steer dialogue in another direction.

Managing the conversation—keep it focused on the books and be ready for animated conversation from participants who may usually be on the quiet side. Discussing these books, I feel, requires a little more preparation from facilitators and more awareness of the body language and moods of the readers around the table. The point is to generate a good discussion and you don’t want to drive any reader away because conversation became too heated or personal.

• For understanding the appeals of nonfiction, particularly books about social, political, economic, cultural issue, consult The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Nonfiction by Neal Wyatt (Ref at SV and NS: 025.54 WYATT). Each chapter on a popular nonfiction subject area comes with reading lists. Chapter 11 will be the most useful for book groups looking to explore readings in current events.

• The Real Story and The Inside Scoop, both by Sarah Statz Cords (not owned by SCLD, SPL owns Real Story-circ), an RA expert in nonfiction are treasures of discussable titles. Lists of titles to start with, fiction readalikes, and solid essays on the characteristics and elements that draw readers to a particular subject. The Inside Scoop has a chapter devoted to political reporting and a subsection on Hot Button Issues. Great resource for finding titles that balance each other.

Controversial topics in a book group can generate a little apprehension, but don’t let this stop you from introducing reading that could generate a lively conversation. Your readers may surprise you with their discussion and will welcome the chance to apply their own world view to their reading and share it with others. Book groups an arena for public discourse. What a civilized place to start!

Career Cruising

Career Cruising is a career aid available through WorkSource. You'll find it here. (Unfortunately, you have to login in order to set up an account, so you won't be able to see anything when you go there.) Let's look at some of the services available through Career Cruising.

Here's what the front page looks like:

We'll start with the Assessments tab. Here is where you'll find the Matchmaker, information about the Ability Profiler, and a Learning Styles Inventory.

The Matchmaker asks you questions and then suggests careers based on the answers. You start with 39 questions that you rate on a scale from "Dislike Very Much" to "Like Very Much." Your results show why that career was a match. You can see an overview of the career, the average payscale (by area), the working conditions, required education, career paths, related careers, and even interviews of people in the field. Other resources include things like links to professional organizations and Occupational Outlook.

The Ability Profiler is designed to assess your abilities and see how they relate to careers that match your interests. This test must be scheduled with WorkSource.

Learning Styles Inventory asks questions about how you do different things. Here's an example:

When concentrating on something, I am more likely to:

• be distracted by movement or clutter around me
• be distracted by noise near me
• have difficulty sitting still 

Once you've completed the Inventory, you'll see what your learning style is -- visual, auditory, tactile, or a combination. You'll learn about your learning style, and see tips on making use of it, such as writing things down if you're a visual learner, reading aloud if you're an auditory learner, and acting out material with a study partner if you're a tactile learner.                 

In the Careers tab, you can search for careers by first letter or keyword in the Index. You can also look at school subjects and see what careers might be suited to people who enjoy a particular subject. Or, you can look at "Career Clusters" -- groupings of careers such as Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources, Business Management & Administration, and Transportation, Distribution & Logistics. Finally, there is a separate section devoted to military careers. You can use the Index, look at Job Families (Career Clusters), or Service Branch (including the National Guard and Coast Guard).

In the Education tab, you can search for shools and majors by state, compare schools, and use a school selector tool to find a school with the right atmosphere for you (a private, co-ed, 4 year school in Montana that offers a geology major and has a badminton program, for example).

In the Financial Aid tab, you can search for aid, or submit information about yourself and see financial aid opportunities that might apply to you.

The Employment tab has a resume builder, a place to enter work experience, and hints for your job search -- writing the resume, looking for employment, job interviews, etc. Then there are tips for when you get a job offer. Finally, there are tips for after you've landed the job -- getting to the job site, addressings supervisors, introducing yourself to your co-workers, office etiquette, friendships, and much more.

The last tab is My Inspire Community. This has a place to correspond with career coaches (people working in the field), find work-based learning opportunities (for example: job shadows, internships), and find employers and career activities (for example: employer information, career fairs). This is the least developed of the interest areas. Once it is developed, it will be a good place to find out more information about local employers and life on the job.

While you're here, check out Inspire Washington.

Brain health -- it's more interesting than you think (based on an INCOL presentation by Dr. Paul Nussbaum)

Did you know that your brain weighs only 2-4 pounds, yet gets 25% of the blood from every hearbeat? Think about that. That's a lot of blood for such a small organ.

Men's and women's brains are different, thanks to the influence of prenatal testosterone. Women use more of the right side of their brains than men. Both use the left side, home of problem solving.

Maybe you've heard that once you reach a certain age (3, 5, 20) your brain stops growing and all you do is lose brain cells. More recent research indicates that that just isn't so. The brain keeps making new brain cells. Not only that, but it keeps changing. That's right, you can influence your brain RIGHT NOW. How? I'm glad you asked. First, some background:

Your brain's cortex -- that wrinkly part you think of when you hear the word "brain" -- is where you take care of learning, communicating, reading, being you, and other active stuff.

Underneath the cortex is the subcortex, which takes care of routine things. Do something enough times, and it leaves the cortex for the subcortex. That's why you thought about everything when you were learning to drive and then, one day, left for the store, wound up at work, and couldn't remember the trip. Drive to a meeting in a new city, though, and suddenly you're paying attention, concentrating, and using the cortex.

When you stimulate the cortex, you increase dendrites. Why is that improtant? Think of dendrites as plants and Alzheimer's Disease and dementia as a Weed Whacker. The more dendrites you have, the longer it takes for the "Weed Whacker" to make a noticeable difference.

So, how can you stimulate those cells and grow dendrites? Through a healthy brain lifestyle. There are five "domains" of Dr. Nussbaum's Brain Health Lifestyle (r). They are:

Socialization: join groups and social organizations, develop hobbies, maintain a sense of purpose (work, volunteer, etc.), maintain and build friendships and family networks, ask about loneliness (most lonely people don't tell people). Lonliness increases the risk for dementia.

Be active: walk 7,000-12,000 steps daily, walk six miles per week (walking reduces the risk of dementia), dance, garden, knit, use both sides of your body.

Mental stimulation: learn another language, learn sign language (increases IQ), play board games, travel, play a musical instrument.

Spirituality: learn to meditate, try Yoga or Tai Chi, reserve 30 minutes each day just for yourself, pray daily, regularly attend a formal place of worship.

Nutrition: eat 80% or what you intend to eat each meal (you don't have to clean your plate!), eat one meal each day with family or friends, eat 8 ounces of fish weekly, increase your intake of antioxidants and Omega 3 fatty acids, go to a museum or cultural event.

You can get a brain fitness workout at Fitbrains www.Fitbrains.com (Dr. Nussbaum is the Chief Scientific Officer).

Packaged Paper on Digital Devices

General limitations of online converters:
Limited file size
Limited formats
Your stuff is on their server
--Privacy?
--Sensitive/Proprietary stuff
Some sites look dodgy
--Read the comments and reviews

Issues:
You can’t make people use them
Device idiosyncrasies
Complex formatting doesn’t work well
No editing in some forms

So why bother?
Take it with you – once it’s downloaded you’re not tethered to an internet connection
Device/App affordances
--Bookmarks
--Highlighting
--Annotations
--Adjustable reading experience (background color, etc.)
Edocs flow better than PDF

Calibre (www.calibre-ebook.com)
Free
Open source
Convert formats
Create own metadata
Convert ebook/edoc/webpage to read on ereader or smartphone
Auto delivery of online blogs, newspapers, etc.
Works with many ebook formats, including MOBI (Kindle)
According to the forums, converting Overdrive books to .mobi using Calibre still requires stripping the DRM, which is of questionable legality
Metadata searching, organizing, cataloging
Developer and user community
Using it is either really easy or really hard
Not for creating full featured ebooks
No columns or non-image tables (causes flow problems)
MS Word documents must be saved as RTF or filtered HTML
Updates require a re-install


2epub (www.2epub.com)
Free
Relies on other open source software (including Calibre)
Convert from: doc, docx, epub, fb2, html, lit, lrf, mobi, odt, pdb, pdf, prc, rtf, txt
Convert to: epub, fb2, lit, lrf, mobi

Epub 2 Go (www.epub2go.com)
Free
Converts PDF to Epub that can be read on an iPhone/iPad using Stanza
Convert files from computer or from the Internet
Get Stanza from the iTunes App Store
No scrolling side to side
No tables are convertible
Not all images are converted
PDF file must be <= 30 MB

Grab My Books (www.grabmybooks.com)
Firefox add-on
Grab content from the web, including RSS feeds, and convert them to ePub format
Select manually or automatically
Automatic skips menus
Create edocs on the fly
Links not live


For more information on these and other converters, go to http://libguides.wsulibs.wsu.edu/edocs

CAYAS Workshop: Getting Creative With Youth: Book Arts, Graphic Novels and Fast Fiction.

This past Saturday I went to the CAYAS workshop Getting Creative With Youth: Book Arts, Graphic Novels and Fast Fiction.

Book Arts:

Over the course of 2 ½ hours we made 8 books. I have examples and instructions for 2 Accordian books, 2 Origami books, 2 Sewn books, 2 1 page books and a Hexaflexagon. The presenter Anne Bingham walked us through the production of these 8 books, tips on making them cheaply and also had examples of them that she had made and decorated herself. They were exquisite. And easy!

Fast Fiction:

Presented by Meredith Hale, the focus of her presentation was writing programs with teens. She had great ideas for breaking down the writing process and lots of examples of short fiction. I found the hardest task, and only one I didn’t complete, was the 6 word memoir. We wrote haiku’s (which it turns out are not just a 5-7-5 syllable poem), 4 word movie reviews and nanofiction- a short story in 55 words exactly.

Graphic Novels:

David Lasky is a comic book and graphic novel illustrator and his presentation was “Comic Books for People Who Can’t Draw”. He did a quick art lesson- how most drawings are just a simple shapes and lines. He created a round character and said if you can’t draw something complex, just give something simple accruements- like an eye patch and a beard. Thus he created a character called Flap Jack the Pirate. Pictures of the 8 page comic he drew during the session are on the Flikr stream (link below). He also focused on using symbols like a swirly line over a head to show anger, instead of being able to draw an angry face. We all made a comic about fleas because we can all draw fleas.

If anyone would like copies of any of the writing or book making materials please let me know and I will pass them on. And this is a link to a Flikr stream with pictures of Anne’s complete books. They look complicated, but they are really all examples of the 8 books she taught us to make.

http://flickr.com/gp/alwaysovercast/695Zxi/

Medical Information on the Web

Medical Resources on the Web
Based on : Go To The Web and Say Ahh! (Presented by Gail Kouame)

What are some resources that can help people improve their health literacy?

Ask Me 3 (http://www.npsf.org/askme3/) lists three questions to ask your health care provider and explains what to do if you don’t understand an explanation or instructions.

Questions are the Answer (http://www.ahrq.gov/questionsaretheanswer/) has more questions to ask your provider as well as a question builder that will help you with questions to ask in particular circumstances (just received a diagnosis, got a new prescription, preparing for surgery, finding a provider, etc.). It has links to medical resources and a brief glossary of common medical terms. The font size is adjustable.

The National Institute on Aging (http://www.nia.nih.gov/) has a number of free publications on topics as diverse as choosing a doctor, sexuality, end of life decisions, and vaccinations. There are links to research, clinical trials, and news.


What are some quality health resources on the Internet?

Health and Wellness Resource Center (Database – Spokane Public Library also subscribes to this)

MedlinePlus.gov (http://www.medlineplus.gov)

NIHSeniorHealth (http://www.nihseniorhealth.gov/)

Ethnomed (multi-lingual) (http://ethnomed.org/) – based in Seattle, Ethnomed focuses on immigrant populations in that area. Includes topical information, such as winter information on cold weather, floods, and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Healthy Roads Media (multi-lingual) (www.healthyroadsmedia.org) – a variety of topics including abuse, dental health, food/nutrition, and tuberculosis

RHIN (Refugee Health Information Network) (multi-lingual) (www.rhin.org) includes information on a variety of topics in several languages, including Ukrainian.

CAPHIS (http://caphis.mlanet.org/) Consumer and Patient Health Information Section of the Medical Library Association. Includes links to top 100 medical sites (Jan. 2010) and a listing of consumer health libraries.

Leapfrog (http://www.leapfroggroup.org/cp) lets people compare hospitals on patient safety overall and by specific treatments. Information is based on voluntary submissions to Leapfrog surveys. I checked Spokane area hospitals, and Deaconess, Holy Family, Sacred Heart, and Valley Medical Center had “Declined To Respond” for all categories.

Washington State Department of Health (http://www.doh.wa.gov/) includes information on food handler’s permit, notifiable diseases, licensing.

Additional information:
Health Literacy

What is health literacy?
Here are some definitions:

The degree to which individuals have the capacity to:
Obtain
Process
Understand
Basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.
– Healthy People 2010

The ability of individuals to
Read
Understand
And act upon health-related information
– New York City Mayor’s Office

Health literacy also refers to the capacity of professionals and institutions to
Communicate effectively so that community members can:
Make informed decisions and
Take appropriate actions
To protect and promote their health
– New York City Mayor’s Office

Why is health literacy important?

We hear a lot about the correlation between a person’s health and their level of education, or their race, or their income. But according to JAMA (Feb 10, 1999), poor health literacy is a stronger predictor of a person’s health than any of these, or of a person’s age or employment status.
Health literacy isn’t just about reading. It also affects people’s ability to:
Navigate the healthcare system
Share personal information
Engage in self-care and chronic disease management
Understand mathematical concepts like probability and risk.
Medicine has its own language, and is typically written at the 12th-15th grade reading level.

When they come up to the desk –
They may need to tell their story. They are still processing what they’ve been told. Part of that might be telling you all about it from the moment “Aunt Margaret noticed this funny looking spot on my cheek at Thanksgiving and I was really worried and the doctor’s office was closed and I didn’t want to go to the emergency clinic because I didn’t really think it was an emergency and then we had all that snow so by the time I was able to get in I was worried sick that it was melanoma, which it wasn’t, thank God, it was just a really weird looking pimple, and I called my mom to tell and she didn’t pick up and she didn’t pick up, so finally I went over there and she was just lying there on the floor! She’d had a stroke! Where are your stroke books?”
Your customer really does need to tell you all of that (maybe more than once), because they are trying to make sense of it themselves. And at this point in time, they are distracted, stressed, and overwhelmed. They may feel fear, anxiety, helplessness, anger, frustration, even joy (there’s good medical news, too).
Researching helps people feel in control. It’s not unusual for someone to say they want to find out everything about whatever condition it is they’re researching.

How can you help?
Give them time and attention, even when the story is long.
Make appropriate eye contact.
Be attentive.
Provide privacy. You may want to move to another part of the library, or even just come around the desk so that you are standing closer.
Be aware of your own tone of voice and body language.
Practice compassionate neutrality.
NO: Oh, my God! That’s terrible.
NO: Isn’t that what Patrick Swayze died of?
NO: That doesn’t sound very serious.
NO: It could be worse.
YES: I’m sorry to hear that. Let’s see what we can find that will help you today.
YES: Hmm (neutral sound) Can you tell me more about what you’re hoping to find today relating to that?

Use the reference interview.
How can I help you while you’re here?
What do you need from the library today?
What do you most want to find out today?

Other questions to ask:
Who is the information for? (Finding out for self, parent, child, spouse)
What is the exact diagnosis? (Do you need to call your doctor’s office?)
How do you spell it? (Do you need to call your doctor’s office?)
Where have you looked already?
Why do you need this information? (Because I’m the patient, a caregiver, a relative, a concerned friend, writing a research paper for class)
How much information would you like?Has the procedure already been done?
Is this what you’re looking for?

Reader Centered Library Service

There was a fantastic Reader's Advisory webinar hosted by the Texas Library Association on Wednesday. The presenter was from the Opening the Book project. While, unfortunately, the webinar was not archived, much of the information can be found here: http://www.openingthebook.com/library-resources/reader-centered/

Take a look at what UK libraries have done, and be inspired in your library displays, and maybe even your approach to Reader's Advisory.