Canada Reads inspires the reader in all of us

Canada Reads is an annual competition where celebrities debate on the “best Canadian novel”. The goal of the Canada Reads debate is to put a spotlight on Canadian literature and, perhaps more importantly, it also ambitiously attempts to get Canadians to read more. It seems of course like a natural reaction for anyone who listens to an hour-long discussion/debate on the merits of a few specific books to then be enticed to go out and read them. The proof that Canada Reads truly does increase the readership of the selected titles is demonstrated by a noticeable increase in their book sales. Bookstores will usually jump on the promotional bandwagon and market these books as contestants on Canada Reads (in the bookstore where I used to work we would use special stickers to identify the Canada Reads titles). Equally from a public library perspective, the exposure creates a rush on these titles and consequently all of the copies in our provincial system are currently checked out and the reservation list grows longer as the debate intensifies.

Today was the first round of the three days of debates hosted by the amazing representative of culture in Canada Jian Ghomeshi. The five books voted to be included in this year’s competition and whose winner is supposed to represent the essential Canadian novel of the past 10 years are Essex County by Jeff Lemire, The Birth House by Ami McKay, The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou, Unless by Carol Shields, and The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis. Now here I must shamefully admit that I have not yet read any of these five books. In fact prior to Canada Reads, I had never even heard of Essex County or The Best Laid Plans. This is particularly embarrassing considering that I’m a public librarian and that prior to my MLIS I worked in the book industry and have always had a keen interest in promoting Canadian literature.

I perhaps should not be too embarrassed though considering that the whole point of Canada Reads is to say to all Canadians “Wake up! Canadian authors produce amazing literature and you should read their books!”. Apparently librarians are not to be exempted from this wake-up call. As librarians we should not pretend that we know everything about popular books and authors or what people should be reading. We are often too guilty of reading only the genres that interest us or we simply regurgitate the recommendations that we’ve heard from others. What I love about Canada Reads is that it entices people to explore books outside of their regular reading habits (this year for the first time a graphic novel was included in the competition).

Tanya Abramovitch, director of the Eleanor London Côte Saint-Luc library gave the assignment last year to her students in McGill’s School of Information Studies Public Libraries’ course to read three books from a genre that they would not normally chose. I think that this assignment is a brilliant idea and that more librarians should be encouraged to read outside of their comfort zone. Canada Reads provides a cultural spotlight for Canadians to discover amazing titles and authors that they might not have otherwise read but that are worthy of our attention. Librarians need to be actively promoting Canada Reads as a way of tapping into the media attention surrounding these titles to increase readership. However, we cannot simply rely on Canada Reads; we need to be at the forefront exploring publishing catalogues, literary magazines like the Quill and Quire, websites like Goodreads, and our own library’s book stacks searching for the next great book to recommend.

I encourage everyone, even those not in Canada, to follow Canada Reads on the CBC Canada Reads website.

I also would really love if people posted below their own recommendation of a book they feel is worthy of a national literary competition.

Happy reading!

Tags: Books, Canada Reads, Canadian Literature, Goodreads, Jian Ghomeshi, Librarians, Library promotion, Library School, McGill SIS, McGill University, Public Libraries, Quill and Quire, Reading, School of Information Studies, Tanya Abramovitch

4th Annual Web 2.You

My experiences co-organizing Web 2.You at McGill University in 2009 and again in 2010 were definitely pinnacle moments during my MLIS degree. Not only did I gain incredible experience in event planning and management. I especially got to meet some very awesome librarians! Before beginning my MLIS I had never thought of the possible existence of librarian superstars.  Luckily thanks to the inspired library school student I was quickly introduced to the world of the biblioblogosphere when I started in McGill’s MLIS program and through Web 2.You I got to meet some of the most well-known and influential modern librarian thinkers like Michael Stephens, Stephen Abram, Jenica Rogers, and Michael Porter. Not only did I get to hear them speak from the heart about important issues but after the conferences I got to hang out with them over supper! Both years provided me with such fantastic memories.

In fact, now that Michael Porter (keynote speaker ,Web 2.You 2010) has been elected to the ALA Executive Board, I can officially say that I’ve been to supper with an ALA Executive Board member. How cool is that?  All thanks to my involvement in Web 2.You!

Although I can’t attend Web 2.You 2011 due to distance, I am still thrilled to see the incredible line-up of speakers that my former co-organizer Adrienne Smith has rallied together for this year’s event.  By scoring Jason Puckett as a keynote speaker as well as several other well-known and respected specialists in the field of information, the proud tradition of Web 2.You will continue to bring innovative minds and new ideas to library school students and information professionals in the Montreal area. I strongly encourage anyone in the Montreal area to attend this event. Registration and information about the speakers is available on the Web 2.You 2011 wiki.

Tags: Jason Puckett, McGill SIS, Michael Porter, Michael Stephens, MLIS, Montreal, stephen abram, Web 2.You

Going to be a librarian? Don’t forget your screwdriver!

During library school students were told that librarians must wear many different hats and that we should be prepared for whatever diverse responsibilities might come our way. Since becoming a library director at a small public library I am confronted with this reality every day.

 

Before the 2010 budget year came to a close, I had the pleasure of making a few new furniture purchases for the library. I spent a lot of time taking measurements of available space, looking through library supplier catalogues and websites, and considering both the usability and esthetical requirements for a new DVD display case as well as tables and chairs for our kids’ activity room.

 

This week my staff and I enjoyed a second Christmas as we excitedly opened the large delivery boxes sent to us from Brodart Canada Library Supplies. I was happy to see that the chairs had been sent well wrapped and with no assembly required. Likewise the DVD display spinner was easily assembled in a few quick steps. The two tables however were another story…

 

Now I am not one to back away from furniture assembly. I have bought my fair share of IKEA furniture and am therefore used to the challenge of trying to coincide strange pictograms with basic design common sense. My infamous leaning tower of Pisa wardrobe that I put together during my first year at SIS became somewhat of a joke; though to my credit, despite its wobbling, it never fell in the two years that I used it while living in Montreal.

 

One of the reasons why I chose this particular model of activity tables was because of its adjustable height. I thought it was an extremely clever idea to adjust the legs of the table so that younger kids could have a table closer to the ground and the older kids wouldn’t feel like they were sitting at a little kid’s table. Well after I spent the better part of a morning with a manual screwdriver and multiple screws per leg per table, I can tell you that the height of those legs is not going to be readjusted any time soon. Admittedly things did go faster once a male user pointed out that I was not using the most efficient head for my screwdriver. Now I ask you, why did I never learn during my MLIS the value of using a Phillips screwdriver head?  Well all is well that ends well. The tables look awesome and I can’t wait for our regular programming to start this week so that the kids will be able to use the new tables. I just wish that I’d had the insight to include an electric screwdriver in my 2011 budget. I guess that’s what you call learning on the job!

Tags: Library Furniture, Library School, MLIS, Public Libraries, Screwdrivers

Ethical Acquisitions?

Photo by Steve Rhodes

What is the difference between a public library purchasing their books through a local independent bookstore as opposed to shopping online at Amazon or buying new releases at Costco or Wal-Mart?

In general, I am a huge proponent of buying locally. Yes, most of my clothes were made in developing countries and I do buy bananas and avocados (obviously not grown locally) but I strive to uphold a certain ideal which means that given a choice I will buy “local” even if it means paying a higher cost.

This ethical obligation that I feel towards buying locally and from independent sources might come from my years of working at a small independent bookstore in Quebec City. At the time, we truly viewed Amazon as our evil competition because we felt powerless to rival their fantastic discounts that are only possible when items are purchased in large bulk quantities. Most often distributors will set the cost price of a book (aka the wholesale price) depending on the quantity that the retailer is purchasing. Therefore if my bookstore ordered 15 copies of a new bestseller, we were paying more for each copy than a large chain store who might order 500 copies and then distribute the copies amongst the different store locations. Since our initial cost of the book was higher, we already made less money on each sale making it more difficult to match online or large-store discounts. However, we provided an excellent service; our entire staff was passionate about books, customer service, and recommending the right book for the right person. We developed special relationships with our regular clients calling them by name and knowing which new books would interest certain clients.  When people would say how great Amazon was I would reply “but who do you know who works at Amazon?”. I tried to communicate to people that when purchasing something on Amazon you don’t know exactly where your money is going whereas when you buy from a local store you know that you are helping to pay the wages of the staff who greet you on the front lines.

Since I’ve been a public library director, I’ve been doing my library acquisitions of French books at Le Bouquin small independent bookstore here in Tracadie-Sheila. I know the owner personally and she is always friendly and available to respond to my questions, my requests for rushed billing, or my surprise visits to the bookstore. Unfortunately, my public library’s budget for collection development relies almost entirely on fundraising. When volunteers and staff work hard for every single dollar raised for the collection, it is normal that they expect that the money be spent in the most effective way possible.  Therefore, recently I have been questioned as to why we shouldn’t buy books from time to time at the Atlantic Superstore. Now for those of you outside the Maritimes, the Atlantic Superstores are a chain of big box grocery stores owned by Loblaws, Canada’s largest food distributor (source Wikipedia). In addition to groceries, they also offer a pharmacy, home supplies, a clothing section, and of course books, CDs and DVDs. The majority of books they sell all have a sticker boasting a 25% discount off the retail price.

Now, I love books and I am passionate about anything that gets people reading. I feel then that I must tread carefully with what I say next. Although no one that I know goes into the Superstore specifically to buy books, due to clever in-store marketing and great discounts a lot of people do end up purchasing a book as a type of impulse buy. Am I really going to complain that the store strategically places Caillou books amongst the kids’ clothing so that parents are more likely to buy books for their kids while they are shopping for clothes? No…like I said if people are buying books then I’m happy.

Now obviously the Superstore does not offer the same type of service as a bookstore. Although they always tend to have the bestselling fiction and non-fiction in stock, I cannot place orders through them, and I cannot request that they inform me when the latest title of a popular author will be released.

Also, by doing library acquisitions at the local independent bookstore, I believe strongly that I am having a more positive effect on the local economy. The people who raised money for the library’s collection are from Tracadie-Sheila and therefore I want that money to stay at the local level instead of going off to enrich the already affluent owners of the Loblaws chain.

I am very curious as to what others think about this. Is my self-righteous attitude hindering my library’s collection? If it meant being able to purchase more books with the same amount of budget would you shop at the big box store?

Tags: Atlantic Superstores, buying local, Chain stores, Collection Development, Discount books, Independant Bookstores, Library Collections, Library fundraising, supporting local economies

Hanging with a children’s author!

Tuesday my library hosted a visit by the fantastic children’s author Mireille Messier. I am still on such a high from this awesome event. Here’s why…

The event itself was a huge success as it was attended by fifty-four grade 4 students from a local elementary school. Both Mireille and I were thrilled that the school opted to allow the students to walk approximately 15 minutes to the library instead of having them take the bus despite the chilly temperature. As a result the students arrived at the library bright-eyed and alert; they were consequently on their best behaviour and I believe that at one point or another during the presentation they all raised their hands to participate.

As a presenter, Mireille Messier was incredible. Her background in theatre studies and radio shone through as she engaged the members of her audience with her highly energetic and interactive presentation. Her main topic of discussion was “Where do authors get their great ideas?”.  In general, the students offered extremely creative and surprisingly mature answers when asked what might provide the inspiration for stories. One tiny boy boldly stated that authors could receive inspiration from landscapes. How insightful, it was very cute! Another fantastic exercise that Mireille did with the students was to show them all the same picture and then have them describe what they thought the corresponding story would be. The objective was to demonstrate that although we can be inspired by the same source, each individual has unique ideas. So AKA don’t copy other people’s ideas!

In addition to having a great turnout and being able to offer a fantastic and high quality library event, the coolest part of the author visit was hanging out with Mireille herself. It was planned by my regional office that I would pick up Mireille at the airport when she arrived in New Brunswick as she was kicking off her multi-library Communication Jeunesse tour at my library. I was also supposed to accompany her for lunch on Tuesday right before the presentation. I admit that I was slightly nervous about the prospect of entertaining someone I’d never met. What if she turned out to be a timid author who chose to write books because she was too shy to speak? (I’ve met a few of these types before). Boy was I worried for nothing! Mireille is the most friendly, warm, and interesting person! It was an absolute pleasure to spend so much time with her prior to her library visit. We discussed our love of Halloween, different educational systems, our families, and of course books! In fact, at lunch time we were discussing a certain topic and Mireille’s eyes got wide and she explained “That’s a great idea for a book!”. She then proceeded for the next few minutes to write furiously in her notebook so not to forget the idea. I guess I haven’t hung out with a lot of authors before but that was the first time that has ever happened to me. It was a bit startling but also very exciting. Mireille’s books are highly in demand by publishers since she is the only Franco-Ontarian author who writes elementary-age level books in French. Therefore I have no doubt that this idea born in a restaurant in Tracadie-Sheila will one day be published in a book. What a fun feeling it is to be included in the creative process of an author!

It’s on days like these that I truly appreciate how lucky I am to be a librarian!

Tags: Author tours, Children's Literature, Communication Jeunesse, Franco-Ontarian authors, Mireille Messier

Running for literacy

Finally an event that combines my two passions: literacy and running!

This past weekend I had the pleasure of participating with a fellow librarian and McGill SIS alumni in the Legs for Literacy 10km run. Legs for Literacy is a weekend of road racing in Moncton, New Brunswick raises money and awareness for local school literacy programs. The distances include a 5km, a 10km, a half-marathon, and a full marathon. This year 1,730 participants were registered for the event and more than $40,000 was raised for literacy programs!

Participating in this event got me thinking that a road race would be an excellent idea for libraries looking for creative fundraising projects. Runners love participating in races and are willing to pay on average $40-$100 depending on the distance and the reputation of the race. I have spent tons of money over the years registering myself in races that did not benefit any particular cause. It is however much more motivating when you know your registration money is going to a worthy cause.

There would be of course the basic costs of organizing a road race to cover. However considering the possibilities for sponsorships and the tendency for race organizers to rely on volunteers, this type of event has great potential to raise money for the library (collections, programs, renovations, etc).

A running event would also be a great way for a library to reach out to the community and people who might not otherwise donate to the library. In addition to the regular race distances, Legs for Literacy also offered a shorter race which is a great idea for libraries searching to create partnerships with schools as well as family health and wellness initiatives. The race also brought business to the downtown core as runners from outside of Moncton stayed in hotels and ate in restaurants.

This is not a new or groundbreaking idea. There are libraries that have already organized such races. In fact, this year marked Magnolia Library’s 34^th annual road race. I am planning to contact librarians from Magnolia to find out more about their event, since I am also curious as to why we do not see more events like this. Considering how passionate I am about running and libraries, I am definitely going to start brainstorming of the possibilities as a fundraiser for my public library for next spring/summer. I’ll keep you posted!

Two librarians running for literacy

Tags: 10km races, Legs for Literacy, Library fundraising, literacy, Moncton, running, running librarians

Shameless plug to win free books

Every day at my library tons of situations arise that I believe merit interesting discourse in the biblioblogosphere.  Unfortunately tonight is not the night that I’ll be writing about all of those situations. Tonight I’m writing to shamelessly plug a picture of mine that I’ve entered in a contest to win books from Harper Collins. The premise of the contest is to get “busted” reading one of Harper Collins’ latest hot titles. In my picture I’m reading Alice Kuiper’s YA book The Worst Thing She Ever Did while riding my bike and I gave it the caption “I just can’t put down Alice Kuiper’s book”. It’s corny but the person whose pictures get the most “likes” on the Wordfest 2010 Facebook page wins the free books from Harper Collins. Considering that my library’s collection budget is reliant on fund-raising, I am hoping that I can win these books to add them to my library’s collection. Please visit the Wordfest 2010 Facebook page and vote for my picture; I’m pretty sure that you need to be signed into your Facebook account.

Thanks and happy reading!

Tags: Alice Kuiper, Book Contest, Harper Collins, Reading on a Bike, Wordfest 2010