By The Book: RA in a Library 2.0 World

A Readers’ Advisory Conference
Albany Public Library, Albany, NY
November 14, 2008

Join Albany Public Library as we celebrate our fifth annual By the Book Readers’ Advisory Conference! This year, we’re looking forward as we explore readers’ advisory in a Library 2.0 world. If you’ve heard a lot of about Library 2.0 and would like to learn more about it and how it relates to readers’ advisory, join us on Friday, November 14, 2008.

Our featured speakers will be Nora Rawlinson and Jessamyn West. Ms. Rawlinson is the co-founder and editor of Early Word, The Publisher | Librarian Connection (http://www.earlyword.com), a website and blog aimed at collection development for public libraries. Ms. West is a consulting librarian whose work focuses on technology issues and how they relate to libraries. With an exciting sequence of programs for professional and paraprofessional staff scheduled for Friday, November 14th, APL’s By the Book event is designed to give attendees real-world readers’ advisory tips and techniques that they can implement in their libraries.

Nora Rawlinson will begin our morning sessions with a presentation on readers’ advisory and online collection development. Ms. Rawlinson is the former editor of Library Journal and former editor-in-chief of Publishers Weekly, as well as the former Head of Materials Selection for Baltimore County Public Library. Library Journal columns introduced under her editorship include PrePub Alert, the Collection Development series, Classic Returns, and Readers Shelf.

Jessamyn West will give a general presentation on Library 2.0 tools (what they are and how they work) and how they relate to readers’ advisory. In our afternoon session, Ms. West will explore Library 2.0 and readers’ advisory trends. She’ll also lead an afternoon breakout session in our computer lab where participants will enjoy hands-on experience trying out some of the Library 2.0 tools on their own.

Attendees may also choose to participate in either of our other afternoon breakout sessions on conducting readers’ advisory at the reference desk and in the stacks led by APL staff, or teen crossover titles and programming led by our own award-winning librarian Melissa Wasilewski. Ms. Wasilewski won YALSA’s “Excellence in Library Service to Young Adults” award for her Skateboarding Discussion Group program.

Librarians, library school students, and paraprofessional staff are all invited to join us for By The Book: RA in a Library 2.0 World. In celebration of our fifth anniversary, we’re discounting our normal registration fee – only $50 (includes breakfast and lunch). Student registrations are available for $25 (student ID required).

Registration must be received by Friday, November 7, 2008. For more information, see http://www.albanypubliclibrary.org/readers/raconf/ or contact Amy Maurer McLaughlin, Head of Readers’ Services, mclaughlina@uhls.lib.ny.us, 518-427-4349.