By The Book: RA in a Dynamic World

A Readers' Advisory Conference
Albany Public Library, Albany, NY
November 13, 2009

Is your library considering going Dewey-free? How do you provide RA services to kids when there’s no children’s librarian available? What does the future of RA look like?

Join Albany Public Library in celebrating the sixth annual By the Book Readers’ Advisory Conference! The featured speaker is Cynthia Orr, winner of the 2004 American Library Association Margaret E. Monroe Award for service to adults and an editor of The Reader’s Advisor Online, a website and blog aimed at readers’ advisory and collection development for public libraries. With an exciting sequence of programs for professional and paraprofessional staff scheduled for Friday, November 13th, 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.

Cynthia Orr has over 30 years of experience with four different library systems in the areas of collection development, public service, management and readers’ advisory service. She is the former Collection Manager at Cleveland Public Library and has also been Fiction Selector and Director of Technical Services at Cuyahoga County Public Library in Ohio. She teaches Readers' Advisory Services for Kent State University's Graduate School of Library and Information Science. Ms. Orr is a member of the advisory board for Libraries Unlimited's The Reader's Advisor Online, and editor of its blog as well as a consultant for OverDrive.

Cynthia Orr will begin the morning session with a presentation on what library professionals should know about the reading habits of the public. Ms. Orr will also present an afternoon session on how to stay current in a rapidly changing environment and lead a breakout session about the future of readers’ advisory.

Attendees may choose to participate in two breakout sessions. Other topics, each led by APL staff, include conducting readers' advisory on the move, readers' advisory for children if you are not a children's librarian, and going Dewey-free. These sessions are designed to give attendees the opportunity to discuss current issues with colleagues facing the same challenges.

Librarians, library school students, and paraprofessional staff are all invited to join for By The Book: RA in a Dynamic World. The fee for registration is $65.00 (includes lunch). Student registrations are available for $25 (student ID required).

Registration must be received by Friday, November 6, 2009.

For more information, visit here or contact Amy Maurer McLaughlin, Program Manager, mclaughlina@uhls.lib.ny.us, 518-427-4334.