Writers Live! Libraries Bringing Authors and Readers Together

Wednesday May 6, 2009 4:00pm-5:15pm

A very informed and frank panel discussion of how to bring writers, known and unknown to your library and to make it work!  

Virgina Stanley Director of Library Marketing for HarperCollins started us off with these tips.

• There are many ways to spread the word.  For your first author event, start small with local authors.  The bigger the author the bigger the expectations.  Chapple Langemack has written a great book on how to host author events.
• One of the best ways to stay in contact with patrons is to collect email addresses. http://www.constantcontact.com is a great way to create a database of patrons to email, especially if an event happens last minute.  In some cases this has tripled attendance at events.
  
• Don't expect to get the big names if you've never done an event before.  Star small. Possibly with a local author.  Get to know your audience.

Judy Cooper, coordinator for Public Programs at Pratt County Library in Baltimore had this to say:  

• Although it may be easier to get authors to larger cities, it might be worthwhile to make partnerships with people at the larger city libraries to funnel authors to smaller libraries. A followup comment from the audience was that often times in big cities, there is a lot of competition for people's attention.  Something that might fail in a large city might do really well in a small city where there is less going on. 
• http://www.programminglibrarian.org. is a great resource for programming library events.
• Why should libraries host library programs?  It is very important to connect readers to writers and would-be writers to writers.  
• A successful author program must happen with other institutions in the community such as a college, the ACLU, whatever.  
• Programs help sell books!  A writers series is very good PR for your library.
• Bookstores are not competitors.  It's good to work with a local bookstore to sell books at an author event.
• Before you call a publisher, have an idea for an event.  Describe your community and why the event will be sucessfull.  Know what will work in your community.

Talia Sherer, Library Marketing Director from Macmillan.  

• Who is the target audience? How well do you know your patrons and what they are reading?  What kind of events do local bookstores host?  Are they successful? Do research.
• Work with speakers bureaus.  It can't just be you alone.  Everyone on staff needs to be in on it and excited about the program.  
• Sometimes panels of authors from different genres can attract a wider range of interested readers.  
• Get in contact with a publisher to discuss possible collaborations.  
• Go on websites and ask to recieve seasonal catalogs to see authors tours, addresses, etc.  Some authors can be contacted directly.  
• In New Caanan, CT, author events are videotaped and circulated in the library collection.

Audience comments

Academic Librarian.  Felt it was difficult to get people to come to events in an academic setting, even with a wonderful lineup.  Virginia suggested programming events with more of a popular cultural appeal. Students won't go out at night to learn, they want to be entertained.  

Public Librarian.  Sometimes regular times and events can build up an audience.  At their library they hold book events every Monday morning and there is a regular crowd.

Q: How do libraries find out about book tours?  

A:No easy source.  Get in touch way ahead of time.  Book tours are usually booked a year in advance.  Develop relationships with library marketing people at publishing houses.  Don't be discouraged.  Don't give up.  Keep coming back and something will eventually work out.  

Links

harpercollinscatalogs.com for "up to the minute" catalog info.

librarylovefest.com Virginia's blog

talia.shererATmacmillan.com

virginia.stanleyATharpercollins.com

Liberating the Reading Habits of Children

Roger Sutton, Editor in Chief, The Horn Book Magazine and The Horn Book Guide




Maggie Bush, Professor, Simmons College



How do we protect the intellectual freedom of our children?

Background:
In 1967, the ALA Bill of Rights changed article five to read the rights of an individual to the use of a library should not be denied or abridged because of his age, etc. In 1980, the entire Bill of Rights was changed (de-gendered and de-sensitized) and article five now reads: A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.

Now we have protected the rights of the children, but what about the rights of the parents? It has been determined that parents (and only parents) that have the right to keep children from the library and that if parents don't want their children in the library, they have to make sure they don't go on their own. Librarians need to serve all patrons, regardless of parental interest.

* * *
Roger poses a question to Maggie: if Janie wants to read Harry Potter, but Janie's parents don't want her to, what would she (Maggie) do as a librarian if Janie came in and asked for the book? Roger points out that the common idea is that if Janie's parents don't want her to read the books, they should come to the library with her. Maggie says that as a children's librarian she would try to help Janie out any way she could. She says that we should act as advocates for children, not gatekeepers. We should make it a practice to start with the child and affirm the child's interest in reading. Then we have to talk to the parents and take that on. We should engage the parents in a conversation about the book in question and find out eventually if they've read the book themselves.

* * *
Roger: What do you do when the parents want the child to take something (and come and tell you that that's what the child wants) and the child wants Gossip Girl (which inevitable they all do)?
Maggie: Tell them to take one of each and make sure the child gets the message (wink, wink).

* * *
Sometimes children want or need to read a book about a topic they're not comfortable letting anybody- not even the friendly librarian- know about (sexual issues, eating disorders, etc.) - make a corner, a private space, or a space that gives the illusion of privacy, for the children to read. Make sure those books are accessible, that they can be found on the catalog, that they're there and available.

Roger and Maggie's conversation continues on to address the question of if books can do good, can they do harms as well? Why don't people ask the question, “then what?” when we discuss what will happen if a child reads a book that scares them or arouses them or disturbs them? We seem to talk about books a lot more now and while this is important, we also need to let the child lead the conversation.

* * *
One audience member brings up the fact that as a librarian it makes sense to give children what they want, but as a mother, she's not sure how she feels about letting her daughter have free reign in the library and around all different kinds of books.

Another audience member brings up the question of what do you do when a popular book series crosses over age groups. For example, the Alice books by Phyllis Naylor, which start off as sixth grade appropriate books and then become racier as the series goes on.

The conversation between Mr. Sutton, Ms. Bush and the audience moves on to discuss how the age of YA books have changed, that there really weren't any YA books until 10-15 years ago and that now some of these YA books aren't really appropriate for kids under 15. Ms. Bush continues on to discuss that this also becomes an issue because now the teens these books are aimed at aren't interested in reading YA or things they might find in the children's room.

-Sarah C.