Welcome to Part 2 of our interview with academic librarian Eliot Finkelstein!

Do you think that providing recreational reading options for college students will ever become a regular part of academic librarianship?

I hope so. Popular reading inspires creativity and reflects our culture–you really don’t get a broad view of the world if all you’re reading are your calculus and psychology textbooks. Plus you’ll be really dull at parties. Our library is open 24 hours a day, so the collection, cafe, and reading areas provide a great alternative to the bar scene. I think that would be of interest to a lot of college administrators who are dealing with alcohol-related issues on campus.

I know you also do a lot of bibliographic instruction. You are probably teaching Millennials; can you provide any tips for public librarians hoping to reach and serve that audience?

Well, we often hear that Millennials are “the polite generation” and folks over 30 don’t scare them, so talk to students and ask them what they like to read, and they’ll tell you. If you’re not comfortable doing that, put out a suggestion box in an area where teens tend to gather. Millennials also tend to fill their time pretty well with a variety of activities, so think about that when you select books. For example, have some spring break destination travel books, but also have travel books about volunteering your time in other countries. Or buy cookbooks about buying/preparing healthy food on a college student’s budget.

What changes have you noticed in your career about how college students use your library, your collections, and your library instruction classes?

That’s a big question, and I’ll try to keep it brief! Many changes, and I think libraries continually adapt to meet those changes. When I began as a librarian in the late 90s, the internet as we know it was pretty new (fewer Google searches back then), and library databases were tough to use. I think our database interfaces have gotten better, but we’re certainly not done yet! Of course we get fewer ready-reference, “fact-like” questions at the reference desk because answers to those are easily found on the web. But we get lots of questions about scholarly research, types of sources that would be acceptable for research, help with identifying relevant sources–the information explosion is wonderful, but it creates its own issues that can be confusing. And we’re often meeting with students who have never done college-level research before.

What are YOU reading for fun lately?

I guess I’m in a nonfiction mood right now. I just finished Paul Rudnick’s I Shudder: And Other Reactions to Life, Death and New Jersey and Michael Pollan’s Food Rules. Next up is Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo.

Eliot Finkelstein is an academic librarian at College Library, the undergraduate library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He manages that library’s popular “Open Book” recreational reading collection, and also coordinates that library’s library instruction program.

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by Sarah Statz Cords

Welcome to another installment of our RAO Interviews feature, in which we interview librarians, library staff, and others involved in the business of books and reading for their takes on working with readers. Today’s interview is with academic librarian Eliot Finkelstein; Eliot had lots of great things to share, so please join us again tomorrow for the interview’s conclusion!

Could you describe your position and job duties?

Sure, but first, I must say this is an amazing web site, and I’m honored to be interviewed! (Editor’s note: Oh, Eliot, flattery will get you everywhere here at the RAO blog.) I’m a reference and instruction librarian at College Library, the undergraduate library at University of Wisconsin-Madison. I’m fortunate to have a variety of duties, so the job stays pretty fresh all the time. I coordinate our library’s information literacy instruction program, which reaches about 5000 students annually. I develop and teach research skills classes, help staff the reference desk, select books, and manage the Open Book Collection. I honestly believe I get to work at the world’s coolest library. Every day is different, so I can’t complain.

Could you describe the purpose or mission of College Library’s “Open Book” collection?

Open Book is a popular collection that’s intended to meet college students’ extracurricular reading and viewing interests. It’s a browsable bookstore-like collection with different sections like Sports and Fitness, Travel, Videos, Fiction, Hobbies, etc. We know college students don’t have a lot of time outside of classes, homework and jobs, but when they do, the books, videos and videogames provide great down-time and relaxation options.

How popular is the collection in your library?

Very! We try to keep up with the latest trends, so we’ve got lots of vampire fiction and other young adult and college-age bestsellers. Our fiction collections, travel books, graphic novels, videos and videogames see the most circulation. When we see a certain genre or title is getting lots of use, we make sure to add extra copies or buy similar titles.

What review or other sources do you use to find materials for the collection?

Many, many different ones. I keep a notebook and jot down book or video titles whenever I see a good review. Amazon, The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and MetaCritic are just a few of the sources I check. The Onion, which is very popular with students, of course, is a great review source. I think the best source is the students themselves. Ask them what they like to read and watch in their free time and they’ll tell you.

How do you promote the collection to library students?

That’s the easy part, really. It’s all about location. The collection is right next to The Open Book Cafe, a popular coffee/snack spot on the first floor of our library. We have a big book and video display you have to pass before you reach the cafe. We also promote the collection on our library web site and on our large “College Library events/collections” monitor that students see as they enter the library. Our marketing librarian, Pamela O’Donnell, does a beautiful job of getting the word out.

What suggestions would you make to academic librarians hoping to start such a collection in their libraries?

I would visit academic libraries that have popular collections and ask a lot of questions. Think about how such a collection might meet the mission of your own library. Start small, and know that your budget probably won’t allow for a huge collection, but that’s OK. Also, talk to students and ask them what they like to read in their free time–that’s a great way to start.

Eliot Finkelstein is an academic librarian at College Library, the undergraduate library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He manages that library’s popular “Open Book” recreational reading collection, and also coordinates that library’s library instruction program.

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Welcome to Part 2 of our interview with nonfiction author Stacy Horn!

RAO: As a nonfiction author, do you have an opinion on how nonfiction titles are fact-checked? Do nonfiction authors shoulder the whole responsibility for fact-checking, or do their publishers provide any support?

SH: I shoulder the entire responsibility and I live in fear of making a serious error. I check and re-check repeatedly and still I find mistakes. That’s why I’m so terrified. I know how careful I am. I know how many times I check. The fact that I can be that careful, check that many times, and still find mistakes, both understandable and stupid, terrifies me. I would love some help. I know it’s a money issue so I can’t complain. Times are tough.

RAO: What do you find most fulfilling about your career as an author? Most frustrating?

SH: The most fulfilling moments for me are getting letters from people connected to what I’ve written about, like the letter from the sister of a murder victim I had written about in The Restless Sleep. More generally, I love learning. The most frustrating? Negative letters from people connected to what I’ve written about, like the email I’ve gotten from relatives of some of the criminals I wrote about in The Restless Sleep. The most frustrating thing has to be the small number of people reading my books. I know the world doesn’t owe me anything, and lots of people work hard, but I do spend years putting out the best book I can and I’m only human. I wish more people were reading my books.

RAO: Do you think reading books is still an important part of our culture?

SH: I don’t read half as much as I used to, but most of the people I know read a lot. I still see a lot of people reading every time I take the subway (and I look in vain to see someone reading one of my books). So in my small world reading is still important, but that doesn’t seem to be so “out there.” I just don’t see it in the general conversation out there—not on tv, or YouTube, or tweets. I don’t see references to books or characters, or jokes based on books, etc. I remember one of the characters on the tv show Buffy the Vampire Slayer made a joke based on a book. I forget the book, but the joke was funny, and none of the other characters got it. She looks at them and says something like, “crack a book every once in a while, why don’t you.” Or maybe she said, “Am I the only one paying attention in English class?”

But I think reading will continue, something will replace books. Words and stories and narrative will continue. I don’t think this is the end of the world. Stories will be told in a different way.

RAO: What were your favorite books this past year? Least favorite books?

SH: This past year I discovered Willa Cather. I know! What is wrong with me?? But I read and loved My Antonia and O Pioneers! I also loved Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives. I can’t remember what I didn’t like. Really! Maybe because I don’t finish them. When I was younger I’d finish every book I started whether I liked it or not. I don’t do that anymore.

We would like to offer our most sincere thanks to Stacy Horn for taking the time for this interview!

Stacy Horn is the author of a new history book titled Unbelievable: Investigations into Ghosts, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other Unseen Phenomena from the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory. She is also the author of a memoir (Waiting for My Cats to Die) and a true crime narrative (The Restless Sleep). She can be found online at www.stacyhorn.com.

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Welcome back to our continuing feature, RAO Interviews, in which we get our nosey on and interview librarians, authors, and others involved in the wide wacky world of reading about books, reading, and the promotion of both. Today’s gracious interviewee is Stacy Horn, a nonfiction author whose new book, Unbelievable: Investigations into Ghosts, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other Unseen Phenomena from the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory, was published in 2009. Editor’s note: We’ll post part two of this interview tomorrow, but please do direct your attention especially to the last question in today’s segment; I think Ms. Horn offers some unique ideas for author programs.

RAO: As an author, have you used libraries in your own work and research? If so, how?

SH: Always. I admit, the internet has made life easier, but I’m in a good mood on the days I know I’m going to the library. I could spend weeks on this answer, but I’ll describe my two favorite library experiences. The first was at the main branch of the New York Public Library. I wanted to find out every person who ever lived in my building and the librarians there not only introduced me to the tools they had, they told me about various archives around the City that would also help me.

It was the first time I realized that librarians had amazing skills that went way beyond helping you to find books. I’m sorry I learned this so late in life but I’ve been making up for lost time.

The second experience was at the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library at Duke University. I was there for a couple of months researching my last book Unbelievable. It was a similar thing. They helped finding materials, people, suggested other resources, and went beyond their library duties to make my stay in Durham more enjoyable.

Now, whenever I’m browsing a library’s holdings I always look to see what’s in their special collections, if they have such a division. Just to see. You never know what treasures you’ll find. Maybe they specialize in something I’ve never even thought about, or have the materials and letters of someone I never heard of, but I love exploring and I love serendipity.

RAO: In what ways do you publicize your titles? In what ways do you think libraries could promote books, or reading in general?

SH: Every time I have a book coming out I put together a marketing plan and do everything I can think of, whether I want to do it or not. Certain self-promotional things are just not fun, I hate bugging people, but I do what I have to do. Sometimes what I do helps, often not. There’s no way to predict what’s going to catch the public’s attention and move them to read your book.

For the second part of your question, I think my answer to the previous question applies to this one! Also, I really love “staff picks” sections. I’m often looking for suggestions.

RAO: What tips would you suggest for library staff planning “author events,” or showcasing an author or their works at the library?

SH: Although I suspect this is something that has already occurred to everyone: the more interactive the better. Readings can be pretty boring (with some exceptions). I always do slide shows now, but I think events where the attendees can interact more directly with the writer might be more fun. Maybe workshops? More specifically, workshops that showcase how people can use the library?

For instance, I really did have fun finding everyone who ever lived in my building and I think people might enjoy researching their own buildings, to see who lived there before they did. I had this idea for Unbelievable which is actually a take-off of this same idea. Do you think your house is haunted? Learn how to find out who your ghost might be. And then once again I’d show how to research everyone who lived in your house before. Also, because ghosts seem to come about as a result of tragedy, I’d show how to find out if your house was the site of a crime.

Every writer could probably come up with their own workshops.

The challenge seems to be, how do you get patrons to come to these events when the writer isn’t well known. Maybe have the writer bring “special guests.” For instance, with my cold case book I could bring a detective. For my parapsychology book I could bring a ghost hunter.

Stacy Horn is the author of a new history book titled Unbelievable: Investigations into Ghosts, Poltergeists, Telepathy, and Other Unseen Phenomena from the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory. She is also the author of a memoir (Waiting for My Cats to Die) and a true crime narrative (The Restless Sleep). She can be found online at www.stacyhorn.com.

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by Sarah Statz Cords

Welcome back to this week’s interview with Jody Wurl!

What’s one thing that would make your job as an RA, or a librarian, easier, more fun, or more fulfilling?
It would be fun if we connect people with the authors they love virtually on a regular basis. With tools like Twitter and other social media people have a chance to interact with the authors they love in a consistent and easy way.

What trends in RA and patron service in general do you see coming?
People are talking about books and reading online and libraries need to be there to be part of the conversation. Libraries will be having larger online profiles and participating in more social media, particularly those with literary “apps.”

Editor’s note: Again, Jody had the option not to answer the following questions, as one tackles the always controversial topics of disliked books. Thanks for being a good sport, Jody!

What currently very popular book do you think is overrated?
Twilight is a good enough “gateway” book but there are many romantic vampire stories that have more depth or style.

What one book do you wish more readers would find?
Rather than one book I’d say one author: Margo Lanagan. Gorgeous prickly prose with challenging fantastic stories.

Do you think e-books will mean the death of books?
No, there will be an audience for the tactile format. And for the sake of our cultural heritage we should keep printing them — if the world ever lost power most of our archival knowledge which now lives online-only would be lost. Being a science fiction fan makes me think of the big potentially dystopic picture!

Thanks so much for your forthright answers, Jody! And, if you know anyone you’d like to hear interviewed, or if you would like to be interviewed yourself, please make your suggestions in the comments below or let me know at realstory@tds.net.

Jody Wurl is a teen and Web services librarian for Hennepin (MN) County Library. She coordinates the content of the TeenLinks website, and is a booklist selector for BookSpace, specializing in graphic novels and speculative fiction. She is also the co-author of “The Brood of Frankenstein,” an article on YA horror in School Library Journal.

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by Sarah Statz Cords

Welcome to our continuing RAO Interviews series, where we talk with a variety of library staff and readers’ advisors for their real-world (a.k.a. “the frontline”) perspective. Today’s interview is with Jody Wurl, who is a teen and Web services librarian for Hennepin (MN) County Library. She coordinates the content of the TeenLinks website, and is a booklist selector for BookSpace, specializing in graphic novels and speculative fiction. She is also the co-author of “The Brood of Frankenstein,” an article on YA horror in School Library Journal.

How long have you have worked as a “reader’s advisor”?
Friends/family have been asking me for book recommendations since high school because I was such an avid reader but I’ve been a “professional” reader’s advisor since 1996.

Would you say you are getting more or fewer RA questions on a regular basis?
I’m in an unusual position as a Web Librarian where I’m not on the public desk. Based on our statistics, our online reader’s advisory sources have incredibly high use. We’re in the process of redesigning our website; in our needs assessment from the public, information about good books to read is consistently in their top 3 requests.

What do you find most frustrating about RA work?
Getting people to ask us for recommendations at the Info Desk so you can have a conversation. Whenever I look up a specific title for someone, if it’s not in I’ll offer “since that title’s not available can I find you something else you may like to read?”

Do you feel your work as an RA, or in general, is supported by your library and administration?
We have a wealth of online tools to help staff at the desk but limited in-person staff sharing/training. We have a broad collection and great online support because everyone recognizes that connecting people with good books is one of our major marketing “brands.”

What resources, tools, or training do you wish you had more access to?
Genre refreshers for areas I don’t read in. The more of this that takes place online the easier it will be to “catch up.”

Tune in tomorrow for the conclusion of our interview with Jody Wurl!

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by Sarah Statz Cords

Welcome to Part 2 of our interview with librarian and readers’ advisor Jane Jorgenson! Part 1 can be found below.

RAO: What trends in RA and patron service in general do you see coming?
More and more of what we’re providing is in non-print form (digital, electronic, audio). For magazines and reference resources this has been ongoing for a while but with the advent of ebooks and all the devices that go along with it (Kindle owner here!) leisure reading is beginning to be impacted by this trend as well. I’m not sure how this will impact RA, maybe not at all because a book is a book, but I do think it is an area that we will have to acknowledge and work with.

Interviewer’s Note: For the next few risky questions, I did advise Jane of her right not to answer them (as they smack more of personal book taste). But I’m glad she did!

RAO: What currently very popular book do you think is overrated?
Oh man, this is a tough one (mostly because my own taste is pretty plebeian) but I mostly rant about those saccharine ones like The Shack, The Last Lecture, anything by Nicholas Sparks and Mitch Albom.

RAO: What one book do you wish more readers would find?
There’s one I suggest all the time for book groups in particular called When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka. This is a spare little book about the internment of the Japanese during WWII and is written by a poet. Beautifully done.

RAO: Do you think e-books will mean the death of books?
No. Might they be the death of the print format? Possibly. But I’d guess not. The printed book format is a beautiful piece of engineering when you think about it. Think how long the book has looked pretty much as it does today. When phono records first emerged the death of the book was predicted, didn’t happen. When movies and tv came along the death of the book was predicted. Audio books, same thing. Nothing yet has supplanted the printed book because it is just about perfectly functional. Ease of use will always be important. And nothing is easier then opening the cover of a book and beginning to read.

Thanks again to Jane Jorgenson! Please also note that Jane will be presenting, along with Barry Trott and Jessamyn West, a preconference at PLA 2010 titled Readers’ Advisory 2.0: The Next Dimension.

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by Sarah Statz Cords

One of the things I miss most about working in a library is chatting over the day with my co-workers. (When I worked at the circ desk, we would talk about patrons’ prevailing moods…”everyone’s grouchy today; holiday bills must be coming due”; at the reference desk, we talked about that week’s popular school assignments and what computers were acting up, among other issues). I’m learning, too, that these days a lot of library workers aren’t getting the time, even at work, to share much with their co-workers. So I’d like to suggest a new feature: one in which we talk with library and RA practitioners about their day-to-day jobs.

We’re kicking off the series by talking with Jane Jorgenson, a librarian and reader’s advisor in the Madison Public Library system (Madison, WI). I cheated a bit by asking Jane, with whom I used to work at a branch library in the MPL system, to submit to this interview. Currently she is working at the main downtown location of MPL; edits that library’s popular MADreads reading blog, and is working on a reader’s guide for thrillers that will be published in the coming year by Libraries Unlimited. She has also taught courses on the Reading Interests of Adults and Public Libraries at the UW-Madison School of Library and Information Studies.

Part 1 of our talk is below; tune in tomorrow for the conclusion, where I ask Jane some questions you’re never supposed to ask a reader’s advisor.

RAO: How long have you have worked as a “reader’s advisor”?
This is a weird one for me to answer because I feel like it’s been most of my life. Long before I worked in a bookstore and then a library, I was providing personal service for family members, my dad in particular. When I think about the process of hearing what someone has read, discussing what they liked about those reads and then coming up with suggestions for further reading, it all started with my dad. He was a big reader but relied on gifts of books for his reading material. Knowing what he’d read already and picking new books was my first RA challenge. Professionally speaking I date my RA work to when I began working in a mystery bookstore about 18 years ago.

RAO: Would you say you are getting more or fewer RA questions on a regular basis?
Because of the setup at my current facility (reference desk on the first floor, fiction room on the second) I definitely get fewer questions in person. When I work in the fiction room the number of people looking for help in finding a book is about the same as it has ever been. But when not in that room I more often get the quicker questions: specific title or author searches, or quick and dirty “I need a good book to read today.” When I worked in a branch library I spent more time on individual interactions–at least it felt that way.

RAO: What do you find most frustrating about RA work?
I think my only frustration is that we don’t focus on it more. We are providing a lot of material for readers but don’t really have an RA department.

RAO: Do you feel your work as an RA, or in general, is supported by your library and administration?
Having said what I just did about my wish for more of a focus on RA, I will now contradict myself a bit and say that my RA work is supported. While I’m not able to do as much in person work as I’d like, I am able to provide RA/book services. At MPL we have a book reviews blog (MADreads – www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads) for which I review and provide content management. I am well supported in that work. Additionally we’ve been providing online RA service and we’re about to start some Vodcasts as well. Other staff works to provide book discussion kits and booklists. So for the projects that occur to us, the support is there. And I should add that I’ve run a number of book groups as have other staff. So while we’re not able to staff a department with RA specialists, our other efforts are encouraged.

RAO: What resources, tools, or training do you wish you had more access to?
I try to keep pretty up-to-date in my day to day work and don’t feel there are too many gaps in that way. What always works best for me and is always welcome is the ability to get together with other staff and discuss RA issues. Something as simple as touching base on great reads and other ideas to do with RA service is one of the most useful tools there is. My library has 9 locations and one of our challenges is keeping everyone in the loop and feeling connected can be a challenge.

RAO: What’s one thing that would make your job as an RA, or a librarian, easier, more fun, or more fulfilling?
Easier would be what I said above about being able to share more with other staff. Fulfilling would be if all of our constituents (I use that word to describe those who actually come to the library and those who don’t) could be made aware of the fact that were a great source of something to read and that we have people who would help them find that something.

Tune in tomorrow for part 2 of this interview! And, of course, a big thank-you to Jane.

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