The Simpletons Book Blog

One method that the library markets our fiction section is by having books stands on the shelf to display any number of books. These are simple book stands that hold the book up so that the cover is facing outward. This gives the patron the chance to see a book and get them to possibly pick it up and read it. The goal of this is to have the patron see the cover of the book, be interested, and check the book out. This helps display everyday fiction books on the shelves and it has been shown to increase circulation of some books by using this method. Another method that has been shown to increase circulation for fiction books is having book displays. This would be done with something certain going on, such as romance books of all kinds being displayed in February. The displays would say what genre they are offering and give the reader a chance to see some books that they might be interested in based on what the display is currently showing. This would be beneficial to include some genr...

When it comes to LGBTQIA+ books and other materials,  I would love to keep the collections together. This would be the best decision because it creates normalcy with the materials. These materials would be considered normal when acclimated to the shelf with all the other materials making it something that exists rather than making it seem separate. It would create an environment where others see these materials more often and understand that it is part of life and that there is not much difference between themselves and others. With the books on the shelf, it may encourage others to diversify their reading materials and make those who are uncomfortable making it public who they are and what they are looking for. Some people still feel shame wanting to read materials about people like themselves, and including them on the shelf would certainly help with the normalcy of it and make it so that they aren’t going to an obvious section of the library dedicated to LGBTQIA+ stuff for being...

For libraries, we should always be promoting all kinds of books and materials to patrons because we want to encourage patrons to read and use the library in all the ways that libraries provide for them. Everyone has preferences to what they want to read to do in their free time, and we should not put them down or make them feel bad for enjoying what they like. The library supporting readers who like graphic novels is certainly more important then not since it encourages those readers to keep reading books that they like, and it encourages them to continue to visit the library in the future. With encouragement, they may be able to create a group for people to visit and read graphic novels together and share their favorites with each other, which helps to create lifelong connections with other people. The same can be said about young adult books. If we create a space that welcomes all different kinds of readers, we can have more diverse groups of people who visit the library regularly an...

The Readers’ Advisory Matrix for Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves & Other Female Villains, by Jany Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple 1. Where is the book on the narrative continuum? › Highly narrative (reads like fiction) - A mix (combines highly narrative moments with periods of fact-based prose) - Highly fact-based (has few or no narrative moments) 2. What is the subject of the book?      Bad women throughout history or had done criminal things, most commonly for their own gain. 3. What type of book is it?      A history of criminal women in a narrative format 4. Articulate appeal What is the pacing of the book? Short, quick read, episodic format for each character read. Describe the characters of the book. Each person introduced is a bad girl, and we follow the two authors as they talk about the book and each character and a short blurb on their opinion. How does the story feel? Quick, to the point, but also engaging th...

Something that is appealing about ebooks and audiobooks is that you can easily bring ebooks anywhere. All you need is a tablet or phone to read on to be able to read your books from anywhere. There is also less risk of losing, misplacing, or ruining a book, and lots of systems automatically send your book back on the due date, so you don’t have to worry about returning the book. As for audiobooks, they are more convenient for reading at times when you are cleaning your home, doing any chores, or working on your favorite hobby. EAudiobooks are great since you can download them onto your phone and listen anywhere on a trip. And the same applies to them automatically returning once the due date comes up. These are great benefits for those who love using the library and can’t find time to visit or forget when materials need to be returned. Although it is not the same as holding a physical book, it doesn’t necessarily change the book's content or the genre. Although readers can change...

From the article, “Why the Banning of ‘A Birthday Cake for George Washington’ Really Matters,” we get a glimpse into understanding what happens with children’s books, particularly how part of the process is done. By reading, we learn that many children’s books are created with an author writing the story and an artist who draws the images for the book. Based on information from the Author, Ramin Ganeshram, many people had gone for how they looked and that they took away their “status as a person of color and glossed over the fact that the illustrator and editor are both African American” (Bloom, 2016, para. 28). Many people attacked the creator of the book for the art being too happy with the slaves smiling while working, and that it made the slaves look happy to be enslaved and to work for their master. The goal of the book was to try and show how although they were enslaved, there was status involved within the enslavement, and that the main character of the book, the historical fi...

One way that I regularly see as an idea is a blind date with a book, and this is commonly done with Romance books. I would love to flip the script and do a blind attack from a Horror book. This would give those who like the Horror genre something new, while also getting into books that they like. I would make sure to include blurbs on the book to help decide what book patrons would love to take home, but I would also keep a sheet with each blurb along with the title so that if someone wanted more details for a specific book, I would not have a problem getting them a little bit more about the book in general. This program would be a bit more passive for those who are just looking, but it would also have some sort of display to go with it just to bring it to the attention of the other readers. As for advisory, we could help others find a book that they may like in the display, as well as come up with new ideas to add to the display once some have been checked out. It would be a rotatin...

When it comes to reviews, getting any reviews is super important since you know the material is being seen by many since not everyone will review something. Having Ebooks that get little to no reviews can make it difficult to ascertain what the book is about and how others feel about it. It makes it much more difficult for librarians to make determinations when there are no reviews, and it makes it difficult for determinations when there are a few reviews since you are only getting a small taste of what the book has to offer and what a few others think of the book. For the reviews on the book The Billionaire’s First Christmas by Holly Rayner, we have a taste of what the book is about from the Amazon review and the blog review. It certainly gives a very basic idea of what the book is about, along with a lot of opinions from the reviewers on how the book felt to their tastes, so it gives an idea of what kind of person may be looking for this kind of book and give a decent idea of the s...

1. I am looking for a book by Laurell K. Hamilton. I just read the third book in the Anita Blake series and I can’t figure out which one comes next! I would recommend The Lunatic Café by Laurell K. Hamilton. The reason is that it is book 4 in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. I would also be willing to offer the patron if the y would like a printed list of the series for the future, but I would leave it open to them to say yes or no. 2. What have I read recently? Well, I just finished this great book by Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer. I really liked the way it was written, you know, the way she used language. I wouldn't mind something a bit faster paced though. I would recommend The Gentleman Poet by Kathryn Johnson. This book is a fast-paced story that has a similar writing style specified in NoveList. It’s also a plot-driven story, compelling like the other story they have read. 3. I like reading books set in different countries. I just read one set in China, could you...