Here, mystery novels are the killer apps

Linda Sappenfield — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:52:00 GMT

Remember your first visit to Round Rock Public Library? If it occurred during the summer, you might have wondered, as some folks do, where the "library for grownups" is. There you are, surrounded by hordes of young folks and their parents, possibly concluding that you wandered into a children's branch by mistake.

Looks like a happy place, you're thinking, but where are your books--and how about your summer reading program?

Come on up to second floor. We'll provide cardholders with a reading program log, the first step to recording your summer reads and qualifying for the prize drawing. We can escort you to the fiction section and explain where the DVDs and audios for grownups can be found (mostly downstairs--who knew?)

This year's adult reading program theme-- Books: Apps for Your Brain--was chosen for its timely representation of both the mental benefits of library usage and the fun of sharing your latest find. In that way, it resembles the children's program.

Here's an essential difference we've noticed, though. Children appreciate our providing good reasons to read; busy, time-starved adults sometimes need excuses. We're glad to oblige. Feel free to use these handy justifications for participating this summer:

You can sound high-tech. For your SRP selections, inform everyone that you're "downloading some new apps".
Have you heard about Playaways but have no idea what they are? Summer is the ideal time to audition one of them.
You can count Reference Desk visits or peeks into our "Around the House...." databases on your reading log.
Keeping up with library blogs--including this one--counts as reading activity.
Your Tax Dollars at Work: Calculate how much money you're saving by borrowing books and using library databases.
For a short-short list of staff picks (three), consult the What I'm Reading Now display at the Reference Desk.
Help us maintain a high level of foot traffic by confiding your discovery: the library's extensive adult fiction collection. Sounds racier than it is, but we're OK with that.

What do you mean, the library promotes ADULT reading?

Linda Sappenfield — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:15:00 GMT

In my previous job, I never figured out how to suitably explain my duties. People understood the "reference librarian" part, but their eyes would narrow ever so slightly when I added that other responsibilities included "selecting adult DVDs". See? Whatever you just thought, they did, too.

Portraying that task as "choosing non-children's DVDs" was similarly unhelpful, but at least it didn't conjure visions of me lounging in a back room scarfing down popcorn and viewing films of questionable taste/morals. (Of course, librarians don't have time to watch the films we select; we rely on reviews.)

Lately, I'm working with Round Rock Public Library's grownup version of the summer reading program. Yes, we encourage adult reading! No lurid intentions; we just hope to parallel what our children's summer programs have so brilliantly achieved over the years by prompting patrons to capitalize on books from the library's adult fiction and nonfiction collections. Naturally, we're marketing our own no-cost-to-borrow wares, but we're so serious about rewarding our adult readers that we even count books that didn't come from the library. If you're one of our cardholders and aren't already submitting reading logs for the prize drawing, you still have until August 9 to join in.

This morning, I couldn't resist peeking at the reading logs we've already collected. Along with the great actual prizes, I mentally bestowed some theoretical awards. "Most Dedicated Parent" honors would go to the sort of entry listing (out of five required titles) four devoted to teaching/disciplining/encouraging children and one on training the new puppy. "Most Varied Fiction Reading" distinction would reward a log beginning with Henry V and ending with Leave it to Cleavage.

As you'd expect--particularly for summer reading-- many patrons indulge their preferences for a favorite author; they list three to five entries by the same writer (and I say to them, "Go for it!") The usual suspects are well represented: Sandra Brown, Janet Evanovich, J. R. Ward, Piers Anthony, James Rollins, Brodie & Brock Thoene, Charlaine Harris, M. C. Beaton, Francine Rivers, Anne Rice, Greg Iles, Frank Peretti, and so forth.

A few names who aren't as well known or who are relative newcomers to publishing also drew multiple- entry mention: Donna Andrews, Beth Kendrick, Carrie Bebris, Tori Spelling.

Library employees aren't eligible to enter the prize drawing. Our reward will be the smiles on the winners' faces. We'll be content with that, because we're mature (and by "mature", I don't mean R-rated...)

Reader's Exchange : Readers Exchange, adult summer reading program

Here, mystery novels are the killer apps

What do you mean, the library promotes ADULT reading?