Be More Bookish - Week 5, Assignment 1 & 2

When I first started following Early Word back in week 1, I was really excited by the publisher-librarian connection. I touched on it briefly in one of my first entries, but as someone with aspirations of publishing this kind of interconnectivity is my favorite. Basically, Early Word is the best and I've caught myself losing track of time while browsing on more than one (or ten) occasion(s). In addition to the publisher-librarian aspect, I've found it a really invaluable tool for what to look out for in terms of upcoming high-request material. I also can't stress enough how nice it is to frequent a blog that doesn't just give reviews of books but also talks about other forms of media, such as movie adaptations or television appearances by authors. For example, yesterday I got pretty psyched when I saw the write up about Alison Bechdel's appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, which included a performance by the cast of the upcoming Broadway adaptation of her graphic novel Fun Home. It's that kind of broadening focus that I'm looking forward to seeing in library models (not just ours, but all over the world) as we continue adapting and moving forward.

There seems to be a pretty good mix of what is popular at our branch. There are always people coming in and requesting new material, but for the most part it's for the four or five most popular new titles according to the New York Times or other well-known sources. A lot of that is informed by upcoming theatrical releases. I just helped a patron trying to find Steve Jobs' biography by Walter Isaacson a few minutes ago; she wanted to read it before the movie came out. There's also a high demand for interesting nonfiction, suggesting that our patrons like to challenge themselves. One of our highest circulating displays is a rotation of new nonfiction books selected by staff, and we try to keep it stocked with diverse topics. If they don't have something specific in mind, many of our patrons make a beeline right to the Staff Recommendations display. Oftentimes they're willing to check a book out based on who recommended it.