RUSA’s popular online course Readers’ Advisory 101 is now open for registration for the upcoming fall session.

This popular course, which will be offered Oct. 26 – Dec. 7, is perfect for support staff, library technicians and newly hired reference librarians looking to become more comfortable in providing readers’ advisory (RA) services, as well as those seeking to brush up on their RA skills. Through practice sessions, course participants will learn how to use RA tools, craft annotations, read in genres, articulate appeal and experiment with methods to offer RA services. The topics covered are introductory in nature, and class segments are geared to cover issues of interest to staff in all types of libraries.

The course uses “Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library,” Third Edition, by Joyce Saricks as the course textbook and will also feature four genre titles, of which students should have read at least one prior to the course: “The Viscount Who Loved Me” by Julia Quinn, “Bootlegger’s Daughter” by Margaret Maron, “Enders’ Game” by Orson Scott Card, or “Ice Station” by Matt Reilly. Regularly scheduled chat sessions are an integral part of this course and will be held on Mondays throughout the session.

This session of Readers’ Advisory 101 will be taught by Saricks, a librarian at the Downers Grove (Ill.) Public Library from 1977 until her retirement in 2004. In 1983 she developed and directed a readers’ advisory department there. In addition to “Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library,” she has also written “Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction” (2nd ed., ALA, 2009). She currently presents workshops on readers’ advisory, serves as NoveList’s Readalike coordinator and author and writes a monthly column on RA for Booklist. She also teaches Readers’ Advisory at Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library Science.

Registration for this course is $130 for RUSA members, $175 for ALA members, $210 for non-ALA members and $100 for students. Register online, or download the registration form to register by fax or mail. Online and fax registrations must be completed by Tuesday, Oct. 20; mailed registration forms must be postmarked by Friday, Oct. 9. Contact ALA’s Membership and Customer Service team with questions about registration. Complete descriptions of all of RUSA’s courses, instructor biographies and registration deadlines are available at the Professional Development section of the RUSA website.

Discounted group registration rates are available—contact Liz Markel, RUSA Marketing Specialist, at lmarkel@ala.org for more information.