Posted on

Reference and User Services Quarterly – RUSQ, Volume 54, No. 1 is now available! (Fall 2014)

Welcome to RUSQ 54:1 (Fall 2014). As this issue goes live, I hope that RUSA members are enjoying a smooth start to the Fall. Whether you are in an academic, public, school, or special library, the Autumn offers new opportunities and possibilities.

I think that this issue of RUSQ offers a wide range of interesting reading. In some column highlights, RUSA President, Joseph Thompson starts off his first column by putting the RUSA strategic planning process in context; Howard Schwartz looks at RUSA standards in the virtual reference world; the Management column explores how graduate teaching assistants can improve library services and gain valuable experience; we look at the Maker Movement in Louisville Public Library in the “Accidental Technologist,” Michelle Woroniak challenges us to examine services to Indigenous Peoples in “Readers’ Advisory;” the Information Literacy column suggests ways to improve services to users with Autism Spectrum Disorders; and the “Alert Collector” examines Postmodernism.

Our feature articles are “Full-Time Reference with Part-Time Librarians: Dealing with Staffing Realities, Meeting User Needs” by Valery King and Sara Christensen-Lee and “Breaking the Ice: Facebook Friending and Reference Interactions” by Scott Stone

We also have the annual “Best Free Reference Websites” list from RUSA’s MARS Emerging Technologies section, and of course there are the great reviews that you come to expect from the journal.

I would also like to mention that we are seeking guest columnists with an interest in writing about issues and practice in Information Literacy & Instruction.  We consider submissions that address traditional perspectives, as well as those that explore novel or specialized aspects of the field.  Librarians, teachers, students, and professionals welcome to apply.  Contact column editor, Kelly Myer Polacek, kmpolacek@gmail.com, for more information or to discuss column ideas.

As always, please let me know what you would like to see in the journal and if you are interested in writing for RUSQ, please contact me at btrott@wrl.org.

Barry Trott,

Editor, RUSQ,

btrott@wrl.org

Posted on

RUSA readers advisory experts compile readalikes for this year’s Andrew Carnegie Medals shortlist finalists

This year our readers advisory experts on the Notable Books Council, of RUSA’s Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES), have compiled a list of readalikes for this year’s Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction shortlist finalists
 
Scroll down to view similar titles for the Fiction and Nonfiction finalists. 

2014 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction shortlist:

 Carngie Nonfiction Finalists 2014

The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism, By Doris Kearns Goodwin. Published by Simon & Schuster.

This masterful study examines the complex relationship between two presidents, Roosevelt and Taft, who played major roles in the Progressive movement of the early twentieth century. Acclaimed historian Goodwin offers a superb re-creation of a period when many politicians, journalists, and citizens of differing political affiliations viewed government as a force for public good.

Suggested readalikes:

Doris Kearns Goodwin’s research results are consistently educational and entertaining. Her other works on Abraham Lincoln, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the Kennedys are companion works.Also suggested is the series, The Years of Lyndon Johnson, by Robert A Caro. These are, in chronological order, Path to Power, Means of Ascent, Master of the Senate, and Passage of Power
River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey, and Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and The Murder of a President, by Candace Millard
Lives and experiences of U.S. presidents are bound to make history and affect the events of their time. We embrace these stories that bring these men into living focus. Millard does just this with Theodore Roosevelt’s 1914 trip down the Amazon River, and with James A. Garfield’s dark horse candidacy, and his fatal meeting with Charles Guiteau, the madman who shot him.
Personal History, by Katharine Graham
For those as interested in the role of journalism in politics, one cannot forget the history of Katharine Graham and The Washington Post.
All the Presidents Men, by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein
In a case where there was no overt cooperation between politicians and journalists, this is the story investigation into government, the Watergate affair, for the sake of the public’s right to know.
Truman, by David McCullough
Another biographer of consistent quality, McCullough’s Trumanis a study of character in a time of brutal politics.

Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital, By Sheri Fink. Published by Crown Publishers, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

As the floodwaters rose after Hurricane Katrina, patients, staff, and families who sheltered in New Orleans’ Memorial Hospital faced a crisis far worse than the storm itself. Fink’s breathtaking account of the storm and what happened at Memorial offers a fascinating look at how people behave in times of crisis.

Suggested Readalikes: 

Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers 
Post Katrina New Orleans is a topic, a state of heroism and geography that has cultivated many stories of danger, decisions, and death.

Trapped Under the Sea: One engineering marvel, five men, and a disaster ten miles into the darkness, by Neil Swidey
The Boston Deer Island Waste Treatment Plant tunnel construction is a story of death on the job, failed emergency back-ups, disaster and survival.

Into Thin Air: A personal account of the Mount Everest Disaster, by Jon Krakauer
Adreneline fueled story of survival in inhospitable situation and human bravery and error.

Knocking on Heaven’s Door: The path to a better way of death, by Katy Butler
Life and death decisions had to be made at Memorial Hospital in an emergency situation. How does one make those decisions when considering quality of life, intervention, and who gets to decide about the end, in the end.

War Hospital: A True Story of Surgery and Survival, by Sheri Fink
The author confronts other situations where doctors make moral decisions in wartime Bosnia-Herzegovina.

On Paper: The Everything of Its Two-Thousand-Year History, By Nicholas A. Basbanes. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

Combining crisp technical explanations with vivid historical and contemporary profiles, Basbanes unfolds the two-thousand-year story of paper, revealing in the process that paper is nothing less than an embodiment of humanity.

 
Suggested readalikes
 
The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood, by James Gleick
Information science and theory are discussed by way of the medium, from cave drawings to the internet. A huge tome that conveys the sense that after reading one knows all there is to know about the topic.
Salt: A World History, by Mark Kurlansky 
Salt, a “divine substance” is an ingredient that shaped civilization from pre-historic China to today’s Birdseye frozen food.
 
The Case for Books: Past, Present, Future, by Robert Darnton
One cannot read about paper without further considering the fate of the book. Will it survive Google and its ilk?
 
 

2014 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence
Fiction shortlist:

 Carngie Fiction Finalists 2014

Americanah, By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

To the women in the hair-braiding salon, Ifemelu seems to have everything a Nigerian immigrant in America could desire, but the culture shock, hardships, and racism she’s endured have left her feeling like she has “cement in her soul.” Americanah is a courageous novel of independence, integrity, community, and love.

Suggested readalikes

On Beauty, by Zadie Smith 
Another title exploring color, culture and country with attention to domestic issues and written in literary voice.

Petropolis, by Anya Ulinich 
A Jewish-Siberian immigration story explores class from an outsider point of view, much like Adichie’s Nigerian-American perspective.

Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese
In this story of family and diaspora, the politics of Ethiopia and the experiences of its expats in America are explored.

What Is the What, by Dave Eggers
A “lost boy of Sudan” is a darker story, but told with humor and humanity, in another tale of sub-continent and new world.

Brick Lane, by Monica Ali (KP)
Bangladeshi sisters in London make different choices about relationships and culture.

The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz
This exploration of immigrant experience takes a whole different approach as Diaz describes the coming of age of a Dominican boy in New Jersey.

Claire of the Sea Light, By Edwidge Danticat. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

In interlocking stories moving back and forth in time, Danticat weaves a beautifully rendered portrait of longing in the small fishing town of Ville Rose in Haiti. The stories flow seamlessly one into another and are distinguished by Danticat’s luminous prose.

Suggested readalikes:
Mister Pip, by Lloyd Jones
Coming of age on a tropical island is an obvious shared similarity, including a strong sense of place and strong characters in the face of adversity.
Brother, I’m Dying, by Edwidge Danticat 
Haiti is as much a character as Danticat’s father and brother in this, her personal memoir.
The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography, by Sidney Poitier 
The Bahamas, “a place of purity” provide a visual backdrop to Poitier’s boyhood stories.

Salvage the Bones, by Jessmyn Ward

If we care about the future of powerless young girls we’ll want to take care of Esch in Bois Sauvage, Mississippi before and after the hurricane hits.Rainbow Troops, by Andrea Hirata
Growing up in a poor village in Indonesia, Ikal writes of the importance of the school and the struggles of the teachers who made the world a larger place for him.

The Goldfinch, By Donna Tartt. Published by Little, Brown & Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

In the wake of his nefarious father’s abandonment, Theo, a smart, 13-year-old Manhattanite, is extremely close to his vivacious mother—until an act of terrorism catapults him into a dizzying world bereft of gravity, certainty, or love. Tartt writes from Theo’s point of view with fierce exactitude and magnetic emotion.
 
Suggested readalikes:
 
Theft, by Peter Carey
Butcher Bones is a painter who is taking care of his brother in the Australian outback. Mixed-up, made-up family, art, and displacement are themes in both these books.
The Hour I First Believed, by Wally Lamb
As with Theo, life seems to really begin after a horrific experience, in this case, the Columbine shootings in Littleton, Colorado. Travel is wide and the past is explored.
The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards, by Kristopher Jansma
Just as Theo travels the world to unexpected places, our unnamed narrator  is tossed, or tosses himself, from a narrow life left in an airport, into a very large world that he tries to navigate as a writer.
Maya’s Notebook, by Isabelle Allende
Another world travel theme takes Maya’s coming of age story from California, to Las Vegas, and finally to the southern coast of Chile.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer 
A story of disaster, a father dies in the World Trade Center bombing, a young boy searches for meaning and redemption.
 
 
Follow the conversation #alaac14  #ala_carnegie
 
 
 

 

Posted on

Showcase the Andrew Carnegie Medals For Excellence In Fiction And Nonfiction At Your Library, Bookstore And Reading Group!

Only two winners are picked from a shortlist of six titles, from the previous year’s  Booklist  Editors’ Choice and RUSA CODES Notable Books list.

Here’s how

  • Use social media, websites, newsletters, and other communication channels
  • Tweet using #ala_carnegie and join the conversation.
  • Include the link ala.org/carnegieadult  for more information on the award.
  • Show us your #shelfie! Invite readers to Tweet a shelfie (self + shelf = shelfie) with one of the fiction shortlist titles (pictured below) with #ala_carnegie hashtag! Be sure to track the #ala_carnegie to keep up with current announcements about this year’s awards!

Create Displays

  • Use the free downloadable poster, bookmark it in the “Resources” tab and use the annotations for each title as listed below and quotes from the Booklist reviews.
  • Awards seals are available from the ALA online store.
  • See the links to the publishers’ websites (often including reading guides) with detailed information, discussion questions, and insights on each title.

And The 2014 Finalists Are . . . A Drum Roll Please . . .   

Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction Finalists:

The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt
Published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

In the wake of his nefarious father’s abandonment, Theo, a smart,13-year-old Manhattanite, is extremely close to his vivacious mother—until an act of terrorism catapults him into a dizzying world bereft of gravity, certainty, or love. Tartt writes from Theo’s point of view with fierce exactitude and magnetic emotion. More information about the author/book. Read the Booklist review.

Claire of the Sea Light, by Edwidge Danticat
Published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

In interlocking stories moving back and forth in time, Danticat weaves a beautifully rendered portrait of longing in the small fishing town of Ville Rose in Haiti. The stories flow seamlessly one into another and are distinguished by Danticat’s luminous prose. More information about the author/book. Read the Booklist review.

Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

To the women in the hair-braiding salon, Ifemelu seems to have everything a Nigerian immigrant in America could desire, but the culture shock, hardships, and racism she’s endured have left her feeling like she has “cement in her
soul.” Americanah is a courageous novel of independence, integrity, community, and love.
More information about the author/book, a Reader’s Guide and an author Q&A. Read the Booklist review.

Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalists:

The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism, by Doris Kearns Goodwin, published by Simon & Schuster.

This masterful study examines the complex relationship between two presidents, Roosevelt and Taft, who played major roles in the Progressive movement of the early twentieth century. Acclaimed historian Goodwin offers a superb re-creation of a period when many politicians, journalists, and citizens of differing political affiliations viewed government as a force for public good. More information about the author/book. Read the Booklist review.

On Paper: The Everything of Its Two-Thousand Year History, by Nicholas A. Basbanes, published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

Combining crisp technical explanations with vivid historical and contemporary profiles, Basbanes unfolds the two-thousand-year story of paper, revealing in the process that paper is nothing less than an embodiment of humanity.
More information about the author/book Read the Booklist review.

Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital, by Sheri Fink, published by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group,a division of Random House, Inc.

As the floodwaters rose after Hurricane Katrina, patients, staff, and families who sheltered in New Orleans’ Memorial Hospital faced a crisis far worse than the storm itself. Fink’s breathtaking account of the storm and what happened at
Memorial offers a fascinating look at how people behave in times of crisis. More information about the author/book. Read the Booklist review.

For more Information on the Andrew Carnegie Medals and How you can Showcase them, click here.

About Booklist
Booklist is the book review magazine of the American Library Association, considered an essential collection development and readers’ advisory tool by thousands of librarians for more than 100 years. Booklist Online includes a growing archive of 160,000+ reviews available to subscribers as well as a wealth of free content offering the latest news and views on books and media.
About the Awards
These awards were established in 2012 to recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. the previous year, and are ALA’s first single-book awards for adult trade fiction and nonfiction. The finalists and eventual winners reflect the expert judgment and insight of the seven-member selection committee of library professionals who work closely with adult readers.

The awards are co-sponsored by Booklist and RUSA (Reference and User Services Association,) who provide the longlists of selected titles from the previous year’s RUSA CODES Notable Books and Booklist’s Editors’ Choice. The awards are funded through a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York in recognition of Andrew Carnegie’s deep belief in the power of books and learning to change the world.