Sunday Smiles: Look who we caught reading!

May is Get Caught Reading month, a nationwide campaign to remind people of all ages just how much fun taking a break with a good book is.  Sure, we all have To Do lists that seem never-ending, and sometimes it’s hard to set aside some me-time, but isn’t it wonderful when we do?

Several famous people have been caught reading recently — click here for their pics!  ACPL is joining in on the fun — for the next few weeks our Sunday Smiles feature will highlight library staff “caught” reading during the day.  It’s one of life’s ironies that although we are surrounded by books all day long, reading is generally NOT part of our job description.  Sigh.

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Bring on the banjos!

If you listen to any pop/rock/top 40 radio stations, you’ve probably noticed a marked increase in the number of mandolins hitting the airwaves.  Groups like The Lumineers are winning over fans with infectious group harmonies and strong instrumentation.  Alt-folk-pop, indie-bluegrass-folk … any number of hyphenates have been created to describe the sounds of this new “roots revolution.”  If you’re a fan of the genre – or if you’d like to give it a listen – use the flow chart below to find some musical suggestions.

What we’re reading . . .

Ever wonder what library staff like to read?  Wonder no more!  Here’s a quick look at some books we’ve enjoyed this month.  Just click on a book cover to check availability; if you’d like to read a short description of the book, just scroll down below the availability listings.

Meet the ACPL Staff! This month’s featured staffperson: Jeffrey Krull, ACPL director

Over a year ago, we started a new feature on this blog, profiling an ACPL staffperson each month. Using a variety of serious and silly questions, we hope to share with you the diversity of the Allen County Public Library’s staff. Which brings us to…

Ten Questions with Jeff:

1.  What do you do at the Library, and how long have you been doing it?

Supposedly I run the place, but that may depend upon whom you ask. I’ve been at it since 1986. I think I’m starting to get the hang of it.

2. What is the favorite part of your job?

Working with talented, dedicated people to accomplish things that make life better for others.

3. What is your favorite thing to cook?

 I like to bake, especially yeast breads. And pies.

4. What’s your least favorite word?

 “Impactful.” (I keep hoping that isn’t really a word.) Yes, I know language must evolve. But does it have to do so in such annoying ways?

5. Have you ever been in a food fight?

 Yes. I went to a small liberal arts college that was all male when I attended. All the freshmen ate together and we had to wear coats and ties at dinner. One evening somebody started it – might have been an undercooked chicken leg – and the whole dining room erupted. Think: scene from “Animal House.”

6. Can you be trusted with secrets?

 Yes. Well, back in my previous job I got a rep for letting it slip that someone was going to get a surprise party. But I have improved since then.

7. What makes you happy?

 First – My grandkids.  Next – White sand, blue sky, puffy clouds, palm trees, waves.

8. Do you have any pets?

 Not anymore. Been there, done that.

9. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done?

 I taught school for a year – English, German, typing, coached basketball, drove the school “bus” (actually a large van). That whole year was scary and drove me into librarianship!

10. How do you feel about fruitcake?

Warm and fuzzy.

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We hope you enjoyed meeting Mr. Krull through this profile. Let us know what you think of this feature. (And if you’re an ACPL staffperson and would like to volunteer to be featured on the blog… email me, we’ll see what we can do!)

Sunday Smiles: Look who we caught reading!

May is Get Caught Reading month, a nationwide campaign to remind people of all ages just how much fun taking a break with a good book is.  Sure, we all have To Do lists that seem never-ending and sometimes it’s hard to set aside some me-time but isn’t it wonderful when we do?

Several famous people have been caught reading recently — click here for their pics!  ACPL is joining in on the fun — for the next few weeks our Sunday Smiles feature will highlight library staff “caught” reading during the day.  It’s one of life’s ironies that although we are surrounded by books all day long, reading is generally NOT part of our job description.  Sigh.

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Setting the scene: The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Roaring Twenties classic about the tragic combination of love and money has surged back into the forefront of American Pop Culture. The Great Gatsby has been flying off library shelves this month, no doubt due to the recent theatrical release of Baz Luhrmann’s high-powered film version starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, and Tobey Maguire. The library is chock full with supporting materials, including multiple biographies of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Below are a few titles that may satisfy some of your Gatsby-related curiosities and provide insightful context for the visual versions of the American novel.

	Youth and Beauty: Art of the American Twenties
	The Mansions of Long Island’s Gold Coast
	Car: The Definitive Visual History of the Automobile
	Prohibition: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick
	Flapper Era Fashions From the Roaring ’20s
	Bright Young Things: Real Lives in the Roaring Twenties
	Capital of the World: Portrait of New York City in the Roaring Twenties

Bessie Makris, a “librarian’s librarian,” featured as Weekly Reader in News-Sentinel column

Bessie Makris, Readers’ Services librarian and readers’ advisory extraordinaire was featured in Betty Stein’s weekly reader column in the News-Sentinel this past Saturday.

What does “readers’ advisory” mean?

This is library lingo for giving book recommendations based on what you like to read. What makes Bessie so extraordinary at it? What makes anyone a good “readers’ advisor”?

Hard to say, exactly, other than a few observations:

• Nurturing your natural love of reading makes you well-read over time.
• Paying attention to books — see above. So, even if you’re not reading everything, you’re aware of books, authors, and book culture.
• Innate curiosity. The best readers’ advisors want to know why you like a particular book — and then make referrals for a good read that matches your interest.
• Memory — the ability to retain what you’ve read and to recall it as needed.
• Practice!
• Subscribing to professional list-servs devoted to readers’ advisory helps.
• Tools like NoveList, an excellent readers’ advisory database you can access through the Research Databases link on our homepage.
• Working with other readers’ advisors, especially those who complement your specific reading interests. Soaking in the good work of others is great reinforcement!

At ACPL, for example, when we can’t quite nail down a good recommendation — or remember or recall the title of a fiction book — and have little information to go on (“It had a green cover with a gold head on it“), we count on Bessie. Fiction is a broader “specific interest” than most, but Bessie truly has earned her reputation in this department. That’s not to say she doesn’t offer good non-fiction feedback, too!

Learn more about what Bessie’s reading in, “Reader sticks to list of authors she wants to read,” by Betty E. Stein of The News-Sentinel. Here’s an excerpt:

“I make lists of authors I want to read and choose from them. I’m fanatic about my lists. Right now, I’m reading Tim Dorsey’s latest book, with his character Serge Storms. His stories are set in Florida, and his writing reminds me of Carl Hiassen’s style. It’s fun.

“Serge is a psychopath and hyperactive, and he has a friend named Colman joining him on his capers. Some titles of Dorsey’s books are ‘Nuclear Jellyfish’ and ‘Orange Crush.’ He writes screenplays with convoluted plots. The studio is corrupt, and the leading lady is kidnapped. The first of his books I read is ‘Florida Roadkill,’ which was really funny.

“I am alternating Dorsey’s books with the Jack Reacher novels. I heard that Tom Cruise was going to be Jack Reader in a film and wondered how that would work out; Reader is 6-feet, 5-inches tall! Anyway, the author of this series is Lee Child.”

Click through to got to the News-Sentinel and read the article in full.