Friday, February 24, 2017

Prompt Response 7

            I am not familiar with fake memoirs because I am not interested in reading this type of genre as I prefer reading historical and paranormal fiction, as well as fantasy. Their controversy is understandable because they are based on fabrications of truth so there would be some hesitancy when acquiring these memoirs. I first heard about fake memoirs when I was my senior year of college as I took a nonfiction writing class when we discussed the growing significance of fake memoirs.
            I’m not entirely sure how I feel about fake memoirs because I’m not entirely why these authors do not simply publish them as fiction. Titles like A Million Little Lies and Forbidden Love would have been better suited to be published as fiction, instead of misleading readers and reviewers that may have enjoyed the content. I understand Oprah had been a big fan of A Million Little Pieces, and she was infuriated to discover that the memoir had been fabricated for the sake of sales. Even though the writing was powerful, she was quick to hold him accountable for lying, and she was praised by many media outlets for this confrontation.

            I feel the same way because I do not think an author should be rewarded with book sales when their memoir is more fictional than reliable. Fake memoirs should be published as fiction, and that way the authors could promote their titles with integrity, as well benefit from celebrities like Oprah. I would feel hesitant in purchasing titles that are fake memoirs because I would not feel comfortable with supporting authors that knowingly fabricate their stories just for some extra sales. Their writing may be captivating, but that doesn’t mean that they should be able to exploit the truth for their own gain, whether it is for publicity or an extra book sale.

Monday, February 20, 2017

This is my annotation of The Beggar King by Oliver Potzsch. If anyone has trouble accessing this link, just let me know!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8TQ6PVQNBlTOEFQVkRaMHpCWlE/view?usp=sharing

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Week 6 Prompt Response

The library’s collection of horror needs to be strengthened, and I believe it is time to create an interactive display that suggests popular novels in the genre. Some may consider that horror may be too scary for them to read, so I would recommend a variety of levels so that patrons would have a choice for their personal preferences. Horror is not something I always appreciate it, as it is not my go-to genre, but I would like recognize that others may not share the same preferences with this display.
            I also understand recognize that this approach is a little passive when it comes to reader’s advisory so I would also like to suggest starting a book discussion group about titles that I use in the display. I would use titles that we have in our collection for this display, and I would also include a section for fans of the horror genre to suggestion titles for the book discussion group. The suggestions would be placed in an anonymous box, and I would draw the next book title from this box with at the end of each book discussion group.

            I think this would be a fun to promote the horror genre, and a good way to connect with patrons that are fans of the horror genre so they feel more comfortable coming to the library.  

Friday, February 10, 2017

Week 5 Prompt Response


TWeek 5 Prompt Response
            The Angela Ashes review seems more reliable than the romantic eBook review because it explores the Angela Ashes more in-depth while the eBook relies on opinion. I wouldn’t pay much attention to that review because it is based on opinion and emotion, and the review about Angela Ashes fleshes out the setting and plot. I would be more apt to rely on the reviews of Angela Ashes because of this if I were to look to add this novel to the library’s collection.
            I believe it is a shame that one book reviews a large of publicity while novel that are just as worthy of such publicity simply fall through the cracks and don’t receive the attention they deserve. This affects the library’s collection very much because the patrons do not have access to titles that could “serve the needs of your patrons by carrying the romances they want to read” (Dunneback & Towner, 223). This statement is true beyond the romance genre because there are books in other genres that are overpublicized while other titles simply fall through the cracks without the attention that they should have received.
            I do not work in a library currently, but I would be intentional with choosing library material by using reviews that explore the aspects of novels, as the reviews with Angela Ashes had done. I would make sure to take these reviews at face value because they cannot be the ultimate as to whether a patron would find that specific novel a worthwhile read. Kirkus reviews are very helpful, and I find them to be very brief so that I would be able to read them quickly to determine if it they would be helpful with buying new books for the collection. Library Journal Review and Booklist Review would also seem to helpful sources that I would be able to use when I go to buy new material.

Works Cited
Towner, Mary Wilkes and Katie Dunneback. “Everything Romance.” Integrated Advisory Services: Breaking through the Book Boundary to Better Serve Library Users. By Jessica E. Moyer. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2010. 183-225. Print.