7 Useful RA Websites

With summer reading in full swing, chances are you're going to get a lot of requests for book recommendations. What to do when your patrons have already read your usual suggestions? Thankfully, there are many great RA websites out there to help you find new titles. Sure, you can direct patrons to these websites, but why give our best secrets away? ;-)

(Actually, not all of the recommendations were dead on perfect, so it does help to have a librarian preview the list first. These websites and your RA knowledge makes the perfect combination!)

Goodreads 

Many librarians have an account on Goodreads to keep track of their own reading. However, it can be very useful when you are trying to get more reviews on a book. I have found some really great reads (and recommendations) just by following the top reviewers (who do a SPLENDID job of describing the book and it's strengths/weaknesses). Kat also wrote a great article with lots of librarian tips to get the most out of Goodreads. (LibraryThing is also very similar to Goodreads and can be used the same way.)

BookBrowse

BookBrowse focuses on books published within the last 15 years. If you are looking for a popular readalike, you will find many ideas here. They also have a section on book club recommendations (and discussion guides!) and feature new books they really liked.

Whichbook

Whichbook is a fun website to find new recommendations. They have a slider on the left with a variety of factors that you can adjust to customize your results. They also provide book lists.

Fantastic Fiction

One of our favorite websites is Fantastic Fiction. They have a list of coming soon, new books, and new authors. This is also our go-to resource when we're trying to figure out the order of books in a series (it is clearly stated and they include ebook novellas!). They also post publication dates and when books are republished as a paperback.

Literature Map

Literature Map is a fascinating resource. Instead of listing out similar authors, they give you an interactive word cloud. The closer the names are to your author, the more similar they are. You will need to look up their books elsewhere, though, since this is only a map of names.

What Should I Read Next?

What Should I Read Next? allows you to add in an author or book and they'll bring back specific titles. What's really neat about them is that they provide the subject headings below each title so you know exactly why that book was recommended.

NoveList

NoveList is the ultimate reader's advisory database. It isn't free, however many libraries and consortiums subscribe to it. Check to see if yours do (that includes the library you work in, the library you live next to, and perhaps your state library, if they give all residents a card). Kat did a three part write-up about how awesome NoveList is for librarians. Check the first one out here!

Bonus Pro Tip:

Many library catalogs are connected to Goodreads, LibraryThing or NoveList to provide additional information and recommendations. If your catalog does not, check your surrounding library networks to see if they offer this service. When doing RA, use their catalog instead to utilize these useful tools! (For example, C/W MARS is connected to NoveList, so below each title is the list of books in the series and recommendations based on titles, authors, and other series. You can't click on the title for more info without an account to NoveList, but you'll get a good start. They also include what awards the book has won and full text reviews.)

Partnership Incentive Award: Libraries and Free Driving Tests

Does your library offer free driving tests (car, motorcycle, and commercial) to your patrons?

If not, then you probably haven't heard about an awesome partnership between libraries and Elegant E-Learning. We're excited to highlight them today for two reasons:

1. Elegant E-Learning offers a free online driver's ed to libraries and their patrons. It is also ad-free and really easy to setup, with a special URL with your library's name. They do not keep information and there is no authentication needed. Best of all - these driving tests not only help teens and new drivers with preparing for their first driver's license, but they also provide tests for motorcycles and commercial vehicles. So many patrons can benefit from this!

2. And, from now until May 1st, 2017, every library who signs up will be automatically added into a $500 drawing. Five lucky libraries (and that's public, school, and academic libraries) will be selected.

So, if there is anything you do today, why not check out their website and sign-up? In May, you might be really thankful that you did this.

Full disclosure: I should mention that a few months ago, Elegant E-Learning's founder, Andrei Zakhareuski, contacted me and asked for ideas on how he can reach more libraries. We had a great conversation and the $500 drawing was one of the ideas that came out of it. (Thanks to my background with trying to get teens to participate in programs.) I really hope this idea helps many libraries participate! If you were always meaning to add this to your website, now is the time to do it.

(I also want to note that he did not ask me to write about his program nor paid me to do it. I am happy to share this partnership because I really think it'll benefit everyone.)

Libraries Resist

Today is a short post but an important one. With the current political environment here in the US, our profession's core values are at stake. Thankfully, the Que(e)ry Librarians started a Google Document with lots of different resources to help libraries and library works in the resistance. Their goal is to help libraries answer the question: How do we help communities made (more) vulnerable by the new administration?

You can access their Google Document here: bit.ly/LibrariesResist. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

In the document, you'll find many resources for these topics:

• Privacy, Surveillance, and Security
• Free Speech, Protests, Demonstrations
• Fake News, Propaganda, Fact Checking, Media Literacy
• Civil and Human Rights
• Library/Government Relations and Advocacy
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Libraries
• Preserving Vulnerable Data and Collections
• Archiving Resistance History
• Resisting in Library Work
• Literature and Art of Resistance
• Resources for Children, Teens, Young Adults
• Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship
• Multilingual, Translation, and Language Education
• Accessibility, Disability, Assistive/Adaptive Technologies
• Library Programs, Displays, Exhibits
• Reference and Public Service
• Cataloging, Metadata, Collecting and Acquisition
• Net Neutrality, Open Access, Fair Use
• Labor and Staffing
• Sustainable Libraries
• Social Media

This is a work in progress, but we applaud the Que(e)ry Librarians for their hard work. It is a great place to start when learning about your rights and to find great resources to recommend to patrons. It is going to be a long four years, but we're more powerful working together. #LibrariesResist

3 Unbiased Election Websites to Recommend to Patrons

Are you or your patrons struggling with locating neutral information about election candidates? This was a question posed on Facebook recently, and the librarian community stepped up with three great suggestions. We thought we'd cover them here today so this information isn't lost in the black hole of the internet.

Ballotpedia

Ballotpedia call themselves the Encyclopedia of American Politics. We found them really easy to navigate and learn of general information about the candidates on your ballot. If you click on their names, you'll be redirected to a very comprehensive report on where they stand on the major issues, their campaign trail, and the polls. You won't find quick answers here on where they stand, but they are unbiased. 

They also provide all of the local measures and if you click on them, you'll be redirected to a page which provides an overview, background, who supports and who oppose and their reasoning why, campaign finance and more.

Vote Smart

Vote Smart's website is a little bit confusing in the beginning. You must type in a candidate's name or your zip code BEFORE you can click on the category folders. And the zip code might have too many district. Even when I provided my exact address, the list of candidates included people who weren't on the ballot. So, it is better to search for specific people on this website.

The categories are really helpful. They include the bio info, their votes, their positions, ratings, speeches, and funding. Vote Smart is a supporter of the Political Courage Test, which asks candidates to provide voters with their positions on key issues. Most candidates refuse to take this test, so Project Vote Smart has taken the time to research the presidential and congressional candidates' likely responses, based on their public statements and voting records. For those who don't want a comprehensive read, this section provides a simple yes or no to each key issue.

Vote 411

Vote 411 provides full election information from the League of Women Voters. Not only can you learn about your candidates, but they also provide the answers to all aspects of the voting process:

• Absentee ballot information
• Ballot measure information (where applicable)
• Early voting options (where applicable)
• Election dates
• Factual data on candidates in various federal, state and local races
• General information on such topics as how to watch debates with a critical eye
• ID requirements
• Polling place locations
• Registration deadlines
• Voter qualifications
• Voter registration forms
• Voting machines

While they do provide a personalized ballot, showing you who are the candidates that are running for office and where they stand on issues, we have found that they don't always provide more info than people's names. So, double check for your district before you recommend this website. Editor Note: We are unable to find any personalized ballots at this time, so we're now thinking that perhaps this part of the website is currently down. Hopefully, it'll be back up soon and provides more information than candidate names.

And there you have it -- in less than 5 minutes, three great and neutral websites that'll arm your patrons with the knowledge they're seeking. Happy voting, everyone!

The Programming Librarian (Website Review)

Today, we're going to talk about a newish website by ALA, The Programming Librarian. They're just a little over a year old and we adore their mission. If you don't know about it yet, today is your lucky day!

Isn't this mini-notebook adorable? You can order it through the ALA store!

Browse Ideas

This website is a resource of great programs! You can search by:

• Cost (free to $5,000+)
• Library Type (Public, Academic, School and Special)
• Topic 
• Program Type
• Age Group
  

Click to enlarge

Once you select a program, you'll get access to all the important details, from the marketing and planning to execution. They may even share files that you can download. You'll know exactly how much the program costs and how much time you'll need to put into it. Perfect for the busy librarian!

Share Your Own!

There is an online form you can fill out to submit your own programs. I love that they are crowding sourcing this because we all have fun ideas and great programs. The only way this website can be really successful is if we all use it and submit, so please consider doing both!

Follow Their Blogs

They have many people blogging on the website about innovative programs, which you can filter by library type, topic, and age group. Learn what other people are doing in your field!

Attend a Webinar

They also hold webinars about different types of programming. See what is coming up or check out their archives to see what you have missed.

The 5minlib Challenge

So, today we have a challenge for you. Within the next seven days, what if we all submitted our best program? Just one program, any program, that you think might be successful at other libraries, too. If now is too crazy with Summer Reading, then put it on your calendar for the first week in September. It would so amazing if we all did it.

Since, as they say:

Because all those 

author talks,

storytimes,

computer classes,

community dialogues,

concerts,

makerspaces,

book clubs,

art exhibitions,

and ESL courses

don't plan 

themselves.

Ain't that the truth?
(By the way, we love that quote, too!)