Dramatization vs. Narration

On the shelves in my library we have a flock of Agatha Christie audio books.  I love Christie's novels and after all these years they are still popular with out patrons.  However, most of these audio books are not straight narrations of Christie's novels, but instead are dramatizations.  They are radio plays adapted from the novels acted by a full cast of actors.  They are not, technically, audio books.  And they are, in fact, abridged.

Around here abridged is usually a bad word.  But there don't seem to be any straight narrations of Christie's works out there.  So the question is should these books be shelved with the fiction audio books.  Or should they be shelved in 791 with the rest of the radio shows?

If you're listening to an audio book shouldn't you get the entire work the author wrote?  I want to hear the descriptions of people, places and things.  I want to hear every "he said" and  "she said" not just the dialogue.

To borrow or buy what do eBook users do? Both!

Over the summer ALA and Overdrive conducted a survey of library users to find out what they're thinking and doing about books, eBooks, and libraries.  Check the survey out here.

Just a few highlights:

*  Over 75,000 people participated in the survey, the most (6005) were from New York state.

*  More than half of the eBook readers visit their physical library every month.

*  eBook borrows are also eBook buyers.

*  35% of respondents said they had purchased a book (physical or digital) after borrowing the book from the library.

*  57.5% (37,357 respondents) say they have discovered new books to read through their public libraries.  (Go Readers' Advisory!!)

The Future of Library Jobs

A great link that came to me through my library school's listserv.  Check out what's being said about the future of library jobs a the Library of Congress Digital Preservation Blog.  Some great advice and some great links to other blogs and presentations.

It's not an easy time for anyone to find a job.  Carving out a career in library science means more than just reading stories and selecting best sellers for purchase.  But anything worth having is worth working for, right? 

See you around the library!

Internet Librarian Presentations

Link to presentations from Internet Librarian 2012.  Some of these sound good.  Check them out here.

Tips and Tricks for Reader's Advisory

So it's not much of a post, but some links to some really great articles.

http://www.ebscohost.com/novelist/novelist-special/ra-content-reduce-reuse-recycle by Susan Brown of 658point8.com blog fame.

http://www.sjrlc.org/RAhandouts/annotation.htm handout by Mary K Chelton from the Readers' Advisory: The Complete Spectrum workshop

http://www.ebscohost.com/novelist/novelist-special/ra-4-fb-creating-a-social-space-for-readers  using facebook for readers advisory

You found what in that book?

Patrons leave the darndest things in library books.  We've found letters, photos, appointment cards, traffic tickets, credit cards, train tickets, cash, licorice whips, Q-tips and who knows what all in the books that come back to the library.

This week in Indiana librarians found a gun in a hollowed out book.  Check the story out here.

Library Science Dictionary

Just in time for the Librarian I Civil Service exam, follow this link to the Online Dictionary for Library & Information Science courtesy of ABC-CLIO.