Writers at PLA

On the whole, I was disappointed in the authors I heard at PLA. Elie Wiesle drew a huge crowd. I ended up in the back and the noise from the staff cleaning up made it hard to hear him. I think my expectations were for more than he could deliver in this format.

I went to hear a couple of my favorite mystery writers who have mysteries based in Boston. Afterwards, I thought how closely they resembled their characters that they write about.
Each could serve as the physcial picture of their main character. Linda Barnes looks like Carlotta Carlyle (except the hair is the wrong color). William Tapply, who is an English professor, could pass for the lawyer, Brady Coyne, who works to go fishing.

New Reader Advisory Products

Time spent in the vendor area at PLA looking at new products that include a reader's advisory portion. Two products for example that do that are Books in Print and Booklist and make that a part of their sales pitch. Bookletters and NextReads provide email newsletters for your patrons on forthcoming books on a variety of topics. You can sign up at www.nextreads.com and see what you think of the newsletter.

Some vendors are going to be disappointed. I didn't check all my pockets and my wife doesn't check pockets so several business cards were washed and now are unreadable. I am sure no important product will go unbought just because I don't have the card.

If anyone has a testimony how why one product is better than another in doing reader's advisory, please let me know.

Paul

PLA Conference in Boston

The two best programs that I attended were Karen Hyman's "Customer Centered Library". She is the Director of the South Jersey Regional Library and here presentation was filled with humor and common sense. I would love to have her come and present here in Wyoming.

The second one was by Lee Rainie from the Pew Internet and American Life Project. It was on how people are using the Internet and especially how it is changing the lives of youth according to their research. A lot to think about from this presentation and worry about as it does affect libraries.