readers advisory for all discussion

i would like to try something else in this group, just out of sheer curiosity. i don't know if i will use the information gathered in any useful way in terms of my paper, but i am just wondering how someone who gets paid to be an information professional would have responded to these same queries. so, i am providing a couple of links which will take you to online resources where librarians do this sort of RA work online. (if anyone wants to go into an actual library and ask a three-dimensional librarian, that is also great, but i thought this would be less of an imposition on your time, and it gives the librarian a little more time to think about their response, because sometimes on-the-spot RA work is flawed for a number of reasons)

so, if you have posted a query in this group, and you are interested in giving this a whirl, all you have to do, really, is cut-and-paste your initial post into one of the following sites. or you can try your local library's site, if you are interested in seeing how they would respond, it doesn't matter. just come back here and talk about your experience. i will be emailing individual posters tomorrow, in case people miss this thread, but this is in no way mandatory, and if you don't want to do it, i don't mind doing it myself, but i think it would be more interesting if the initial poster did it, to compare the two resources, and to see what would have happened in an actual library setting. again - this is all low key and meant to be fun. no worries if you don't want to. but expect an email tomorrow, just so i know this was seen.

http://www.webrary.org/ref/refchat2.h...

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERS...

http://www.ipl.org/div/askus/

karen I blame you

We wanted to let you know that our current volume of questions is heavier than normal. Your question is important to us, but we may not be able to work on it quite as fast as usual. In fairness to all of our patrons, we work on questions in the order that they are received, so be assured that we will get to it and as quickly as possible!

The ipl2's reference service has a standard of high quality responses for each of our patrons. Thank you for your patience while we work hard to meet all of our patrons' needs. We look forward to serving you as well.

hahaha patience!!this way you will get a well-thought-out answer instead of a harried one!

This comment is to remind myself (and you) that I need to come back and report. I sent my query to the IPL2 question site and to the King County Library System (my kickass home library system, also known as the busiest in the nation.)

I will report back when I get my answers!

Hello Jasmine

We are going to refer you to our Teen Reads page at
http://www.webrary.org/teen/teenreads.... There you can browse booklists
in a variety of categories.

For a list of books available at Morton Grove Public library, we maintain
another Teen Book Lists page at
http://www.webrary.org/teen/teenbookl....


group 1

librarians 0

ha!! interesting. so they are doing exactly what i didn't want people to do in this group. then again, they might be able to tell you are a special case.... (:

maybe. I think we should test gnook.

Okay, I got a pretty great personalized answer from KCLS. Here it is:
_____________________________________________________
Thank you for your question, and for the opportunity to suggest some books to you! So, if you are open to not just traditional "school" and "space" per se, but the young person's experience (or coming of age experience) in space, the future, dystopias, etc., here are some titles I would suggest:

The first thing that came to my mind when I heard "school in space" was author Robert A. Heinlein, specifically Red Planet, in which a young colonist on Mars goes to boarding school and stumbles upon information that sends him on an adventure. This is customarily a juvenile book, but one that adults also find very entertaining: http://catalog.kcls.org/opac/en-US/sk...
Other Heinlein books that are promising are Space Cadet (Sadly, KCLS doesn't have this title, but you could request it through Interlibrary Loan here: http://www.kcls.org/usingthelibrary/r... Here is the info for the book: http://www.worldcat.org/title/space-c...) and Starship Troopers: http://catalog.kcls.org/opac/en-US/sk...

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer takes place in a future country called Opium which exists between what today is the USA and Mexico. A young boy has been cloned to be used for organ harvesting for the country's ruler, the drug dealer El Patron. One of my own personal all-time favorite books (no pressure): http://catalog.kcls.org/opac/en-US/sk...

I found the book Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund, which fits "school in space," though it has a very unfortunate cover that I understand does not reflect on the story much: http://catalog.kcls.org/opac/en-US/sk...

Feed by M.T. Anderson follows teens who try to navigate a world where most people have what amounts to internet connections implanted directly into their brains: http://catalog.kcls.org/opac/en-US/sk...

Shade's Children by Garth Nix is about a future where all humans over the age of 16 have disappeared. The remaining children are rounded up and kept until their fourteenth birthday, when their bodies are harvested to create "creatures." The story follows four teens who escape: http://catalog.kcls.org/opac/en-US/sk...

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, which you may have heard of, is about young people coming of age and also trying to survive in a post apocalyptic world where children are forced to fight to the death in order to amuse the elite (I am simplifying the plot significantly). There is a wait for this but worth it: http://catalog.kcls.org/opac/en-US/sk...

There are so many good books. Here are a couple more lists to peruse, though I don't want to overwhelm you too much. This is a list of young adult sci-fi from our teen librarians: http://www.kcls.org/teens/booklist.cf...
This is a list of dystopic fiction for adults: http://www.kcls.org/booksandreading/g...

Please do let us know what you think of these suggestions! Thanks again for using the service!

-Meredith
_____________________________________________________
(I'll post it with all working links and add to the booklist of my initial query "school in space" in this group)

There was a bit of overlap and I think the big advantage that the group has over a random librarian is the ability to look through my shelves to see what I've already read. My initial question only told the librarian (and the group) that I'd read the Ender/Shadow series, the new YA Starfleet books, and Dune. She mentioned several books that I've read and enjoyed (Feed, Academy 7, the The Hunger Games series, The House of the Scorpion) but that this group would discount in the search since they could easily find that information.

I still prefer the group because it is a neverending suggestion feed and several other people have gotten recs from it, they mentioned it in the comments. And another commenter posted a list from a long article written on just my topic. I think the group is very dynamic, but I have to give props to the librarian who found a book that no one in the group recced that I found randomly once at B & N and it seems spot on-->Space Cadet.

which one is kcls?

That's my local library system--King County Library System

wow - that was a great response!! you have an amazing library! thank you for doing this!

I'm still waiting for my other response from IPL2 but I'll post it when I get it.

this interests me: http://www.librarything.com/suggest

I'm jealous of your library system, Flannery. I just moved and the one I'm in now leaves much to be desired. Much.

jazz - go ahead and try it. they base their suggestions on user-tags, so it is probably an okay system.

it's interesting. I like the unsuggest, it says I wouldn't like jd robb. it's right!!!

okay I did the stranger. it's well, um about 50/50 some stuff I really like some stuff I really hate and some stuff I just am ambivalent to

Yay, your library is awesome, Flannery! And your librarian has my name!!!

not as good as flannery's, but not at all bad! when i posted the query, i thought i was contacting westchester, new york, not illinois. oops. it is good that they are advertising NoveList, because it is really good, and they pay for that service. these are more mystery-crime fiction-y than the more literary fiction i was looking for, but they are fine.

Dear Ms. Brissette,

Thank you for your inquiry. You have reached the Westchester Public Library in
Westchester, Illinois.

In response to your question, we have an excellent database "Novelist" that you
can use for reading suggestions - especially "read-alikes". You will find
Novelist on our website at: http://www.westchesterpl.org/database...

You will need a Westchester Public Library card to log into the product.

If you are not a resident of Westchester, I can offer a few titles and have
included the brief descriptions as given in Novelist - you can pursue the books
with your local library:

Rain gods - by James Lee Burke
Starting a new life as the sheriff of a dried-out, broken-down border town in
south Texas, Hackberry Holland is drawn into a murder investigation when nine
dead prostitutes are dug up in the desert, forcing him to focus on something
other than his own demons..

The woods - by Harlan Coben
Grieving over the murder of his sister twenty years earlier and raising his
six-year-old daughter alone after losing his wife to cancer, county prosecutor
Paul Copeland is inadvertently tied to a murder investigation that he believes
may be related to his sister's case, a discovery that threatens to reveal
long-buried family secrets..

61 hours - by Lee Child
In a latest work by the Anthony-winning author of the best-selling Gone
Tomorrow, Reacher arrives accidentally in a small South Dakota town, where
during a dangerous winter storm he is enlisted to protect a lone witness who
local police hope can help convict a brutal crime ring..

Open season - C. J. Box
As Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett races against time to save an endangered
species, he finds himself plunged into a deadly mystery that soon threatens his
family and the life he loves..

I hope these authors lead you to some enjoyable reads.

Ann Weaver
Adult Reference Services
Westchester Public Library
10700 Canterbury
Westchester, IL 60154

www.westchesterpl.org
askus@westchesterpl.org
708.562.3573

if i was a smarty, i would contact a library in some sort of appalachian region and ask them if they have a local interest list that i could look at for my query. i will do that. what do you think is the most representative library/town in that area with the most resources for this kind of thing. ideally it would be a very well-funded backwoods library, but i don't know if that sort of thing happens. according to jen, her library is ungreat, and she is rural, but not even close to the creepy town of my dreams.

Hmm, I'm most familiar with Tennessee. You could try Oak Ridge, Knoxville, or the University of Tennessee. UT has an MLIS program, so they probably have the best resources for the region. There is also Johnson City, home of East Tennessee State. In North Carolina, there is Boone, home of Appalachian State, but I have no idea what their library system is like. Virginia Tech is in the Blue Ridge Mountains and I believe West Virginia University is also in an Appalachian area.

If you really want small town, you could see what Newport/Cocke County has available. I would refer you to the little library where my grandmother's niece worked, but I honestly don't know if they even have a website.

Oh, and there's always Asheville, NC too.

asheville is the shit although it isn't really "Appalachian" or "southern" it's like the williamsburg of NC

i will try both of those, thank you!

Karen! I was going to try KCLS but you need a library card. So what should I try instead?

try one of these!

http://bestof.libguides.com/readersad...

I just did IPL. Fingers crossed!

i emailed tennessee. i have high hopes.

UT?

It occurred to me after I wrote this that UT Chattanooga has a pretty good english & honors department. Also, Oak Ridge has some pretty fascinating stuff from their nuclear projects/secret city days.

still no responses from the other 2.

hhaha yeah - the university, not the entire state of tennessee! if they don't work out, i will keep trying that general region.

okay, it looks like i emailed the wrong library, but i love love love the response i got:

Hello! Have you considered using a service such as Goodreads to post your reading interests and request recommendations from others who enjoy reading similar types of books? Although we maintain a small leisure reading collection in addition to our research collection in literature, we don't typically offer leisure reading advice. Our local public library (Knox County Public Library) does offer reader advisory assistance ;.

LD
Research Services
University of Tennessee Libraries
1015 Volunteer Blvd
Knoxville, TN 37996-1000

hahaha!!

nice

I got:


I need you to narrow your question a bit, do you have a genre in mind with this question? Maybe you have read something similar to what you're are asking and can give me a title that will give me a better understanding of what types of books you are looking for - what types of problems are you thinking of?

--
Theresa Webster
Young Adult Librarian III
Teen'Scape - Central Library
630 W 5th St, Los Angeles, CA 90071
twebster@lapl.org
213 228 7221


I sent:

I'm not looking for any specific genre. I really liked ultraviolet and the jenna fox books. Generally I like books with some kind of philosophical leanings, like the fox books are about what constitutes a human. I get really frustrated by books like If I stay where the protaganist seems too wrapped up in emotional tantrums to actually seriously consider the situation.

ooh, a work in progress!

Jasmine wrote: "I got:


I need you to narrow your question a bit, do you have a genre in mind with this question? Maybe you have read something similar to what you're are asking and can give me a title that will..."

that seems like and incredibly stupid reply to your inquiry jasmine, i mean how are you supposed to answere her questions is she has already ingnorded "I'm not looking for any specific genre." and she replies "...do you have a genre in mind with this question?"

wtf?

karen wrote: "ooh, a work in progress!"

i ahve not heard anything back from the links:
http://www.webrary.org/ref/refchat2.html...

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTAC...

http://www.ipl.org/div/askus/

oh, i thought the responses were in reverse order. no?

no her first then what I wrote.

yeah! that's what i meant - that's what makes sense. and now you are just waiting to hear back, yes?

Denae wrote: "I'm jealous of your library system, Flannery. I just moved and the one I'm in now leaves much to be desired. Much."
Denae, i think ANY library would be happy to give you RA and then you could either see if your local lib has the item or interlibrary loan it or something. you could also let your local lib know you are getting your RA from out of town. hah. no, seriously.

Jasmine wrote: "no her first then what I wrote."

opps, sorry for my snark. i shouldnt diss librarians but rather support and encourage their slacking, plebeian, poass selves. :|

Okay, here's the response I got from IPL:

Greetings from ipl2!

Thank you for your question regarding science fiction books about
schools in space as well as young people sent to colonize new
planets.

I found several websites and book choices I hope you’ll find
interesting.

1) “The Lost Gate” by Orson Scott Card

http://www.tor.com/stories/2010/11/re...

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened
version for your convenience.

http://tinyurl.com/3whgxpz

A community of users maintains or edits this source. Because
membership in this community may include non-experts, information
taken from this source should be verified using other, more
reliable sources.

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened
version for your convenience:

http://tiny.cc/31i6r

Tor.com is a science fiction and fantasy blog style website. I
chose to use this website due to the current blog articles as
well as the biography listings for each contributor. The site
also lists several different ways to contact a staff member if
you have questions or concerns. The privacy policy explains how
and why the website collects personal information and ways you
can protect your personal information. All of these details
provide credibility for this website.

2) The Science Fiction Book Club website provided many books
which seemed to meet your criteria:

A community of users maintains or edits this source. Because
membership in this community may include non-experts, information
taken from this source should be verified using other, more
reliable sources.

“The Children of the Sky” by Vernor Vinge (sequel to “A Fire Upon
the Deep”)

http://www.sfbc.com/science-fiction-b...

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened
version for your convenience.

http://tinyurl.com/4y82e2g

“Pathfinder” by Orson Scott Card

http://www.sfbc.com/science-fiction-b...

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened
version for your convenience.

http://tinyurl.com/3nvzx8s

“Ark” by Stephen Baxter (sequel to “Flood”)

http://www.sfbc.com/science-fiction-b...

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened
version for your convenience.

http://tinyurl.com/3sm5c36

***The excerpt from this book included space travel to colonize
new futures for all mankind.

I chose the Science Fiction Book Club site because you do not
have to be a member to search through the books listed. The
website also allows you to search for certain aspects you would
like to read about (space adventure, steampunk, strange science,
etc.). The website also listed copyright information, company
contact information to include an address, and a detailed privacy
policy with “opt out” directions if you do not want the site to
collect specific personal information. All of this information
lends credibility to the website.

3) From the online article: “Your Picks: Top 100 Science-Fiction,
Fantasy Books” – NPR Books

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/1390858...

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened
version for your convenience.

http://tinyurl.com/3phagu8

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened
version for your convenience:

http://tiny.cc/zs8s2

#8 “The Foundation Trilogy” by Isaac Asimov

#51 “Hyperion” by Dan Simons

NPR is a quality news source providing current, up-to-date
information. I also chose this article because two of the books
you referenced (Dune and Ender’s Game) were listed among the 100
best sci-fi books.

1) How I found the first source:

I found this book by searching the ipl2 site. I selected
“Resources by Subject”, and then selected “Entertainment and
Leisure”. Next, I clicked on “Books” and then “Science Fiction
and Fantasy”. While scanning contributing members’ works from the
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc., I found the
tor.com website.

http://www.tor.com

Tor.com is a science fiction and fantasy blog style website. I
chose to use this website due to the current blog articles as
well as the biography listings for each contributor. The site
also lists several different ways to contact a staff member if
you have questions or concerns. The privacy policy explains how
and why the website collects personal information and ways you
can protect your personal information. All of these details
provide credibility for this website.

To replicate my search through the tor.com website from the main
page:

Using the search box, I typed in the phrase
(you will not need to use the symbols before the phrase). “The
Lost Gate” is the first result listed.

http://www.tor.com/search?searchword=...

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened
version for your convenience.

http://tinyurl.com/3nhd56c

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened
version for your convenience:

http://tiny.cc/6knon

2) How I found the second source:

Using the google search engine, I typed in the phrase fiction books>. The Science Fiction Book Club was the second
result listed.

http://www.google.com/

http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1C...

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened
version for your convenience.

http://tinyurl.com/3fqorrl

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened
version for your convenience:

http://tiny.cc/r51s5

From the main page of Science Fiction Book Club, I clicked on
“science fiction” and then “space adventure” from the left hand
side categories. There are 121 pages listed. Many of the results
included “Star Wars” and “Halo” type books. I was able to scan
through most of the books and chose a few I thought you might be
interested in.

http://www.sfbc.com/science-fiction-b...

3) How I found the third source:

Using the Google search engine, I did a search for science fiction books>. The NPR article was the first result
listed.

http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1C...

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened
version for your convenience.

http://tinyurl.com/3kvhyof

This link is quite long and could break, so here is a shortened
version for your convenience:

http://tiny.cc/y6016

I hope these sources answer your question. If you still need more
information, please contact us again.

Thanks for visiting ipl2!

flannery always gets the good stuff...

aren't ipl the ones that told me "no" they like her more.

tuck I don't blame the person I probably would have done the same thing.

Thank you for your question about fiction books for teens. I
believe that you would like some lists of highly recommended
quality fiction books written for teenagers which feature
teenaged characters. There are several high quality lists that I
can direct you to which will give you many recommended books
written for young adults.

One trustworthy website that I have used before is the site of
the American Library Association (ALA). They have put together
an excellent list of award winning books for young adults. In
the field of young adult writing, there are several different
awards given to recognize the books that are considered the best
in their category. The winners and the runners-up are listed on
this ALA website.

For the page that lists all of the awards and has the links to
the nominated books use this link:

http://ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/b...


There are six literary awards for books for teenagers listed on
this page. These books are the top books selected for the years
they were written and they span a range of reading and maturity
levels.

Since I believe that you are looking for quality fiction for
teens, I would suggest that you take a close look at the books
listed for the Michael Printz Award. The ALA website page that I
have suggested below lists the winners of this award, along with
the rest of the nominees. This award honors excellence in
literature written for young adults and these books feature
teenaged characters.

For your convenience, I have provided you with the link to the
page that has the lists for the Michael Printz Award honorees
here:

http://ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/b...


The Printz Award books for 2011 are listed at the top of this
page. If you scroll down to the bottom of this page they have
provided links to the past winners and honors books.

Since the Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that
exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature, I hope
that this listing helps you to find some thoughtful and
intelligent fiction books for teens.

Please don’t forget to go over the first site I listed also,
especially looking at the books listed for the William Morris
Award and the Alex Awards because these are given to recognize
outstanding fiction books for young adults as well.


Still looking for some more great fiction books for young adults?
I have two more trustworthy sites that I found.

The first site is the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Young
Adult Booklists. This website has recommended reading for
teenagers from librarians in Pittsburgh so you know that it is
reliable. It includes lists on teen fiction, historical teen
fiction, African-American authors, and more.

Here is the link for the Carnegie Library Young Adult Booklists:

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/teens/...



The second site you might also like to check out is from the St.
Louis County Library. The librarians there have put together a
list of recommended teen reading which includes categories like
realistic fiction, historical fiction, science fiction, and more.

Here is a link to the St. Louis County Library’s Teen Reads list:

http://www.slcl.org/teens/teenreads/i...



Now I will tell you the search strategy I used to find this
information. For the ALA site, I used the Google search engine:

http://www.google.com/

I then typed “ALA young adult book awards” into the search bar.
The link I gave you first was one listed on the top of the search
results page.


For the next two websites, I began my search at the “Reading &
Writing” section of the ipl2’s “For Teens” subject collection.

The link for that is here:

http://www.ipl.org/IPLBrowse/GetSubje...


This link is long and could break, so here is a shortened link
for your convenience:

http://tinyurl.com/5wfgyn8


This brought me to a list of recommended and trusted websites
about reading and writing for teens. Scrolling down the list I
found the “Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Young Adult
Booklists” which linked to the Carnegie’s list. Then beneath
this link I found the “Teen Reads List” link, which brought me to
the site from the St. Louis County Library.


With these highly recommend booklists from these three
trustworthy sites, you know that this information is reliable! I
hope that I have answered your question and that you can find
many intelligent and thought-provoking works of young adult
fiction with the help of these authoritative websites.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to write to us
again at the ipl2.

Jasmine wrote: "I got:


I need you to narrow your question a bit, do you have a genre in mind with this question? Maybe you have read something similar to what you're are asking and can give me a title that will..."


wait... did I just get recommended a list of books that are what I said I hated?

Here are some suggestions from the Novelist database - I searched using their Advanced search feature, the term I used was emotional problems, then I limited to Teen audience before clicking on the search button. I haven't read any of these titles so I can't answer your question about how well the character deals with the problems. If you have read any of the titles below and enjoyed them let me know, I am also happy to walk you through using Novelist to get suggestions of books to read.

I also wanted to know if you have already read Rebecca Anderson's Faery Rebels series - book 1 Spell Hunter, book 2 Wayfarer and book 3 Arrow?

I am a bad question asker.

ok, I submitted my not too hard, not too soft question to IPL2, and here's what I rec'd back:

Your question asked for recommendations for some good fictional reads. You are specifically looking for sardonic humor, but also mystery/detective or lighthearted.

First I’d like to recommend some useful sources on the “IPL” website to search for some good books.

http://tinyurl.com/3chr39x

This area has numerous links that can help direct you to some interesting books. One that I recommend is Booktalk:

http://www.booktalk.com/

The blog Booktalk describes latest releases and other good fictional books that will help direct you to some interesting reads. It is a good site for recommendations, and includes numerous authors and events. The blog is updated periodically and it lists the bloggers name, so you can check out other pieces he/she has written on other books. It is not an authority on books, but it does provide good insight on a wide variety of books and provides up to date news.

Another site I recommend you check out is LibraryThing:

http://www.librarything.com/

This is a useful site for anyone who likes to read, and also for people to keep track of books. By signing up (and it’s free to join), you can list what books you have read, and then label them
based on how you would describe them. As a result, there is a recommendations tab that will list similar books to those you’ve already read. You also can link to other people and see what books they’ve read, and get even more recommendations. It is a good social networking tool for readers. I discovered this site from my local library, and if you need help finding it you can go into “Google” and type “library thing” as your search. The link listed above should appear in your search.

One book I did think of while reading your question was “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. It is light-hearted, but also historical and has depth. There is a little bit of mystery to it, and is written in an easy to read format since the style is in letter form. And finally, it is hopeful and optimistic but is not “hearts & flowers”. I did a search on “Google” to find the book and typed in “Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”. From there I found the authors’ website. You can check out the authors’ website regarding the book at:

http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/guern...

I hope that information sends you in the right direction to finding a book.

I find this reply hysterically funny. a) because this library suggests using "google" to find a book. Whoda thunk it? b) because she recommends LibraryThing (when I specifically mentioned in my query that I had used goodreads' RA group to find an initial set of books that meet my criteria) and c) because I would rather stick knitting needles in my eyes than read "The guernsey potato peelers' club," or whatever the hell it's called.

Score another one for the Readers' Advisory Group.