Friday, January 17, 2014

My Reading List for 2013

Made it to 2013. We are in the middle of January 2014; it feels like I am running a bit late in terms of doing my annual reading report, but it's all good in the end. I feel this has been a good reading year. It was not as good of a blogging year, at least for the professional blog (this one), but I am at peace with that. It's not that I have stopped writing. I keep writing, but I often do more of my reflections about librarianship both my work and the profession in the privacy of my journal. I've also learned to simply stay away from the drama and soap opera that Librarian Blogsylvania (and a couple other forums) often displays. So, I blog here as I feel the need to or when I want to document something I feel important.

On the positive, I have been blogging more over on my personal blog, The Itinerant Librarian. For one, I decided to go back to posting my book notes here on the blog after I make notes for them in my journal. In part, I was motivated by GoodReads being bought by Amazon, and in part, well, I just wanted to post more book reviews. Reading has always been an important part of my life. As a librarian, I take pride in the fact that I read a lot, and I try to read a variety of things. Sharing them on the blog is a bit of fun, is a way to have some content on the blog, and maybe some other reader out there finds a good reading suggestion or two from my book notes.  

In addition, this was the year I registered with NetGalley, and shortly after with Edelweiss. Also, this year I can say is the year I started reading more e-books via the iPad, using apps, mainly Bluefire, but also Overdrive for library books and Kindle. I may write later on some of my experiences reading e-books with these devices and software. I can say that I have slowly but surely built up as a book blogger, and I am enjoying it very much. This has allowed me to read more I think, and it has allowed me to try out a few new things; for instance, I have always read erotica (something the Better Half and I enjoy very much), but it was not something I shared publicly (in part due to that whole pesky "librarian image" thing). This year I finally decided to share some of those books and review them as well on the blog. Don't worry. I am not going into full "sex blogger" mode; this is more just adding some depth and variety to my book blogging with something I have always read and enjoyed. If one of the four readers is too prudish, well, there are other blogs out there he or she can read. To sum up, the risk is a bit lower when you read a galley or review copy, so trying new things feels easier. Now on The Itinerant Librarian, I strive to combine reviews from newer things (many of these items via NetGalley, Edelweiss, or the one or two publishers who have me on their reviewer lists-- another small experience to write about later) plus new and old things on my "to be read" lists, things from the library (yes, I still check out books quite a bit), and things I purchase. It's been fun; it's something I enjoy sharing and writing about, and as a librarian, it has none of the drama. Life in that regard is good. 

I also tried a book challenge this year, which sadly I did not get to complete mainly due to the very serendipitous way in which I read. I will write about that soon.  The other experience I enjoyed very much was participating in my local public library's summer reading program. This also got me to read more, and I did read a few new things outside what I usually read. I have been meaning to write about it, so I hope I can do so soon. Overall, it was a good year of new experiences in reading, and I hope this new year keeps the positive reading experience coming. 

 So, let's see how we did in 2013: 
The basic numbers:

I read 173 books this year, including 2 re-reads.

Number of books read in 2012: 117, with 6 re-reads (the 2012 list).
Number of books read in 2011: 119, with 3 re-reads (the 2011 list). 
Number of books read in 2010:  119, with 6 rereads (the 2010 list).
Number of books read in 2009: 98, with 5 rereads. I believe this is the first time I started to actively track rereads. (the 2009 list).
Number of books read in 2008: 111 (the 2008 list).
Number of books read in 2007: 85 (the 2007 list).
Number of books read in 2006: 106 (the 2006 list).
Number of books read in 2005: 73



 I read a lot more this year; 56 more books than last year. As I noted, this was the year I joined NetGalley and Edelweiss. I have been more active on NetGalley (easier to use), and it shows. Many of the books I read in 2013 were either e-galleys or e-book review copies (on NetGalley, sometimes they send a rough galley, and other times they do send a full e-book version). 

I did not reread much this year. One of the two rereads was Batman: The Long Halloween, which is a small tradition for me around Halloween. Rereads are marked in the list with an asterisk. As I did in 2012, I now track how many books I borrow from libraries (my library or others, say ILL), and I will go over that and other numbers in the commentary below the list. As always, if a book title is not as clear, I have added small details in parenthesis (say to make clear it is a graphic novel or part of a series). Most of the books listed below have been reviewed on my blog, The Itinerant Librarian, or you can find brief reviews on my BookLikes profile (this would apply more for older things before I restarted book reviewing on the blog, and it was imported from GoodReads. My BL profile is linked on the right side of the blogs). To read reviews at The Itinerant Librarian, simply click on the label for "books and reading." The only exception: the professional books I read and review go here at The Gypsy Librarian. 

So, finally, here is the my reading list for 2013. I will add comments and thoughts, as I always do, after the list: 

January:
  • Gav Thorpe, Path of the Seer (Path of the Eldar series, Book 2, Warhammer 40K). 
  • Ben Counter, Galaxy in Flames (The Horus Heresy, Book 3, Warhammer 40K). 
  • Kagan McLeod, Infinite Kung Fu. 
  • David Borgenicht, Star Trek Book of Opposites. 
  • Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead, Book 8 (hardcover compilation).
  • Pascale Le Draoulec, American Pie.
  • Howard Stelzer and Ashley Stelzer, Beer Cocktails. 
  • Henry H. Owings, The Indie Cred Test. 
  • Nathan Edmondson, Who is Jake Ellis? Vol. 1. 
  • bell hooks, Appalachian Elegy: Poetry and Place.
  • Lisa Dodson, The Moral Underground. 
February:
  • Christian Dunn, ed., Treacheries of the Space Marines (Short story collection, Warhammer 40K).
  • Don McLeod, How to Find Out Anything. 
  • James Swallow, The Flight of the Eisenstein (The Horus Heresy, Book 4, Warhammer 40K). 
  • Stephen Colbert, America Again. 
  • Willie Nelson, Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die. 
  • Mike W. Barr, Star Trek Archives: The Best of DS 9. 
  • Howard Chaykin, Batman: Thrillkiller. 
  • Christopher De Hamel, Bibles: An Illustrated History from Papyrus to Print. 
  • Geoff Johns, JLA, Vol. 18: A Crisis of Conscience. 
  • Frank Miller, Ronin. 
  • Frank Miller, 300. 
  • Mathew Inman, How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You. 
  • Shouji Sato, Triage X, Vol. 1. 
  • Larry Kramer, The Normal Heart. 
  • Quino, Mafalda 2*.

 March:
  • Jeph Loeb, Absolute Batman: Hush. 
  • Scott Tipton, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine- Fool's Gold. 
  • Dwayne Mack, et.al., eds., Mentoring Faculty of Color.
  • Frank Tieri, X-Men: Apocalypse/Dracula. 









July:

  • Ben Counter, Battle for the Abyss (Horus Heresy, Book 8, Warhammer 40K). 
  • Heather Arndt-Anderson, Breakfast: A History.  
  • Robert Lanham, The Sinner's Guide to the Evangelical Right.  
  • John Ostrander, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Vol. 2: Prisoner of Bogan.  
  • Erik Burnham, et.al., The New Ghostbusters, Vol. 1.  
  • Stuart Moore, Wolverine Noir.  
  • Kristina Wright, ed., Best Erotic Romance 2013. 
  • Nathaniel Marunas, Manga Claus: The Blade of Kringle.  
  • Geoff Johns, et.al., Superman: Brainiac.  
  • John Owens, Confessions of a Bad Teacher. 
  • Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner, Before Watchmen: Minutemen/Silk Spectre. 
  • Len Wein, et.al., Before Watchmen: Ozymandias/Crimson Corsair. 
  • J. Michael Straczynski, Before Watchmen: Nite Owl/Dr. Manhattan. 
  • Brian Azarrello, Before Watchmen: Comedian/Rorschach. 

August:

  • Neal Thompson, A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It Or Not" Ripley.
  • John Jackson Miller, Star Wars: Kenobi. 
  • Fred Van Lente and Steve Kurth, G.I. Joe, Vol. 1: Homefront. 
  • Tom Sniegoski and Johnny Desjardins, Vampirella Strikes, Vol. 1: On the Side of Angels. 
  • Rachel Haimowitz and Heidi Belleau, The Flesh Cartel, Season 1: Damnation.  
  • Agatha Christie, Thirteen at Dinner. 
  • Harvey Kurtzman, Corpse on the Imjin and Other Stories by Harvey Kurtzman. 
  • Eduardo Galeano, Los hijos de los días.
  • Charles M. Schulz, The Complete Peanuts: 1959-1960. 
  • Tom Nissley and Joanna Neborsky, The Reader's Book of Days.  
  • Jim Heimann, ed., All American Ads of the 20s.  
  • William Sitwell, A History of Food in 100 Recipes.  
  • Scott Adams, Build a Better Life by Stealing Office Supplies. 
  • Eugene Byrne, Darwin: A Graphic Biography.  
  • James Sturm, Market Day. 


September:

  • Ronald L. Collins and David M. Skover, On Dissent: Its Meaning in America. 
  • Grumpy Cat, Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book. 
  • Chris Roberson, Sons of Dorn (Warhammer 40,000 novel)
  • Andrew E.C. Gaska, Classic Space 1999: To Everything That Was: Selected Remastered Works. 
  • Matt Wagner, Green Hornet: Year One Omnibus.  
  • Scott Adams, It's Not Funny If  I Have to Explain It.
  • Eva Talmadge and Justin Taylor, The World Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide.
  • Mairghread Scott, Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters, Volume 1.   
  • Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, Saga, Vol. 1. 
  • Matthew Chojnacki, Alternative Movie Posters: Film Art from the Underground.  
  • Brian K. Vaughan, Saga, Vol. 2.
  • Mike Costa, G.I. Joe: The Cobra Files, Vol. 1. 
  • Marion Nestle, Eat Drink Vote: an Illustrated Guide to Food Politics. 
  • Mike Mignola, Hellboy: The Midnight Circus. 
  • Sohaib Awan, Jinnrise, Vol. 1. 
  • Charles Schultz, The Complete Peanuts: 1961-1962. 
  • Tom Taylor, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Vol. 1.

October:

  • Bernie Wrightson, Creepy Presents: Bernie Wrightson.
  • Russell Shorto, Amsterdam: a History of the World's Most Liberal City. 
  • George Grant and Karen Grant, Shelf Life. 
  • Jason Rodriguez, ed., Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened. 
  • Matz, The Killer Omnibus, Vol. 1. 
  • Dennis O'Neil, et.al., Nightwing: Ties That Bind. 
  • Rachel Haimowitz, ed., Bump in the Night. 
  • Ed Brubaker, Uncanny X-Men: The Extremists. 
  • James O'Barr, The Crow: Curare.  
  • Sean Michael Wilson, The 47 Ronin. 
  • Jamyang Norbu, The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes. 
  • Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, Batman: The Long Halloween.*
  • Various authors, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Villains Micro-Series, Vol. 1. 
  • Scott Snyder, Batman, Vol. 3: Death of the Family. (The New 52)
  • Ed Brubaker, X-Men: Deadly Genesis. 

November:

  • Mike Mignola, B.P.R.D.: Vampire.  
  • Ian Doescher, William Shakespeare's Star Wars. 
  • Mike Mignola, Hellboy, Vol. 10: The Crooked Man and Others. 
  • Si Kahn, Creative Community Organizing.
  • Scott Lobdell, Teen Titans, Vol. 3: Death of the Family. (The New 52)
  • Charles M. Schulz, The Complete Peanuts: 1963-1964.
  • Monty L. McAdoo, Fundamentals of Library Instruction. 
  • Matt Frank, et.al., Godzilla: Rulers of Earth. 
  • Howard Zinn, et.al., A People's History of American Empire. 
  • Devon McCormack, Clipped. 
  • Patrick Shand, Robyn Hood: Wanted. 
  • Peter Tomasi, Batman and Robin, Vol. 3: Death of the Family (The New 52). 

December:
  • William Stoddart, An Illustrated Outline of Buddhism. 
  • Stephen D. Korshak, ed., Frank R. Paul: Father of Science Fiction Art.
  • Devin Grayson, Batman: Year One- Ra's Al Ghul. 
  • Tom Taylor, Star Wars: Blood Ties- A Tale of Jango and Boba Fett.
  • Michael A. Stackpole, Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron- Blood and Honor. 
  • Chris Metzen, Transformers: Monstrosity.
  • John Ostrander, Star Wars: Darkness. 
  • Michael Walsh, The X-Files: Season 10, Vol. 1. 
  • Diane E. Muldrow, Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Little Golden Book. 
  • Nick Reding, Methland. 
  • Neil Gaiman, Signal to Noise (new edition).
  • Stephan Pastis, Rat's Wars (Pearls Before Swines collection).
  • Cullen Bunn, The Sixth Gun: Sons of the Gun.



Comments and thoughts:

  • Though I still prefer to read in print, this was the year that I truly took off in terms of reading e-books. I use my iPad, and on the iPad I mainly use the Bluefire app., followed by the Kindle app. For e-books, it is mostly free stuff. I do not buy e-books (I do very little shopping online overall, in part because I dislike using credit cards for that purpose, so I avoid it). E-galleys have been one way for me to read e-books. Another way has been a few online freebies I learn about from various sources; this is the only reason I have an Amazon account, for the occasional book freebie. In addition, I have also borrowed e-books from my local public library using Overdrive, which gave me exposure to that system. However, reading on the iPad is not always the most pleasant experience. In addition to its weight, it is still reading on a computer screen (eye strain issues, so on). Turning pages is not as seamless as the makers of e-books make out to be (and on iPad, at times, e-books do briefly "freeze" for seconds, frustrating when you want to read the next page, and it won't turn). Plus, for bedtime, where I do a lot of my reading, I tend to prefer reading in print as a way to disconnect. So while I do read a lot more e-books, print is still my preferred reading method, and I still read a lot in print. I have not given up for print for electronic as other people have done, and I don't foresee doing it anytime soon. 
  • These days I am using BookLikes to both keep track of my books as well as just a bit of book blogging for fun. You can see my BookLikes profile here (or click the link on the right column of this blog).  In a nutshell, it is like a hybrid of what GoodReads does with Tumblr. It may not be as robust for some things librarians tend to like, but it works pretty well for me. Only thing I use GoodReads for these days is mostly to post links to reviews of books I have read for review, in other words, books from NetGalley, Edelweiss, or a publisher. Those folks tend to like it when you post in "big shot" places like Amazon and/or GoodReads. Amazon is not going to happen because to post a review there,  you have to have made an actual purchase (freebie downloads do not count), and I am not planning on doing one any time soon. However, since I already have a GR account, copying a link there when I add one of those books to my shelf is no big deal. I don't give GR any more than that in terms of info. In terms of community, so far, people in BL seem fairly nice overall so far. 
  • I still read a lot by serendipity. This is based on either mood or whatever I find interesting at a time. Sure, I keep TBR lists in various places, but I do a lot of "ooh, shiny new book" grabbing when I see something. That is just life, and I am perfectly cool with that. As I have noted before, some of my TBR lists you can find over at Alchemical Thoughts (just click on the "books and reading" tag when you get there). I also browse a lot, and I make notes. Still loving my pocket notebook, which works well for me because it is great for reminders, including jotting down books I want to read, which I then add to a list on the scratch pad, or borrow or buy depending on mood. 
  •  Number of books read in the best month: 17 in September. Some good stuff that month, including the first two volumes of Saga.
  • Number of books read in the worst month: 11 in January, so I still did pretty good. Usually, if I get 10 books in a month, I feel in good shape. However, if I do less, I don't lose sleep over it. I read what I read, and let the rest fall into place. 
  • Fiction: 122. A lot of what I read this year fell under graphic novels, and most of those are fiction. I did read some nonfiction graphic novels, but the majority were fiction. This is exactly double the amount of fiction from last year.
  • Nonfiction: 51. I read five books less in nonfiction this year. I only read 2 books that would be classified as LIS. On this regard, I still do most of my LIS reading via articles. Though I have not made as many article notes this year, I do still keep up with the literature (some of it may be I read stuff, but I don't consider it good enough to blog about it and share it). My remarks from last year regarding LIS books still hold this year. I did nonfiction in other areas of interest to librarians (or I think they should interest librarians) such as the topic of books and reading and the topic of community organizing. 
  • Books borrowed:102. This breaks down as follows: 
    • 79 books from my local public library, Madison County Public Library (I use the Berea branch, which also let's me request items from the main branch as needed). I have to say we are very pleased here with the public library system. For a small system, they are very responsive; they do some pretty good collection development, and they are very open to suggestions from patrons. I know given that I have turned in suggestions for possible purchase. They got the items in pretty quick. 
    • 2 via Overdrive. Out of the 79 above, I gave my public library's Overdrive offerings a spin. 
    • 8 Interlibrary loans (ILL) through my own library. If my public library does not have it, I go the ILL route. Most of my reading in the Horus Heresy series has been via ILL. I am not shy at all about using ILL whether for academic or popular stuff. Way I see it, it's what it's there for. 
    • 15 books from my own library, Hutchins Library of Berea College.
  • Books read via NetGalley: 46. These were mostly graphic novels. However, I did get some nonfiction and fiction items this way as well. 
  • Books read via Edelweiss: 3. I don't like their interface as much, so I tend to use it less. However, for librarians, this may be a good source even if you do not request galleys for review because of the access you can get to publisher catalogs. Also, for galleys, they do tend to have some backlist items. 
  • Books from other sources: 7. This would include books I have gotten directly from a publisher for review (one publisher I work with fairly regularly; the other more irregular) and a book or two won in some online contest. 
  • Books that are mine: 13. This means books I have purchased (that were not review copies-- I sometimes do get actual books-- or galleys). Out of these, 2 were the rereads.This is part of why I failed my TBR challenge. I did not pay that much attention to the books I have already. Know what? It was still fun and worth it to do all that reading.
  • Graphic novels and comics: 98. Definitely a good year for graphic novels and comics. Many of these I read via NetGalley, mostly newer things such as the Before Watchmen series.
  • Mangas: 3. These three were part of my personal collection (they are mine). I have a good stack of mangas, so I hope to read a few more over this new year. I particularly enjoyed the Triage X series, upon which I will comment some more below. My comments from last year in terms of difficulty finding titles still apply. I still do my runs to "the big city" (Lexington) when I want to get a good bookstore. However, since I am reading more via NetGalley and/or other review methods, buying books has not been as urgent as before. But I still hunt for specific things to add to my personal collection.
  • Other categories: I read a couple of poetry books by Appalachian writers. Living in Appalachia as I do now (on the edge, but we are still Appalachia), I have felt a need to read about the region as well as explore writers of the region. You will probably see a few more of those kinds of books on my list for this year down the road. Got in some art books as well. Also, as I mentioned, some erotica, which I have always read, but this is the year I decided to go public in terms of reviewing it.
  • Book challenges: I did not complete the TBR book challenge as mentioned. I will write a separate post for that soon. 

If you are still here, I am glad you stuck around. Let's look at the part my four readers have been waiting for: my favorites of 2013. This definitely was a very good year in terms of good stuff to read. I will like to my reviews if I have a published review (for some, I have reviews completed, but scheduled for later on). Some of my favorites include:

  • Brian K. Vaughan's Saga. This series for me was a pleasant discovery. I read the first trade paperback volumes, and I have to say this is among the best things I have read recently. It definitely deserves every positive accolade it has gotten. I will be looking for more volumes down the road. If you enjoy science fiction, fantasy, good stories, fables, so on, you need to be reading this. I wrote the review, and it will be appearing on this blog later, so stay tuned. 
  • The Horus Heresy series. This has not been perfect, but overall it remains a favorite of mine. Some volumes have been excellent, some average, and at least one bad one. The bad one, so far, was volume 6, Descent of Angels (link to my review). I am currently reading Mechanicum, volume 9 of the series, and I do plan to continue reading the series. Fans of Warhammer 40K will certainly enjoy this series as well, with the caveat that, like many series with various authors, some volumes may be better than others, but so far, the positives have outweighed any negatives. 
  • Dwayne Mack, Mentoring Faculty of Color.  This is one of the academic books I read this year. A bit from my review: "The book fills a very important gap in the literature of higher education: how faculty members of minority groups go through getting tenure, the obstacles and challenges they face, and the various paths they take in creating a way out of no way." 
  • The Manhattan Projects, Vol. 1. This is another series I will be looking for. It is an alternate history take on the Manhattan Project. 
  • Serving Him: Sexy Stories of Submission. When I tell people who have read, or are considering reading, 50 Shades of Gray to do themselves a favor and find better erotica, Kramer Bussel's book is one that I recommend right away. In addition, this book has the Better Half "Seal of Approval."
  • The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black. This was just a cool book. A great combination of gothic horror fiction and art. The art plates of the mythological creatures are excellent. 
  • Fat Girl by Carlos Batts. An erotic photography collection featuring April Flores. I read this as a review copy via NetGalley, but it is one I would add to my personal collection in print. 
  • Punk Rock Jesus by Sean Murphy. The premise? A reality show features a clone of Jesus. Yes, THAT Jesus. 
  • Bob Fingerman's Maximum Minimum Wage. An oversized collection of Fingerman's comic strip about a graphic artist in New York City, his girlfriend, and his friends. This is like a sitcom on print, but in this case, it is a sitcom done right, and it does contain some adult themes. 
  • Darth Vader and Son and Vader's Little Princess. Both books by Jeffrey Brown. A pair of delightful little books that every Star Wars fan has to read. Brown imagines what would have happened if Darth Vader had to raise his kids. Who knew the Dark Lord of the Sith could make a pretty good dad? Link to my review. Great humor for all ages. 
  • Neal Thompson's A Curious Man: the Strange & Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It Or Not!" Ripley. A biography of the man that reads like a good yarn. You thought his comic strip and his stories were amazing? Well, his life was amazing as well. My review of this is coming soon. 
  • The Flesh Cartel, Season 1: Damnation. A very explicit psychosexual thriller about an organization that "could teach even the KGB a thing or two about breaking a human mind. Fortunately for their ultra-rich clients, they’re just as skilled at putting people back together again—as perfect pets, well-trained and eager to please" (from the book's description). As I wrote in my review, "this is erotica for readers who like their kink very dark and very rough." It is also very enthralling and well-written, but not for the faint of heart. This is the first compilation of the series.
  • Luc Jacamon and Matz, The Killer Omnibus, Vol. 1. This is a hard boiled noir series about a professional killer who reflects upon his life and work. Is the stress catching up to him? Definitely worth reading. Review coming soon. 
  • Bump in the Night. An erotic horror collection that makes a very good read around Halloween, but you can read it any time. From my review, "if you like your horror with an element of edgy erotica, or you like your hard erotica with an element of terror and suspense, then this can be the anthology for you."
  • And last, but not least for this year, William Shakespeare's Star Wars. Right away, I will say this is just a hoot. Fans of Star Wars and fans of Shakespeare have a reason to come together. From my review, "the author in essence has channeled the great bard to envision the Star Wars epic in a new light."
What I am currently reading. As of this writing, I have already read 8 books for January 2014. I am currently reading the following:

  • The Big Book of Bizarro, edited by Richard Bottles and Gary Lee Vincent. This is a big anthology, so it will likely take me a while. What I have read so far, I have enjoyed. 
  • Alex Strick van van Linschoten, et.al, eds., Poetry of the Taliban. It turns out the Taliban are not only the repressive former rulers of Afghanistan, but also many of their members have a poetic side. The poetry reflects much of the poetic tradition of the nation and its people. The editors sought works done by ordinary people as opposed to literary works that were clearly just propaganda from that regime. An interesting anthology so far. 
  • Graham McNeill's Mechanicum. This is book 9 of the Horus Heresy series, and it focuses on the Mechanicum of Mars, the technocult that builds the weapons and supplies for the armies of the Emperor. The civil war of the Horus Heresy finally reaches Mars. If you wanted to know more about the Mechanicum, this may be the book for you. Pretty good so far. 
  • Mark Rahner, Dejah Thoris and the Green Men of Mars, Vol. 1. Collection of comics based on the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs. This is a NetGalley selection. 
  • The Best of Pantha: the Warren Stories. A collection of tales about the character of Pantha from Vampirella magazine. This is another NetGalley selection. 

P.S. In case you are interested (assuming you read this far, for which I thank you), here are a few other folks who gave their year-end reading reports. I include these because I always find interesting the diversity of books that other people out there read, even the books that are not in my reading horizon:









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Friday, December 20, 2013

Booknote: Fundamentals of Library Instruction

Monty L. McAdoo, Fundamentals of Library Instruction. Chicago; ALA, 2012. ISBN: 9780838911419.

Overall, I found this book to be a very basic overview and how-to for library instruction. If you are experienced in library instruction, much of what this book has will be material  you already know (or should know), and it will seem basic and simple. If on the other hand, you come to library instruction with no experience, as many academic librarians often do, this book will provide some help. I can certainly see this book being used in one of the few library instruction classes available in library schools. In a nutshell, it is a good book, but I did not think it was a great book. I am willing to admit that in my case I come to this topic as an experienced librarian, so much of the book was just going back to very basics for me. As I said, if you do not have that experience, this may be good place to start learning.

The book is organized into 11 chapters after the preface. Some of the topics featured are:
  • Historical overview of library instruction. 
  • How students learn.
  • What to teach. 
  • Characteristics of effective instructors.
  • Characteristics of effective instruction.

If you want to skip the rest of my notes below, and if you ask me, I would give this 3 out of 5 stars. I "liked it," but I did not "really like it." It is still a book I would keep on my professional shelf as it does have some nice reminders. I did order it for our library so my instruction team has access to it.

Some initial reading notes and comments:

"Simply  put, despite growing demands for instruction, library science programs with an instruction track are virtually non-existent. Worse, many programs do not have even a single course dealing with instruction in the library context. As a result, the only exposure and 'training' that many instruction librarians ever receive is on the job" (Preface, X).

Let's be honest. If you want to be an instruction librarian, or you are thrust into the position, your options are very limited. You either come to library school with a teaching degree, or once in librarianship, you apply and hope you get accepted into ACRL's Immersion Program (this option does have implications such as membership in ALA issues and other costs, but we won't go into those here. If you look into the blog's tag for "professional development," you can find my notes on my experience). At this point in my career, I have both: a teaching degree, and I am a two-time Immersion graduate (I have completed the teaching and program tracks; sucker that I am for pain, I would like to complete the assessment track or maybe their teaching with tech track. However, those fall under "would be nice to do" at this point. The two tracks I have done I feel have prepared me well). I do recognize that I am fortunate in that regard (to an extent. It was not just fortune. I had to work very hard to gain the experience and credentials I have. You do have to put work in to be a good instruction librarian). Otherwise, if you are coming into librarianship without teaching experience, you are in for a very steep learning curve. Teaching is a serious endeavor, and I have learned a thing or two along the way (even if I try not to brag much about it in public). I also know that I need to keep on learning and reflecting, tasks that I strive to do regularly. This blog is one of the small ways in which I do my reflections.

This book is designed to help out librarians with instruction responsibilities who may lack pedagogy and/or instructional design experience. It's intended as a book for librarians, and I think that is important to point out. Majority of books on teaching and/or instructional design are not made for us. We can get things out of them and learn from them, but at the end of the day, what happens in a K-12 classroom or a college professor's classroom is different than what we do (there are similarities as well, but again, another conversation for another time). This is a book for us. The author admits that it is not meant to be comprehensive, but it is more like a primer. I say that if you come to this line of work with no experience, this is a book to get.

"In an age when the relevance of libraries is often questioned, bringing effective meaningful instructional opportunities to library users is more critical than ever" (Preface X). 

As I've always said, as long as people need help learning resources, good research, and the skills of information literacy (even if they are not called that at times), I'll have a job. 

Reading along, in the second chapter, the author discusses who teaches and goes over the fact, which I have mentioned already, that very few librarians come to the profession with either a teaching degree or any teaching experience. According to the author, many librarians, most in fact, cobble their instruction experience by trial and error, a small workshop here, a conference there, so on. He points out it may be years, if ever, "before this rather piecemeal approach enables an individual to become effective at developing and administering instruction" (8). This is certainly nothing new; we teachers certainly know this. In fact, the literature in education mentions how time and experience do make a better teacher. Having studied pedagogy also helps. No, teaching is not just "those who can do, those who can't teach" pablum. Those can't teach who end up in our ranks are either lousy professionals (the ones that certain librarian bloggers love to decry), slackers, or worse (they manage to climb into management to make everyone else's lives a living hell).

Other notes:

  • On instruction and nontraditional venues. In my time, I have learned and come to appreciate that to be a good instruction librarian you need to be involved with those who use your library and your services. For me, being involved with students as much as possible is a core function of what I do. It helps create rapport and makes me more approachable. For some, this may sound like outreach. I have learned that at times outreach and instruction get put together. I have held positions where I was primarily an instruction librarian and was given outreach duties, and I have been in positions with the actual title of outreach librarian. This could make a topic for a blog post down the road. My point for now is that as an instruction librarian you need to be involved with the people you work with. Some ways to get involved listed in the book include (see page 49): 
    • speaking at nonlibrary departmental meetings on behalf of the library.
    • making in-service presentations to instructors (you often have skills. Offer to share them with others). 
    • serving as advisor to a student group (this is one I have done. Often, it is not as difficult as it may seem on the surface). 
    • attending school-sponsored activities (e.g., sporting events) where students and instructors are likely to be present (for me, this is part of being out there and being the face of the library. But it is also a good thing. I will grant that I am not a big sports fan, so I rarely make sports events. But everything else-- talks, lectures, concerts, convocations, plays, etc., I try to make as much as possible. Besides, very often this is good cultural entertainment for free, and it builds some goodwill). 
    • having an active presence at events like orientation, alumni weekend, homecoming, and parents' weekend. 
    • communicating through library publications-- printed and electronic. 
  • Follow up to the above: "participating in these sorts of activities does not mean teaching. Just being a positive, personable advocate for the library is often sufficient" (49). Yes, advocacy skill does help in this line of work. So does being positive and enthusiastic as well as truly caring for your students. Now, if anyone asks, what about faculty? a small maxim helps me out: I am there to provide good service; I am not their servant. 
  • Some traits of effective instructors: 
    • "Genuine desire to teach. Everyone has off days. But if you do not care about what you are teaching, how can you expect students to care?" (70). I will be blunt here: if you do not want to teach as a librarian, find yourself a niche or area of librarianship that requires minimal to no teaching. Go into cataloging (not to pick on catalogers, but I assuming you get a job in a big cataloging cube farm like the one in the library school I went to where all you do is pretty much process records all day in a terminal) or other area that allows less public interaction. Being a lousy teacher because you do not care for it is a disservice to the students. Better yet, don't become a librarian. Nowadays, odds are good you will do some level of teaching be it training a colleague, reference work, or full library instruction.
    • "Knowledge of effective teaching and pedagogy" (70). Whether you get this by reading books, going to workshops, a class, so on, get some solid pedagogy training. In order to teach, you have to know how to teach and how students learn.
    • "Rapport with students and colleagues. Establishing rapport helps keep students engaged, facilitates learning, and generates positive feelings for students and instructors alike" (70). To me, this one is crucial. Again, if you lack things like empathy, caring and respect for your students and faculty, and you feel icky about being honest with them, find another line of work. Personally, being able to build good rapport is a major part of my philosophy as an instruction librarian. Besides, this helps to get students to come back and see you when they actually need help. They may not remember everything from a BI session, but if they remember you, and remember that you can help them, so they come see you, that is a victory.
    • "High expectations of their students. Students typically do more and do better if they are expected to so from the beginning. It is difficult to raise the bad midstream. . . " (71). This is a basic rule any good teacher knows. It is one of the first lessons I learned when I was learning to be a school teacher. It was lesson I was learning back when I took TESA training as a school teacher.  Some lessons just have staying power. 
    • "Openness to criticism. Instructors need to be open to critiques of their work and of their instruction" (71).
    •  "Patience.... Instructors need to be patient and work with students at their own pace and level" (71). I think this is self-explanatory.
    • "Sense of humor. Telling jokes or trying to be funny should not be confused with having a sense of humor. Having a sense of humor means being positive and optimistic, remaining upbeat, and not taking things personally" (72).
    • "Value as positive role model. Be a good example and live what you teach" (72). Again, self-explanatory I think, and it is also a huge part of my philosophy as an educator and as an instruction librarian.
  • Do you worry about dealing with absent instructors or disruptive behavior? There are some good tips in the book on chapter nine. If you have an absent instructor, do carry out your class session. You are already prepared for one. Two, way I see, canceling penalizes the students who need the information. I like the idea of, after teaching the class, contacting the instructor. To make it constructive, you can share questions the students may have had that you could not answer (questions the instructor can and should answer, for instance) and any student reactions to the instructor's absence. 
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Friday, December 06, 2013

Article Note: On Measuring Library Value to Campus Culture of Learning

Citation for the article:

Hufford, Jon R., "Can the Library Contribute Value to the Campus Culture of Learning?"  The Journal of Academic Librarianship 39 (2013): 288-296.

Read via ScienceDirect.
 

This short article does pack quite a bit of information. The author argues that it is possible to assess the influence of a particular campus institution, including the library, on the culture of learning (288). The article then goes on to provide some ways in which to do just that. Given my director's strong interest in assessment (not to mention the director being a self-admitted "data junkie"), this is the kind of information I need to work on. In addition, some of the questions the author suggests we should be asking would provide answers that can be helpful for our instruction program as well. The article describes the problem, provides some guidance questions, and then goes over some solutions. I did mark some articles cited in the literature review to read and review down the road. In the end, the author implies or suggests the answer to the title question is yes, but it does fall on each of us to measure and find those answers. Yes, there is some work involved.

Notes to remember:

  • "The purpose of an undergraduate college education should not be restricted to a specific field of study but instead should focus on developing the student as a self-motivated learner" (291). This topic was actually in the conversations I had when I was interviewing for my current position here, and it something we strive for in our library instruction program as well as the college. As we planned instruction, one of the question we ask is how will they use what they learn when they leave the college. 
  • Some attributes of self-motivated learning: ". . . a broad knowledge of the wider world in all its complexities; knowledge of science, cultures, and society; and the study of global interdependence." Also included on the list: written and oral communication skills, information and computer literacy skills (some would say this is part of multiple literacies), ability to solve complex problems, sense of personal and social responsibility, and applying knowledge to real world problems (291).
  • Some of the questions for outlining library role in campus culture (see pg. 292): 
    • "What kinds of engaged learning experiences (e.g., service learning, learning communities, undergraduate research, collaborative assignments and projects, community-based learning, internships, writing intensive courses) requiring use of library resources and services are offered on campus?" I can tell you off the top of my head we do have quite a few of those examples here. Now, we do need to market ourselves better and do a better job of letting faculty know exactly what it is we offer and what we can do for their classes and students at different levels and beyond one-shots and even some repeat sessions. Consulting should be our next frontier, so to speak. 
    • "What percent of each freshman class has successfully completed courses requiring significant research using library resources and services for writing and/or critical thinking?" I certainly would love to seek out the answer to this one, even if it means doing a case study as the author suggests when there is a lack of standard methods of measurement. 
  • Author realizes very few libraries would be able to collect data on all the questions he suggests. He argues that we should attempt to get as much information as possible in a regular and consistent way, which can then be placed in a database for further analysis (293). Locally, I am hoping the HEDS survey we are running would help with some of this. 

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Friday, October 11, 2013

Berea College Civil Rights Tour 2013: Tour Day 4, with a brief note on Tour Day 5, the final day of the tour

I continue the blog series here at The Gypsy Librarian with my notes, observations, reflections, and thoughts on my journey in the Berea College Civil Rights Seminar and Tour 2013. This is a way for me to preserve some of what I learned as well as a step in sharing it with others.Today I am covering the fourth day of the seminar and tour, which is the second actual touring day. This took place on August 6, 2013.

Reminder that, as I often do, I will try to type out notes directly. Any additional comments I make I will put in parenthesis (or try to distinguish from just straight notes). Quotes will be in quotation marks with attribution (if I managed to catch the name of source or it was available). If any other participants read this and wish to add or make corrections, etc., their comments are welcome. So are comments from anyone else (as long as you follow my usual rules of good behavior. I will not tolerate any form of bullying, intimidation, rudeness, etc. Such will simply be deleted). I will also add links from various sources as needed to expand on my notes or add further information that may not be clear from just my notes, or just for my own reference.

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Today is our last day of activity. Tomorrow (August 7, 2013) we will make the journey back home to Berea. Time has gone fast, and I have learned so much. Listening to Ms. Joanne yesterday, I felt like I saw living history. A question came up: what will happen when those of her generation are gone? Will the story be told? I would like to think yes. Will young generations pick up the baton and run with it? I am not as optimistic about that. I think our Berea College graduates likely will given their education, but elsewhere, I am honestly not so sure.

People like Joanne were so young when they marched and took action. We call them heroes now, deservedly so, but back then they just saw injustice, felt it, lived it, and acted. They were very afraid, but they took fear head on.

  • We travel next to Memphis, Tennessee.
    • On the way to Memphis, we watch the documentary "Roads to Memphis." Keep in mind that Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis. The killing speaks to how dangerous the U.S. was at the time. 
    • In 1967, George Wallace ran a 3rd party campaign for the U.S. Presidency. On a curious historical note, James Earl Ray volunteered to work for the campaign. 
    • By the late 1960s, Dr. King was taking on systemic poverty. He was planning a new march to Washington D.C. in 1967 to call for work on poverty. This kind of talk was clearly a threat to whites and the privileged. Even J. Edgar Hoover had a vendetta against Dr. King, directing FBI surveillance and harassment.
    • In 1968, Dr. King went to Memphis to help sanitation workers striking for better work conditions and pay. 
 
  • Today was my day to do journaling in the group journal. This gave me a moment to reflect and share some thoughts on this experience with the group (aside from this blog, which I have no idea who besides my four readers would be reading). Over the journey, we have taken turns writing our thoughts and reflections in a group journal, which will serve as a record of the group's journey. 
  • There is so much evidence of poverty in Memphis as we ride through the town. (If I recall, Jesus had some line about the poor always being with us. Turns out the line people often use is Matthew 26:11. But Jesus also had a lot to say, tasking his believers to help the poor like Luke 12: 23; Luke 6: 20-23 among other verses. As a heathen myself, I wonder how people call themselves Christian and so easily dismiss the poor and show no sense of compassion and social justice. Religion and churches may have inspired the movement, but people still had to have the basic decency, empathy, and compassion to act. If nothing else, as a heathen, I can see, even in this journey, how both folks like Dr. King and George Wallace could take their positions and call themselves "Christian." You need more than a book of scripture to be a decent human being. It comes from inside, and it comes from education and eradicating ignorance. So many ills come from ignorance and fear.)

  •  Our tour of Memphis. There, Ms. Elaine Turner is our hostess to guide us in the city. (As before, I have photos with additional notes which I will try to share later.)
    • We begin from Clayborn Temple, the place from where Dr. King led his last march in Memphis.
    • Residents of Memphis might wonder why Dr. King was killed here. We come to realize it could have happened anywhere. 
    • Churches serve as places of refuge for the movement. 
    • Other landmarks we see: 
      • R.S. Lewis Funeral Home, where Dr. King was laid in estate. 
      • Robert Church Park, the first park in the city for blacks. 
      • First Baptist Beale Street Church, which was built by former slaves. 
      • W.C. Handy's home. He is known as "Father of the Blues." The Blues is the first documented music art of the United States. Handy did not claim to invent it; he wrote the notes down and documented it. See the film St. Louis Blues about his life with Nat King Cole portraying Mr. Handy.
      • Beale Street. This was the economic center of the black community. It was also a political base: news, political organizations, classes for literacy, churches that often paid the poll taxes for blacks to vote. It was also a cultural center: food, music, the churches, so on. On this street, blacks could do what they could not do on main street. 
      • Adams Avenue: where the slave markets were located. Factoid: Nathan Bedford Forrest made his fortune selling slaves here. 
    • Burkle House: Undergound Railroad Museum. 
      • The museum addresses slavery as a topic as well as the slave history of the city. 
      • The Atlantic Ocean is the largest cemetery in the world due to the Middle Passage. 
      • Memphis was a big cotton trading center. "King Cotton." 
      • The slaves, being illiterate, learned various codes for escaping. Quilts from friendly homes gave hints and signals of safety for slaves running away. Slaves also learned to listen. For them, music was a way to communicate. The spirituals served as coded messages to help slaves escape. When the slaves in a plantation sang, the master thought often they were "happy." Often, the slaves were using the music and lyrics to send coded messages for those running away. 
    • Memphis was a segregated city. One library for blacks and the rest of the city's libraries (and other services) for whites. There were book reading sit-ins in the public libraries here (this is something I ought to check on). 

  • The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. This complex includes the locale of the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was killed.
    • We saw the documentary "The Witness" featuring Reverend Kyles, who was a witness to Dr. King's killing. 
    • King knew that economics was the next level in the movement: wealth redistribution, closing tax loopholes, etc. (gee, that sounds familiar. Much like today. We've come far, but not far enough. Dr. King would probably have much to say today. As the Rude Pundit writes--bluntly-- Dr. King would fuck conservatives' shit up. He writes that Dr. King-- and I can see this is accurately so--"was an openly socialistic, confrontational radical whose 'I Have a Dream' speech asked for nothing less than a complete elimination of white privilege and the destruction of racial and economic hierarchies."  I believe some of his followers living today would concur. A bit of language, but worth reading it in this context. Also go ahead and read Dr. King's speeches. It's all there if you are willing to read it, see it, and learn it.)
    • King was working on a national poverty campaign at this point in his life. He knew thus that he had to stop in Memphis to help the sanitation workers. 
    • Reverend Kyles on why God put him there as a witness: "a crucifixion has to have a witness." To him, this would be revealed later. King died to help the sanitation workers. "You can kill the dreamer, but you cannot kill the dream. The dream is still alive." (Or to quote a film and graphic novel I admire, "...and ideas are bulletproof.") 
    • "The greatest evil in our country today is not racism, but ignorance. . . We need to be taught to study rather than to believe." -- Septima Poinsette Clark (1898-1987), South Carolina school teacher and civil rights worker. 
    • "We must educate the white people out of their 250 years of slave history." -- Ida. B. Wells-Barnett (1862-1931), journalist and co-founder of the NAACP 
    • We get to see the view that James Earl Ray saw when he shot Dr. King. The guy did have a very clear view. 
    • Key reason Dr. King stayed at the Lorraine: it was a "black friendly" hotel. (I am referring to this, see Negro Motorist Green Book.)
    • By the way, (in the interest of capturing all I saw) outside the museum there was a protester who held a sign seeing the museum as a memorial to the killer. The protester is Jacqueline Smith, and she has a website here. According to the site, she was the last tenant of the Lorraine. 
  • End of day reflection: 
    • Poverty is a striking theme in the cities we visited. 
    • (On our way back, on the bus, there was some conversation/commentary going on the topic of bullying, bullying needing to be addressed in relation to  youth. They, whoever it was as I do not recall who now,  brought up Columbine as an example of bullying. At that point, I wanted to toss at them a copy of Dave Cullen's book, Columbine, which clearly debunks that idea that the shooters were bullied. Link to my review of the book. Anyhow, it was not a good time to say anything, but I did want to make the note.)
    • As a librarian, I wondered what kind of programs and support the library can provide to keep this work alive when we get back to Berea. Outreach?
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Brief note on the 5th and final day. This was August 7, 2013. This was our day of travel back to Berea. On the way back, we listened to Dr. King's last speech, which he gave in Memphis.  It was a proper way to reflect one more time as we departed to Berea.

(In the end, there are a couple of additional observations that are not making it into the blog but remain in my personal journal that did give me reasons to think and ponder further. With this, this stage of the journey comes to an end. But the journey and the lucha-- struggle-- do continue. The work is not done.)

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