Tinfoil + Raccoon

Guest Blogger: Selecting non-reviewed Titles

Noreen Fish, who manages our electronic resources at La Crosse Public Library, does monthly training meetings for reference staff.  This month, she went over some sources for finding titles that would likely be great choices, but aren't reviewed.  I asked her to write it up so that we could share it with a bunch more folks (thus making it look like I tend to the blog more often than I actually do, these days).  Please share additional sources if you have them! Thanks, Noreen.

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I ha€™ve been selecting non-fiction for most of the 600s in our library for about eighteen months now. One of the problems I have experienced is getting out timely orders for materials that are reviewed well after publication, if they are reviewed at all. Such topics include collectible toys, firearms, building/remodeling, woodworking, pets and agriculture. In discovering some tools to find these non-reviewed items before they'€™re published, I'€™ve found ways to make selecting in general easier and more timely. I recently shared these tips with the other non-fiction selectors in the library and Rochelle asked me if I cared to be a guest blogger on Tinfoil Raccoon.

ipage.ingrambook.com (subscription)

www.booksinprint.com (subscription)

  www.bloglines.com

  www.technorati.com

Using the subject tools on iPage, I started by identifying publishers that put out a lot of materials in my subject areas. I put their websites in my favorites and checked their new offerings periodically.

Then I discovered BIP Alerts on Books In Print. I could search by subject, by publisher name, by publisher and keywords, and save all the searches. BIP asked only for my e-mail address and a password and they send me alerts every month for new titles that fit the criteria. 

I had been introduced to Bloglines last year and used it for a number of library blogs. But I was checking a publisher'€™s website one day and discovered an RSS feed for their new books. I added it to my Bloglines account and went looking for more. Unfortunately, it seems not many publishers have caught up with this opportunity yet.

I started adding blogs on food and cooking because they'€re of personal interest to me, but found that they often reviewed cookbooks. So I used Technorati to look for other subject blogs that included book reviews.

Then I discovered that I could get the reviews from Publisher'€™s Weekly, Library Journal and School Library Journal sent to my Bloglines account, too. I can even do complicated searches in EBSCOHost and create URLs to paste into Bloglines for regular updates.

As you can imagine, the list of my feeds is starting to grow a little unmanageable. But I'€™m sure that some of them will prove to be less useful than others. If I'€™m not getting useful information after a month, I can delete the feed.

Electronic Resource Metrics: Appropriate cost-per-search?

We recently finished a good healthy weed and evaluation of our print reference collection, and I promised a similar evaluation of our electronic resources at the close of the print ref project.  We do keep track of database use, with vendor statistics, some more reliable than others.  We've kept these stats for the past few years, so we have a relative idea of raw use--sessions or pages or log-ins per month.  Then we divide cost by use, and come up with a per-use/search/page view cost.  Year-end price-per-use ranges from a few pennies per search to a cost-per-search that comes out to about the price of a new hardback  before discount).   

What we're looking for now, are guidelines for what an appropriate cost-per-search is.  So far, all I've been able to do is compare our results with the few annual reports for other libraries that I've found on line.  I've also queried lots of my online colleagues, most of who are academic librarians. High cost-per-search is an accepted part of academic libraries' budgets, when a specific database, regardless of how little used, is essential to support the work of a particular program.  Someone said $5/search was high and $10, astronomical.  Someone else said $10 was not so bad. 

The few responses I've gotten, while appreciated, have not really given me a solid answer.  When I posted to wispublib, mostly I heard from other folks who would like to know what I learn, including our largest public libraries in the state.

Someone pointed me to this E-Metrics Instructional System (EMIS)  which has a bunch of tools about how to get data and a way to generate reports with it, but I didn't find the specific bit of information I was looking for.  (EMIS is an IMLS-funded project developed by Florida State University.)   The same person also pointed me to OPLIN (Ohio Public Library Information Network). I've browsed the site a bit, but nothing has jumped out.

So, I come to you, Raccoon readers, to mine you for your endless and collective cleverness and wisdom.  Your assistance is greatly appreciated!

Lit Makes Me Dizzy: Codrescu Day 3

Well, it was a slow start for day three of Andrei's visit.  Mr. Raccoon got home late from his Monday night Whiskey with Andrei and reported an amazing evening of conversation (a truck driver, two poets, a librarian and a sculptor walk into a bar... ).  Andrei asked for the morning to rest and recover, so I got kids off to school, then went for a leisurely sit at Bean Juice where I composed my third and most genius introduction (which remains forever undelivered). Before noon, I went to the hotel to get Andrei for what was to be an afternoon of sightseeing. As there was no hurry, we recapped the previous day, deemed a success by all.

At one point, I stood up and  felt a little dizzy.  I regularly deal with all this weird inner ear/neck/balance migraine stuff, so it was not terribly alarming, until I realized that it wasn't going to pass, and just kept getting worse. Like, "there's no way I can drive" worse.  Like, "oh, crap, I'm going to puke" worse.  So, instead of giving Mr. C the de-luxe La Crosse tour, I spent a very miserable, emetic few hours running to the bathroom, trying to remember if I'd ever felt worse in my life, barely able to walk, all the while trying to manage the show I was in charge of.  I called my new pal, poet Bill Stobb, who was more than happy to retrieve Andrei, get him to the venue and introduce him. Andrei was not only a charming public guest, but a kindly, concerned nursemaid, making sure I was hydrated and urging me not to fret about anything.  He and Bill brought me Dramamine and water before they headed off to the poetry reading.  I was finally able to keep down enough Dramamine to make it possible for a friend to get me home. 

I had been assuming a bug or food poisoning (thinking about the unrefrigerated peanut sauce I'd had for breakfast), but when Benadryl and Dramamine halted the unpleasantness, I realized I'd just experienced a hideous bout of vertigo. The last time I had such an episode also occurred in the presence of a writer I admired.  I was taking a grad level fiction class with Ricardo Cortez Cruz about six years ago.  There was a really bad fluorescent light in the classroom that frequently had me leaving with a migraine. But one night, I literally ran out of the room mid-class, and barely made it home before I was hit with extreme nausea, dizziness, etc, that lasted for several hours.  I sort of liked tying that episode to my re-emergence as a writer--it seemed very dramatic and poetic, and I think this episode is akin to the first.  I should add that before both episodes, I was very very tired and under a great deal of stress. I'm almost thinking there's a House, MD episode in this somewhere.  "Woman overwhelmed by literature spends hours barfing."

The poetry reading, it was reported, was the big hit of the visit--lots of attendees, good Q & A, books were sold, Bill's introduction was swell--all proving that I am, in fact, replaceable.  My friend Marcee stopped in to check on me, and seeing that I was not dying, insisted that I come to the end-of-program dinner to fete our guest, and to pat ourselves on the back.  While not feeling what you'd call good, I did make it to dinner, ultimately thankful for Marcee's bullying. I would have regretted missing that dinner.

Violent vertigo aside, it was three days of awesomeness for all.  Several of us made new friends, we're all pleased with the power of partnership, and Andrei wrote this morning to send his love to his new friends and to express his gratitude. "Minus your vertigo, everything was fabulous, and I truly enjoyed being in La Crosse."  He even mentioned coming back just to visit.  I'm quite proud to have sent the poet away with as many stories as he left us.

Flickr photos
La Crosse Tribune article
Short YouTube video from dinner
Wisconsin Public Radio/Kathleen Dunn show   

Codrescu Visit, Day 2

Because this is all about me, me, me, let me start off by saying that I delivered two exceptional introductions to our visiting poet, Andrei Codrescu, today.  I was very anxious about the first one, but once it was over, I knew everything would be fine.  In fact, I've asked Andrei if he needs an intro writer, as he liked the first one so much that he asked for a copy of it for his archives.

We started the day off at the local Wisconsin Public Radio Affiliate, where Andrei did a statewide call in show with host Kathleen Dunn. He was pleased when he heard from a farmer/poet he'd filmed earlier in the summer. You can hear the whole thing here.

After the radio gig, we headed over to Viterbo University for a fundraising luncheon for a local community global awareness fund.  We got there a little early and ran into poet/teacher Bill Stobb, whose acquaintance we made yesterday. That's been the best thing about this program--all the new connections I've made in the community. Andrei and I both really enjoyed talking to Bill, and I'm glad to have a new friend in town. And, hey....he just had a volume of his work released by Penguin this spring as a 2006 National Poetry Series selection.  And, he has a podcast called Hard to Say. It's sort of nice to have an academic friend who won't roll eyes at hearing the words "blog" and "writer" together.

Poet and programmer took an afternoon break before the big lecture at Viterbo. Andrei was the opening speaker for this year's Ethics in Leadership Institute series, where he spoke on "What's a Courage Teacher? I'll Tell You Who Mine Were." I was running a bit behind, but the poet insisted on "whiskey and meat" before the engagement. I didn't think we really time for a decent meal, but A said not to worry, he was from New Orleans where nothing ever started on time."  I reminded him that if he was late, he still got paid, and got to leave, but that I had to work in this town, and that as I was in charge of delivering him in a timely fashion, I'd prefer to not give our host institution a heart attack.  We made it 10 minutes before curtain time (20 minutes later than our expected arrival time), which was fine, as all we did around was stand around in the wings anyway.  Still, those unwieldy poets....

It was in a pretty big venue,  with maybe 150 folks, so the crowd seemed a little sparse. I think he was well received and had time to visit with folks as he signed books afterward.  It was my first time on a big stage with supershiny lights, which was pretty daunting.  I couldn't really see reactions and felt like my intro was a bit flat, but was assured by my kind friends and colleagues that I was all kinds of amusing.  Our Viterbo host apologized for the small crowd, to which Andrei quipped that it was black day for Louisiana, as he failed to fill the house, on top of Britney's shamefully tepid VMA performance last night. Can I tell you how much less ashamed I felt about my web surfing habits after I learned that Andrei had actually watched the VMA trainwreck on YouTube?

So, there were plans for an after-gig drink, but I handed off the poet to Mr. Raccoon, Poet Bill and Librarian Galadriel.  Tomorrow, I will be daisy-fresh and have most of the day to take Andrei around to my favorite La Crosse locations, including Kroner's Hardware, before a 4 pm poetry reading.  I promise to do some more Flickring.  So far, photo ops have been limited...poet standing at lecturn, poet talking to people.  Poet-in-old skool-hardware store should be much more interesting. 

The Transylvanian has Landed

  Vampire Wine in honor of our guest 
  Originally uploaded by rochelle, et. al.

I've been gearing up for a big author visit from my friend Andrei Codrescu, who, honest to god, hails from Transylvania.   I picked him up at the Rochester airport yesterday and had a pleasant evening over pizza and wine, getting caught up.  The highlight of the night was calling our mutual friend, the poet and performance artist David Franks.   Today, there is a meet & greet at my house.  I'm praying for a clear day, because I don't think my 1920s bungalow was designed for gracious entertaining.

I'm thinking about live blogging the party, and leaving a compose window open for people to leave comments.  I'll definitely be Flickring the visit.  I'm really looking forward to it, even though I still have to write introductions for two of the three programs.

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Party in full swing. Going to attempt live-blogging. Andrei is holding court.  Connections are being made. Writers, booksellers, librarians, midwives, and wine-lovers....Comments from guests to follow.

(Keegan) really good food
i liked it
and still do
I haven'
t tried dessert yet though
but I'm sure its great
I'm gonna go and eat some more! cheers: KEEGAN

This is Lois, Rochelle's neighbor and fellow librarian, moving through numerous food choices here and desserts on groaning tables.  THE POET is beautiful and candid and it is great he is in La Crosse to soften the blow of yet another Elvis (Elvi?) Explosion in lovely La Crosse today.  PLUS, Rochelle has a handsome as can be neighbor.
Lois

LOIS

Why must you people take away from my computer time?
~Juniorette

The meanest nuns in America lived near La Crosse Wisconsin until recently when the people they slapped around started telling stories about them and then the pageants became sort of fuzzy so Elvis impersonators came streaming thru the cracks instead

I know you don't know what I'm talking about

but I'm having a really great time drinking Totally Naked beer

or is that drinking totally naked?

pulazece centimetrii

(rochelle) This is quite a shindig!  That was andrei who posted before me. But don't tell him i told you.  Fun being had by all.

(rochelle) Okay, we are all old and wimpy.  Party ended early. THANK goodness!  But, Andrei was a charming visiting author and there were lots of new friends made today within the community.  Tomorrow, I take Andrei to a public radio call in show, a luncheon and a big lecture in the evening. 

Do Your Library Friends eBay?

Recently, I approached our Friends group about using eBay as a way to possibly get more money for some of the more valuable materials that come to us as donations or that we were finding as we weeded our extensive reference collection.  In particular, we weeded a gorgeous old book with a wood cover and hand-colored illustrations which we figured out was very rare and highly collectible. (Indian Costumes by Seton. Only 499.00!)   Our Friends had previously sold materials on eBay through a third party, but the commission was a hefty 50%. With some staff support, the Friends were agreeable and we are now eBaying.

I can't say "Do this!  You'll be rolling in the dough!" since we are starting small and have yet to see the end of our first auctions.  Rather, I'm just offering a few things to consider since this is a question that comes up on listserves pretty often.

• If your Friends are hesitant, consider having a staff member set up an account and then training Friends members to participate as sales are made.
• Offer an eBay class and look for volunteers among your enrollees. Some libraries offer a commission to non-Friends volunteers who may have expertise.
• The first and best place to go is to the Friends of the Library USA (FOLUSA) website. There are lists of other Friends groups that are veteran eBayers.  In addition to being able to see other online sales efforts of Friends, we learned that many of them are quite generous about sharing their expertise and experience.  The staff member who is working on this project got invaluable advice from other Friends.
• If you have a nearby used bookstore, make an appointment with one of the staff who might be willing to give you a tutorial on grading and describing used books. For folks who just want reading copies, book condition isn't such a big deal, but collectors are a finicky group.  You need to be as accurate as possible unless you want to deal with lots of returns and complaints.
• Spend some time going through your donations and check various bookselling sites online. You likely will be surprised at what is valued by book buyers. Old doesn't necessarily translate to valuable.  And pretty doesn't necessarily mean desirable. That crappy 1950s pulp fiction novel that you're inclined to toss into the dumpster might well be worth more than the expensive pristine 1988 art/history/cinema encyclopedia that you're withdrawing. 
• If there are 30 other copies of a title available for sale online, price it to sell for the in-house booksale.
• It takes time to build a presence and to get your seller ranking up (important to many buyers), but if the staff time spent on such a project costs more than you're taking in (after a fair trial), it's not a good deal.

We're excited because we already have a decent bid on a hard-to-find reference title.  If you want to follow our progress (or give us tips!) our eBay ID is lacrossepubliclibrary.

It's the End of Meteorological Summer: T+R back from vacation

On the morning August 31 radio weather report, I heard that summer was over.  Those pesky meteorologists cut my summer fun short by three weeks. Hearing this bit of news was quite liberating, however as it gave me a tangible excuse to explain my barely-there online presence since last spring. 

I suddenly realized that I would not have to offer the following excuses for my dearth of posts:

• I was painting my kitchen which
• Set off acute neck pain
• (which was triggering serial killer migraines)
• all of which led to physical therapy, exercises that made my kids laugh, not enough massage appts, and an understanding of why Dr. Gregory House is such a fan of hyrdocodone (not to worry--I still have half the bottle left, after a month).
• Darn that genetic legacy of melancholia;
• I was busy dirtying as many plates as I could, so as to use my new (and first-ever) dishwasher;
• My riverboat cruise was fabulous, dahling! All 90 minutes of it.
• Juniorina had my laptop all the time;
• I had so many good books to read;
• The dog ate my domain (not quite...note to self: time to renew).
• I spent all my online time on Twitter, Facebook, and the much beloved Library Society of the World HQ in Meebo Rooms,
• when I wasn't debasing myself by feverishly checking for new posts on TMZ.com, which is merely a gateway drug for PerezHilton.com;
• Perimenopause is a hoot, let me tell you;
• I become a devotee of the Sunday NYT Crossword (one completely completed);
• I really didn't feel like writing about my profession,
• or my personal life;
• and that I was finally working on a serious writing project (in my head).

Of course, it was solely due to my delusion of importance that I felt like I owed anyone an explanation about my Barely Blogging status. (Although it was nice of a couple libraryland friend to note my absence.) But, now, thanks to weatherpeople everywhere, all I need to do is offer you this postcard saying, "Vacay over. Had a wonderful time, wish you'd been here."   So, here we are.  Happy Fall, y'all.