Rationale:

My inservice assignment was created in an attempt to explain readers advisory

(RA) to teen and how they can conduct their own RA research in order to find their next
great read themselves, without outside help. I decided to focus on such a topic largely due
to my observations as a full-time employee within the Public Library of Cincinnati and
Hamilton County (PLCH) system. In the branch for which I work, the task our teenage
patrons require library assistance with the most is RA: Many of the teenagers who
frequent the branch ask for help with finding the next book they would want to read. In
doing so, they often tell library employees what genre of books they enjoy, some of their
favorite authors, what they have been reading recently, and/or the some books they have
enjoyed in the past. My goal for this inservice is to present such teenage patrons, and the
librarians who primarily assist them, with the tools required to take the information with
which they typically provide library employees and use it themselves to help them find
the next book they want to read.
There has been quite a bit written on the importance of providing RA services to
teens and optimal tools for doing so. In his article for Public Libraries in 2010, Farrelly
stated that successfully RA interaction has the ability to open up whole new worlds to
that young person (p. 24). Furthermore, Farrelly (2010) listed some RA tools that, in his
opinion, are invaluable: Teenreads.com, Graphicnovelreport.com, the book review
portion of Teen Ink magazines website, and a website called Reading Rants (which
features the ability for teens to provide their own reviews of books they have read).
More recently, Graves published an article within School Library Journal
detailing the use of the social media application Snapchat within RA scenarios. In her
article, the teen librarian wrote that Snapchat s a vital tool for providing RA services to
teenage patrons who may feel anxiety about requesting information on certain books in
person. This anxiety can arise when Teenagers can feel like they cant ask for a specific
title because of their gender, reading level, or the content (Graves, 2016, p. 13). The
application addresses that anxiety by providing teens a place to view current booktalks
with a level of anonymitythe teens do not have to address library personnel in person
to find out about books about which they may otherwise be too nervous inquire (Graves,
2016).
In summation, these articles provide some relevant information about the
inservice I am proposing. Through providing teens with successful RA services, they are
likely to be exposed to new thoughts and ideas. They may also be hesitant to seek RA
help do to an unwillingness to express interest in certain types of materials. However,
through self-directed RA, such as accessing booktalks remotely through social media like
Snapchat, teens are able to explore new ideas and titles that they may have otherwise
been anxious to address. Through my inservice, teens (and the library employees who
serve them) will learn about the tools required to find their new favorite book on their
own, without having to approach a librarian to express interest in a topic about which
they may feel embarrassed.
Conference Proposal:

Ohio Library Council Conference Proposal (for Public Libraries)

Primary Speaker Information:
Name John Lortie
Institution The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
Business Address 6233 Montgomery Rd, Cincinnati, Ohio 45213
Work Phone (513)369-4488
Fax # (513)369-4489
Email Address John.Lortie@cincinnatilibrary.org
Home Address 5940 Woodmont Ave Apt 2, Cincinnati, Ohio 45213
Home Phone (740)358-2261
Topic Area:
Collection Development
Programming
Technology
Library Service Readers Advisory (Teens)
Management

Intended Audience Teen Librarians, Librarians and library employees who work with
teens, Teens
Audio Visual/ Room Setup Conference setup with projector that can connect to
MacBook Pro laptop, projector screen, reliable Wi-Fi network, and microphone to
address audience
Program Information
Program Title (less than 10 words) Find Your Next Favorite Book: Self-Directed
Teen Readers Advisory
Program Description 50-75 words Market your Program
Readers advisory can open teens eyes to new worlds and ideas. Although
this has traditionally been a library service, modern technology means teens have
access the tools needed to look for new books on their own. This presentation will
provide information on those tools and how they can be used to find your next
favorite book!
Outline:

Introduction (First part of PowerPoint): 5 minutes

Introduce myself
Explain RA and its importance
Explain why it may be embarrassing for teens to approach
librarians about RA
o Use personal anecdote with Rangers Apprentice and
Spooks Apprentice series

As a teen there were two book series that I discovered and loved. One was The
Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney and the other was Rangers Apprentice
by John Flanagan. I discovered both of these while I was high school. I was a
freshman when I discovered Rangers Apprentice and I was a senior by the time I
discovered The Last Apprentice series. The trouble here was that by the time I
discovered both of these series, they were well below my reading level. I
remember one time that I brought the first Rangers Apprentice book to school to
read during study hall. One of my classmates saw me reading it and commented
that her younger sibling, who was in sixth grade, really liked that book. Im sure
she meant nothing by it, but I was a high school freshman. I was devastated, I was
embarrassed, and I was ashamed at something that I genuinely enjoyed. Because
of her off-the-cuff comment, when I discovered The Last Apprentice later on, I
kept my interest in it a secret.

o Engage crowd to see if they have any examples they would

like to shareeither with providing RA services or
seeking/being hesitant to ask for RA services

Now imagine there's something in which you have a great interest but you're too
embarrassed to bring the subject up with others, even if those others are in a
position to help you discover more about the subjects that you love or those
interests you find intriguing. I'm sure that some of you have similar stories stories
where you were embarrassed by something you really, really enjoyed. Or stories
where you struggled to provide exceptional RA services because the teen you
where helping kept his or her interests guarded. Put your hand in the air please if
you have such a story. Would any of you be willing to share it with us?

o Reinforce the importance of self-directed RA

Thank you for sharing. These are all prime examples of why self directors self-
directed readers advisory is so necessary for providing resources for such services
to teens.

Second part of PowerPoint and Goodreads examples: 15 minutes

Two kinds of self-directed RA resources: free and fee-based
 Based upon needs of library and levels of funding, libraries can
decided what resources work best for them
Provide examples of free resources
o Briefly discuss their value
o Discuss their usefulness to teens
Discuss Goodreads
o Free resource
o No account necessary
o Access user reviews of books
o Search by title, author, ISBN, or genre
o Booklists
o Advantages to having an account
Keep track of what you have read
Share you thoughts on books with others
Create lists
Receive recommendations
Engage crowd for examples of books to use with the Goodreads
platform

Third part of PowerPoint and NoveList K-8 Plush examples: 15 minutes

Advantages to fee-based RA resources
o Cost vs. content
Examples of fee-based tools
o What they cost
o The exact services they provide
o Usefulness to teens
Discuss NoveList K-8 Plus
o Fee-based
o Searching
o Browsing
o Appeal
Engage crowd for examples of books to use with the NoveList
platform

Fourth part of Powerpoint and What Should I Read Next examples: 10 minutes
How libraries can provide their own self-directed RA services
o Booktalksexample of Snapchat from Graves (2016)
o User reviewsexample of The Public Library of
Cincinnati and Hamilton Countys TeenSpace website
o Librarian reviewsexample from TeenSpace website
o Engage audience for other possible suggestions
Now, before we wrap up, I want to show you one other free self-
directed RA tool that we have discussed previously: What Should I
Read Next?
o Describe What Should I Read Next?
 Engage crowd for examples of books to use with the What Should
I Read Next? platform

Questions and Evaluation: 10 minutes

I would like to address attendees questions in person
I would like to allow ample time for attendees to digest and
evaluate the information presented within the workshop
Program details:

The workshop I am proposing will be held at the Ohio Library Councils (OLC)
Southwest Chapter Conference. The conference will take place on April 5th, 2017 at
Mason, Ohios Great Wolf Lodge (Ohio Library Council, n.d.). Although the event is free
and all attendees will be welcome to participate within my workshop, it is ideally suited
for teen librarians, all OLC Southwest Chapter Conference attendees who work with
teens within their careers, and all attendees who desire to learn more about providing RA
services and are seeking to acquire the tools to equip library patrons with the necessities
of exploring RA possibilities on their own. My workshop will be publicized via the Kent
State listserv, through OCL, through the Young Adult Library Services Association
(YALSA), and the Teen Services Underground (TSU) Facebook pageTSU is a
librarian-oriented group designed to promote and advocate for teen services (Teen
Services Underground, n.d.).
Supplemental materials:

I will supply attendees with the following materials:

Printed copies of my PowerPoint presentation with space for them

to write notes
Pens to take notes
Printed copies of the workshop evaluation (see next section)
Printed copies of the bibliography I used in creating my inservice
(see the Bibliography section below)
Printed copies of the following Cheat Sheet, which contains
URLs for the tools discussed within the workshop and brief
descriptions of them:
Side A

Side B

Printed copies of the following bookmark, which contains

information on the two free RA tools specifically discussed within
the presentation:
Side A Side B
Evaluation:

Workshop Evaluation:

Please circle either YES or NO for the following questions:

1. Do you understand the importance of providing Readers Advisory (RA) services

to teens?

YES NO

2. Would you be comfortable recommending resources for self-directed RA?

YES NO

3. Are you able to provide instructions for how teens (and other patrons) can access
and use these resources?

YES NO

4. Can you think of ways that you can utilize technology to help your library create
its own self-directed RA resources (similar to the Snapchat example provided in
the program)?

YES NO

5. Are you able to share the knowledge you gained through this workshop with
others?

YES NO

6. Was this workshop relevant to you?

YES NO

7. Did the workshop provide you with the information you expected?

YES NO

If you circled NO, please elaborate:

8. What resource discussed within the presentation do you believe will be most
helpful to your patrons? Why?

9. What other material would you have liked this workshop to cover?

10. Please write any other comments or concerns you have regarding the workshop.
Bibliography:

References:

Amazon.com, Inc. (2016). Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch (book 1). Retrieved
from https://www.amazon.com/Last-Apprentice-Revenge-Witch-Book-
ebook/dp/B00570S19U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1478131086&sr=8-
2&keywords=last+apprentice

Barbakoff, A. (2014). Readers' advisory to teens: An adult services librarian's guide.

Retrieved from https://www.ebscohost.com/novelist/novelist-special/readers-
advisory-to-teens

Farrelly, M. G. (2010). Readers' advisory and teen readers. Public Libraries, 49(1), 23-
24. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/pla/publications/publiclibraries

EBSCO Industries, Inc. (n.d.a). About appeal in NoveList K-8 Plus. Retrieved from
http://support.ebsco.com/help/index.php?help_topic_id=1660

EBSCO Industries, Inc. (n.d.b). Advanced search. Retrieved from

http://support.ebsco.com/help/index.php?help_id=4987

EBSCO Industries, Inc. (n.d.c). Appeal terms. Retrieved from

http://support.ebsco.com/help/index.php?help_id=7534

EBSCO Industries, Inc. (n.d.d). Authors, titles, and series. Retrieved from
http://support.ebsco.com/help/index.php?help_id=4996

EBSCO Industries, Inc. (n.d.e). Browse genres. Retrieved from

http://support.ebsco.com/help/index.php?help_id=9364

EBSCO Industries, Inc. (n.d.f). Homepage/basic search. Retrieved from

http://support.ebsco.com/help/index.php?help_topic_id=1632

EBSCO Industries, Inc. (n.d.g). Recommended reads lists. Retrieved from

http://support.ebsco.com/help/index.php?help_topic_id=1633

EBSCO Industries, Inc. (n.d.h). Request more information. Retrieved from

https://www.ebscohost.com/novelist/novelist-request-information

EBSCO Industries, Inc. (n.d.i). Subjects, appeals, and genres. Retrieved from
http://support.ebsco.com/help/index.php?help_id=4999

FictionDB. (2016a). Compare the features. Retrieved from

https://www.fictiondb.com/tour/compare-features.htm
FictionDB. (2016b). Subscribe to FictionDB. Retrieved from
https://www.fictiondb.com/members/subscribe.htm

Gale. (n.d.) Books & Authors. Retrieved from http://www.cengage.com/search/

productOverview.do;jsessionid=07E811653BC97948F5C3240ED6252BE7?N=1
97+4294917650&Ntk=P_EPI&Ntt=139358109238837092597094608327931895
&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial

getAbstract. (2016a). Choose your plan. Retrieved from https://www.getabstract.com/

en/subscribe/products

getAbstract. (2016b). How it works. Retrieved from https://www.getabstract.com/en/how-

it-works/overview

Gibney, M. (n.d.). Gnooks discover new books. Retrieved from

http://www.gnooks.com/

Goodreads, Inc. (2016). Goodreads help topics. Retrieved from

https://www.goodreads.com/help

Graves, A. (2016). Snapchat readers advisory. School Library Journal, 62(6), 12-13.
Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/

Kerns, B., Halfar, L., Ryks, K., & Schlageck, S. (2016). Readers advisory for youth.
Retrieved from https://youthserviceslibrarianship.wikispaces.com/
Reader%27s+Advisory+for+Youth

LibraryThing. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved from https://www.librarything.com/

Ohio Library Council. (n.d.). Southwest chapter conference. Retrieved from

http://olc.org/blog/event/southwest-chapter-conference-2/?instance_id=84

Southern Ontario Library Service. (2014, June 26). Readers advisory. Retrieved from
http://sols.org/index.php/develop-your-library-staff/competencies2/competencies-
index/public-service/readers-advisory

Southern Ontario Library Service. (n.d.). Readers advisory service. Retrieved from
http://www.sols.org/files/docs/develop/publications/sourcebook/sourcebookservic
es2readersadv.pdf

Teen Services Underground. (n.d.). Teen Services Underground. Retrieved from

https://www.facebook.com/groups/407834692712782/

The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. (n.d.). Teenspace home.
Retrieved from http://teenspace.cincinnatilibrary.org/
Thorton-Verma, H., & Schwartz, M. (2014, February 3). The state of readers advisory.
Library Journal. Retrieved from http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2014/02/library-
services/the-state-of-readers-advisory/

Thoughtplay, Ltd. (2016). The What should I read next? help page. Retrieved from
http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/faq.php

YourNextRead. (2010). Further information. Retrieved from

http://www.yournextread.com/further-info.html
Resource:

I found one particularly useful resource for self-directed RA to be

Goodreads.com. This resource is free for all to useonly an internet connection is
required. Users may also access much of the resources information without registering
for an account through the website. The information accessible without an account is: the
ability to read user reviews of books; the ability to search for a specific book by title,
author, or ISBN; the ability to see what books readers of the specific book searched for
also enjoyed; and the ability to browse for books by topic and genre. Furthermore, if a
user registers for a Goodreads account (which is free) and provides ratings for at least
twenty books, the website will use the users numeric ratings for the twenty books to
suggest similar books that the user may enjoy (Goodreads, Inc., 2016). Due to its ease of
access and use, this is an excellent resource for those seeking to discover their next
favorite book.