Patrick: Do you have access to Jenni’s flash fiction?

Me: No… BUT I do know where she keeps the hard copies!

Patrick: Do you want to write the intro to it too?

Me: oh, um okay -

Patrick: You can write it! You were a creative writing major!

(By the way, it seems like Patrick’s “writing” these intros more than we are). Anyways, I found this flash fiction a little too applicable to pass up!

Superfluous -

“Rag Rug Weaving, Creative Writing, or Scroll Saw Artwork, which class should I take?” she wondered. They are all crafts that are superfluous to real life. “Creative Writing, though, might be a course for which I could get credit,” she thought, if I use it to write something applicable to my job, like Flash Fiction.

An introduction to our Friday Fiction Series and Jennie’s bio can be found on our first Friday Fiction post.

My dad has always had only a vague idea of what I do for a living. I recall early in my a career his asking, “Do you mean mergers and acquisitions?” Now that Laura has moved on, we’re down an acquisitions editor. Down a what, you ask?
The acquisitions editor does acquire, occasionally merges, and is always looking to make deals, though no investment bankers are involved. The job title is specific to book publishing. An analogous title from other industries would be product manager.

We look to our acquisitions editors to scan the field, spot trends, and meet leaders (established, emerging, and— my personal favorite — the undiscovered). What about editing? Yes, they do a bit of that too. Key skill areas are creativity, problem-solving (including recognizing problems to be solved), and judgment. A former boss used to ask routinely in response to a book idea, “What’s the problem? . . . How does the book solve the problem?” The best editors know what people want before they know they want it. The time frame of a book publishing demands such foresight. The time from conception to published book typically is 18 months, often longer.

Tasks include: recruiting prospective authors, reviewing proposals, presenting proposals to colleagues, giving direction to authors on draft chapters, reviewing final manuscripts, giving direction to colleagues on editorial and design needs of the manuscript, positioning the book for marketing staff, batting around ideas with ALA colleagues and librarians in the field, keeping current.

Lots of variety in the job, which appeals to the generalist. The best editors are creative and analytical; personable, yet willing to toil silently with a manuscript for hours at a time. It’s a fun job. Editors especially enjoy working with the authors. In the course of the project, friendships are often formed, and loyalty runs two ways.

At last month’s Association of College & Research Libraries conference, attendees shared convention center space with a cheerleading competition and a meeting of Mary Kay independent beauty consultants (which probably had cheerleading too). This was a marketing opportunity! Certainly for the Mary Kay reps, and surely the top ones saw it, but for libraries also. Top marketers like Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo are going after cheerleaders as teen influencers.
According to an article in last week’s Wall Street Journal, these companies recognize that cheerleaders can be among the most popular people in school (still!?), able to influence opinion on deodorant, shampoos, or other products. How about reading and library programs? A quoted cheerleader shows how it works: “If there is a new scent that I really enjoy, I’ll share it with them and they will be ‘Oh my gosh, what is that?’ and I’ll be, ‘It’s Secret’s new jasmine scent’ or whatever it is.”

Word-of-mouth is seen as an effective way to reach teen consumers. What clever ideas do you have for getting cheerleaders talking up the library?

I’ve written previously about the transitory nature of Chicago publishing. As Chicago is home to an array of associations and b-to-b publishers, we editors never know where the winds of career opportunity will land us. I’ve worked side by side with a variety of professional groups throughout the years. Today, as I leave ALA Editions for a can’t-pass-up growth opportunity with another association, I feel like Dorothy saying good-bye to the scarecrow, “I’ll miss you most of all, Library World.”

It has truly been a pleasure and an honor to take part in the library discussion for the past four years. I’ve developed an even deeper appreciation for the noble work that you do. My favorite quote from when I first started at the ALA was that there is something in the library to offend everyone. It’s been invigorating to be part of a profession that exists to fiercely protect the freedom of access to information. That cares deeply about how its patrons are using their services and is always changing to serve them better. That is proactive in embracing the changes in information delivery.
Mostly, I’ve been amazed by the generosity and dedication of those who serve their profession, be it through their involvement in ALA activities, through their instruction of new generations of librarians, through their blog posts.

My deepest appreciation goes to one special group of people, who have dedicated hours of hard work (and no doubt, sweat and tears) to advance the dialogue in their profession. I mean, of course, ALA Editions authors.

Writing a book for the library profession, as you can imagine, won’t put anyone on the fast track to fame and riches (I don’t know many library authors who are buying yachts with their royalties). But, the people who do write have a deeper motivation. To give back to their profession. To enrich the dialogue. And, in the end, to maintain the library’s role as a central place in it community. I have been fortunate to work with many of these generous, talented people during my tenure here.

To these authors, my gratitude.

And, hats off to ALA Editions readers, too. By reading the professional literature, you are demonstrating a commitment to your own development, which, in turn reflects a commitment to the communities you serve.

Thanks for a great four years! See you in the blogosphere (and, of course, @my library!

Laura Pelehach

Our author, Rob Reid, holds a special place in my heart. The very first book I signed as an acquisitions editor at ALA Editions was Cool Story Programs for the School-Age Crowd (now, as I’m ending my career at ALA, I have had the pleasure of signing him to two more books: More Family Storytimes and Great Read-alouds, based on his Book Links column). Back then, he already had a couple of other popular ALA Editions books under his belt: Something Funny Happened at the Library, Family Storytimes, Children’s Jukebox.

When he told me last year he wanted to do a revision of Children’s Jukebox and an accompanying book on bringing music into storytimes, Something Musical Happened at the Library, I quickly learned what a labor of love writing about children’s music was for him. He mentioned that the second edition of Children’s Jukebox would be “more comprehensive”…he wasn’t kidding. It’s more than double the size of the original. I wouldn’t have thought it was humanly possible to listen to as many children’s tunes as this man has, but I was wrong. If there is an authority on children’s music, he’s got to be it. Below is an excerpt of an interview I had with him. Both books are currently in production. Children’s Jukebox, 2nd Edition will be out this spring and Something Musical Happened at the Library this summer.

Me: You say in your introduction to Children’s Jukebox that you truly believe that you’ve listened to more children’s music than anyone in the history of humankind. From the comprehensiveness of your book, I see that that’s very likely. You said that you listened to over 650 children’s recordings in 2006. How on earth did you manage to fit in so many songs?

Him: Last year, I was on the Newbery Award Committee and I read all of the time- between teaching classes, during meals…I had no social life and my wife can attest to that. This year, I listened to children’s music between teaching classes, during meals…my wife’s patience was remarkable, but wearing thin. She was great and knew I’d come back to Earth eventually. I think I’m back, but I’ve been prone to belting out a children’s song at odd times more than I used to.

Me: How were you able to keep track of what you listened to…to keep them all in mind so that you could write about them in the book? Was there anything in particular you were listening for when you included them?

Him: I kept a separate sheet for each recording with each track listed and then whatever subject headings I assigned to it. Many songs had more than one subject heading. I also kept track of which songs would be good for non-musicians to try, which songs featured sound effects, etc. I also kept a running track of my favorite songs and they are listed in Children’s Jukebox.

There were some songs that I couldn’t come up with any viable subject heading for it and those songs didn’t make it into the book. When I first started the project, I tried to fit in every single song. Eventually, I made a deal with myself that the project would be better if I was more picky in which songs I included. That, plus the fact that I would have wound up with a 2,000 page book that no one would have purchased if I went ahead and included every sing song.

Me: You’ve probably had more of a bird’s eye view of children’s recordings than anyone around. What are your thoughts on the state of children’s music today? Did you find any common threads in the music?

Him: I was pleasantly surprised at how strong the state of the music industry is today. After working on the first edition of Children’s Jukebox in the early 1990s, I continued to review children’s music for School Library Journal and Booklist, but then stopped doing that to work on my other books. I didn’t pay attention to the children’s music scene for about 5 years and when I did, I found it full of creative new artists like Ralph’s World, Dan Zanes, and Laurie Berkner, and that many of the “older” artists, like Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer, Bill Harley, and Tom Chapin were still cranking out great tunes.

One big change over the years is the Internet. Almost all of the artists now have their own websites and many sites have sample music clips, lyrics, and other good stuff. A lot of them even have a Kids activity page and lessons for teachers and librarians based on their music. The artists seem to have a closer connection to their audience now.

There seems to be the same subject threads that have always been out there. Familiar themes such as school, concepts, family, etc. For the last 30 years, there have been strong children’s songs about the ecology, brotherhood/sisterhood, resolving conflicts, and other serious issues. The artists continue to write new songs on all of these topics. I see a lot more songs about libraries and reading nowadays, music to my delight. There are several songs featuring literary characters. There are also covers of popular songs from the 30s, 40s, and 50s that appeal directly to young kids today, like Cab Calloway’s “Everybody Eats When They Come to My House.”

Me: What about using music in library programs for children. You indicate that it hasn’t caught on as much as you would like. Why is that and what would you say to librarians who are doing children’s programming about mixing it up with a little music?

Him: There are a lot of librarians who are self-conscious because they don’t sing in public or play an instrument. They are more comfortable reading picture books, doing fingerplays, and making crafts. More power to them. Kids need that. I personally think music adds a little more spice to a program and there are plenty of songs out there that someone with virtually no musical experience can share with kids and there are more complex songs that librarians and teachers with plenty of musical experience can share. My workshops showcase all levels of songs that have been a hit with my audiences.

I was visiting with my family over Easter weekend. My mother and I decided to introduce my 15-year-old niece to that most classic of war epic/love story/Hollywood extravaganzas, Gone With the Wind. As long as it got her out of washing dishes, my niece was shruggingly all for it. My brother-in-law assured us, though, in a knowing tone, “She’s going to think it’s Bo-ring.” How’s that for pressure?
I did think we were losing her in the first 20 minutes, what with all that flowery language about the loss of the glorious civilization that was the pre-bellum South (good riddance, I say) and the fiddle-dee-dees and the icky sappy flirting between the wimpy Ashley Wilkes and his milquetoast cousin.
I was silently willing my niece to “stick with it…you WILL really like it.” By the burning of Atlanta scene, I was able to lean back in my seat. My niece was hooked. My mother and I felt…what…relieved? There’s nothing that can wilt an adult’s confidence more than an “oh puh-leeze, you geezer” look from a 15-year-old.
Tough customers, those teens. Even those of us who fancy ourselves “the cool aunt” can’t escape an occasional eyeroll thrown in our direction.

Today, on my second to last day here (foreshadowing, dear reader), I was thrilled to receive my copy of Serving Teens Through Readers’ Advisory,” by YA librarian Heather Booth. This book is perfect for the librarian who inwardly dreads the “eyeroll” when trying to hook a teen on a great book. Heather does a great job of describing how the readers’ advisory interchange can be more challenging with teens.
For starters, how do you even begin the conversation? As adults, we’re used to talking with strangers all the time…at the bank, on the phone with our insurance company. Not so with teens. They’re not used to initiating such conversations. As Heather points out, “The teen who comfortably glides to the reference desk with the maturity and grace of an adult to chat about a good book and ask about a new one is rare (and wonderful), but just because many teens would not think to do that does not mean that they cannot participate in a productive RA interaction.” She has good advice for ways to start the conversation. Basically, it means meeting the teens where they are rather than expecting them to come to the desk. Under the pretense of browsing the shelves looking for books to display, the librarian can casually strike up the conversation. “Have you read this one? I’ve been hearing a lot of people talking about it” is just one of several conversation-starters she recommends.

I’m working on a building design process at home, and it has been slow going. Careful and thorough in our decision-making, my wife and I reminded each other, “We’re only going to do this once; we better get it right.” We have never done it before either, which can make the process stressful. What struck me about Rolf Erikson and Carolyn Markuson, authors of Designing a School Library Media Center for the Future, is the number of design projects, they have have been involved with. I looked back to the proposal for the first edition, and it was an even 100 between them. He had 35. She had 65. He claimed several more in the proposal for the revision. Together, 107 projects, at least, but who’s counting?

I work full-time, go to school part-time, and have a two-year-old, so I’m always looking for ways to better manage my overcommitted life. Last night my husband (aka my personal productivity monitor) sent me (aka the queen of random recollection) a link to jott.com. Jott is a free to-do list program that takes messages by phone, transcribes them into e-mail messages, then sends them to the person you choose (notes to self being the primary intended use).

I’ve tried Tada List without success, and I was planning to try Remember the Milk next. I’ll think I’ll try Jott instead (or at least first).

I’d be interested in hearing your experiences with any of these list/reminder tools.

Is it the end of a long week of “maximizing” your library service? Here’s a bit of fun from Jennie Inglis on the changing library environment:

Library as Place

Library as Place User Survey:
—What size latte would you like?
—Do you want cream cheese on that bagel?
—Would you like your cell phone recharged?
—What time would you like to schedule that massage?
—You would like breakfast brought to your study room at what time?

The library as place was no longer what she thought it was…

An introduction to our Friday Fiction Series and Jennie’s bio can be found on our first Friday Fiction post.

I don’t work as the acquiring editor on too many book projects anymore. When I did, school libraries was one of may areas. I’ve been struck by the passion and idealism of our school librarian authors. Judi Moreillon is passionate about getting librarians directly involved in reading and reading comprehension. From my sideline view, technology seems to have swept aside teacher-librarians’ logical role in reading instruction. Conversations with Linda Cornwell of Scholastic and ALA author Gail Bush at National-Louis University’s Center for Teaching through Children’s Books got me thinking about what we might publish. Then I met Judi, who knew just what she wanted to write — Collaborative Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension: Maximizing Your Impact.