Promoting Reading To Adults
Class Outline
Section One
 What is reading promotion?
 How is it different from adult literacy efforts?
 Why is it important for your library?
Section Two
Level One Promotion
 Booklists
 Readers’ advisory
 website resources
 Displays
Section Three
Level Two Promotion
 Book discussion groups
 Writers’ critique groups
 Book promotion programming
 Staff and volunteer training
Section Four
Level Three Promotion
 Author readings
 Author lectures
 Community group reading
 Author features on website
 Adult summer reading club
 Literary awards
Section Five
Community Partnerships
 How can library partnerships promote reading
 Who can the library partner with?
 What projects will we work on?
Section Six
 Q&A
Promoting Reading to Adults, Oct. 23, 2003, 12 p.m - This material has been created by Katie O’Dell for the Infopeople Project
[infopeople.org], supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology
Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. Any use of this material should credit the author and funding source.
Web Resources for Readers’ Advisory
AllReaders.com
www.allreaders.com/
“Choose from hundreds of plot, theme, character, and setting options to find precisely what
you're looking for!”
Book Reporter
www.bookreporter.com
Reviews, features, and reader recommendations.
Book Sense
www.booksense.com
Essays, recommended reading, and booklists from a group of independent booksellers.
Fiction_L Electronic Discussion List
www.webrary.org/RS/FLmenu.html
“Fiction_L is an electronic mailing list devoted to reader's advisory topics such as book
discussions, booktalks, collection development issues, booklists and bibliographies, and a wide
variety of other topics of interest to librarians, book discussion leaders, and others with an
interest in reader's advisory.”
Genreflecting
www.genreflecting.org
Home base for the popular book series that is a “way of classifying books according to genre or
type that align with reader preferences.”
New York Times Best Seller List
http://www.nytimes.com/books/yr/mo/day/bsp/index.html
Compilation based on weekly sales surveys of major booksellers. Titles are linked to Times
reviews and users can link to the print version of the New York Times Book Review and sign up
for a free subscription to access the list.
Overbooked.org
www.overbooked.org/
Bills itself as a website for ravenous readers that specializes in literary and genre fiction.
Reader Robot Search Engine
www.tnrdlib.bc.ca/cgi-bin/rr-search-appeal.pl
Search database of over 5,000 books using “appeal factors.” Fun!
Yahoo.com’s Genre Lists
dir.yahoo.com/Arts/humanities/literature/genres/
Links to hundreds of sites devoted to various genres of literature.
Promoting Reading to Adults, Oct. 23, 2003, 12 p.m - This material has been created by Katie O’Dell for the Infopeople Project
[infopeople.org], supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology
Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. Any use of this material should credit the author and funding source.
Print Resources for Readers’ Advisory
Bouricius, Ann. The Romance Reader’s Advisory: The Librarian’s Guide to Love in the Stacks.
ALA Editions, 2000.
Charles, John, Joanna Morrison, and Candace Clark. The Mystery Reader’s Advisory: The
Librarian’s Guide to Murder and Mayhem. ALA Editions, 2001.
Dawson, Alma and Connie Van Fleet. African-American Readers’ Advisory. Libraries Unlimited,
2003.
Fonseca, Anthony and June Michelle Pulliam. Hooked on Horror: A Guide to Reading Interests
in Horror Fiction. Libraries Unlimited, 2003.
Herald, Diana Trixier. Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests in Genre Fiction. Libraries
Unlimited, 2000.
Herald, Diana Trixier and Bonnie Kunzel. Strictly Science Fiction: A Guide to Reading
Interests. Libraries Unlimited, 2002
Hooper, Brad. The Short Story Readers’ Advisory: A Guide to the Best. ALA Editions, 2000.
Saricks, Joyce. The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. ALA Editions, 2001.
Saricks, Joyce and Nancy Brown. Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library. ALA Editions,
1997
Scholtz, James and Michael Boedicker. Prime Choice: A Movie Viewing Guide. Libraries
Unlimited, 2003.
Shearer, Kenneth. Guiding the Reader to the Next Book. Neal-Shuman, 1996.
Shearer, Kenneth and Robert Burgin. The Readers’ Advisor’s Companion. Libraries Unlimited,
2002.
What Do I Read Next? Vol. 1 & 2. Gale Group, 2001-2003.
Promoting Reading to Adults, Oct. 23, 2003, 12 p.m - This material has been created by Katie O’Dell for the Infopeople Project
[infopeople.org], supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology
Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. Any use of this material should credit the author and funding source.
Web Resources for Book Discussion Groups and Programming
All America Reads.org
http://www.allamericareads.org/
A nationwide project to get all Americans reading and talking about the same book.
Amazon.com
www.amazon.com
An indispensable site, complete with reviews, booklists, reading guides, and recommended book group
lists.
Award-Winning Books
www.slco.lib.ut.us/fictiona.htm
Salt Lake City Public Library compiles a great list of award-winning books with links-o-plenty.
Ballantine Readers Circle
www.randomhouse.com/BB/readerscircle/
Tips for reading groups, recommended reading, and discussion guides
Bantam, Doubleday, and Dell Book Group Corner
www.randomhouse.com/resources/bookgroup/
Reader’s companion guides available for selected titles.
Barnes and Noble.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
A great alternative to Amazon.com with similar features.
Book Sense
www.booksense.com
Essays, staff picks, and reading guides from a group of independent booksellers.
Bookwire.com
www.bookwire.com
The “book industry resource” is also a great resource for book discussion groups with author biographies,
recommended reading, and details on book tours and appearances.
Creating a Great Book Group
www.multcolib.org/guides/bookgroup/
Designed by Multnomah County librarians this site provides step by step information on forming and
tending a book group and provides complete information on how to best use library resources to enhance
your group.
HarperCollins Reading Groups
www.harpercollins.com/hc/readers/
How to invite an author to your group, discussion guides, and how to start your own book group.
Let’s Talk About It
www.letstalkaboutit.lib.oh.us/
Resources to help put together a book discussion group based on a program model created by the
American Library Association.
Mostly, We Eat
http://www.mostlyweeat.org/
A group of friends who have been meeting to discuss books over a tasty meal for years offer a website
with their accumulated wealth of knowledge.
Promoting Reading to Adults, Oct. 23, 2003, 12 p.m - This material has been created by Katie O’Dell for the Infopeople Project
[infopeople.org], supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology
Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. Any use of this material should credit the author and funding source.
Multnomah County Library Reader’s Connection
www.multcolib.org/books/groups/resources.html
“The place to begin your exploration of popular titles and current reading trends.”
One Book Community Reading Projects on Yahoo.com
dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Literature/Organizations/Reading_Groups/One_Book_Community
_Reading_Programs/
Director listing of many states, cities, and regions engaging in a community reading project.
Oprah’s Books
www.oprah.com/books/books_landing.jhtml
Current and past selections, author information, and Oprah book club gear for sale.
Penguin Classics
www.penguinclassics.com
If you are interested in reading and discussing a classic, check out this site, ”the largest online resource
devoted to classic works.”
Powell’s
www.powells.com
The legendary independent bookstore’s website provides interviews, staff picks, and lots of resources for
book groups.
Rachel’s Compendium of Online Book Discussions
www.his.com/~allegria/compend.html
What’s the difference between a book club and book discussion? How do you find an online book
discussion group? Find out here.
Reading Group Choices
http://www.readinggroupchoices.com
Bills itself as “is the only comprehensive resource for discussion guides available for books by both large
publishers & independent presses.”
Reading Woman.com
www.readingwoman.com
"The Book Club that started when Oprah was only 16," is a place for “a place for readers and book
discussion groups looking beyond the bestseller lists for their reading selections.”
Salon.com Books Page
www.salon.com/books/
Book reviews, provocative articles, interviews and excerpts.
Simon and Schuster
www.simonsays.com
Discussion boards, reading groups, and contests on this publisher site.
Vintage Books Reading Group Center
www.randomhouse.com/vintage/read
Interviews with authors, tour schedules discussion guides, and discussion boards.
Promoting Reading to Adults, Oct. 23, 2003, 12 p.m - This material has been created by Katie O’Dell for the Infopeople Project
[infopeople.org], supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology
Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. Any use of this material should credit the author and funding source.
Print Resources for Book Discussion Groups and Programming
Balcom, Ted. Book Discussions for Adults: A Leader's Guide. ALA, 1992.
Craughwell, Thomas. Great Books for Every Book Lover: 2002 Great Reading Suggestions For
the Discriminating Bibliophile. Leventhall Publishing, 1998.
Ellington, H. Elisabeth. A Year of Reading: A Month-By-Month Guide to Classics and Crowd
Pleasers For You and Your Book Group. Sourcebooks, Inc., 2002.
Foster, Thomas. How To Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to
Reading Between the Lines. Quill, 2003.
Greenwood, Monique. The Go on Girl! Book Club Guide for Reading Groups. Hyperion, 1999.
Jacobsohn, Rachel W. The Reading Group Handbook: Everything You Need to Know From
Choosing Members to Leading Discussions. Hyperion, 1994.
Laskin, David and Holly Hughes. The Reading Group Book: The Complete Guide to Starting
and Sustaining a Reading Group with Annotated Lists of 250 Titles for Provocative Discussion.
Penguin, 1995.
Major, David. 100 One-Night Reads: A Book Lover’s Guide. Ballantine Books, 2001.
McMains, Victoria Golden. The Readers’ Choice: 200 Book Club Favorites. Quill, 2000.
National Book Foundation. The National Book Awards: Forty-eight Years of Literary Excellence:
Winners and Finalists, 1950-1997. The Foundation, 1998.
Neblett, Pat. Circles of Sisterhood: A Book Discussion Group Guide for Women of Color.
Readers & Writers, 1996.
Pearlman, Mickey. What To Read: The Essential Guide for Reading Group Members and Other
Book Lovers. HarperPerennial, 1999.
Saal, Rollene. The New York Public Library Guide to Reading Groups. Crown, 1995.
Slezak, Ellen. The Book Group Book: A Thoughtful Guide to Forming and Enjoying a
Stimulating Book Discussion Group. 3rd ed. Chicago Review Press, 2000.
Promoting Reading to Adults, Oct. 23, 2003, 12 p.m - This material has been created by Katie O’Dell for the Infopeople Project
[infopeople.org], supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology
Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. Any use of this material should credit the author and funding source.