SciFi & Beyond!

Honestly, it was fantasy novels that I devoured as a kid. I didn't always like the real world so much, so taking refuge among albino sorcerers, wayward talking cats, and elder gods was vital then and still has impact today. Since then, I've taken many English classes, have taught English, and have read a lot of writing which eschews the realms of the weird and unreal. But science-fiction, fantasy, and the weird are incredibly important. These genres often allow our culture to have a dialogue around things that otherwise may go ignored or are felt in the culture but have yet to be defined.

Early (first-wave) Gothic literature was a direct reflection of those in positions of power (read land-owners / nobility) nervous about losing their place in the social structure. Thus we have stories like Walpole's Castle of Otranto re-affirming, through haunted armor, ghostly wails, etc., the rightful heir to some property and sticking it to the upstart usurper. Today we have television shows like Supernatural, which after a few seasons devolved into various powerful, and often times corporate, camps vying for power through deception, intimidation, resource-control, genetic tinkering, and sometimes force--sound familiar?

That said, there are a lot of poorly written, but very popular, scifi, fantasy, and slipstream books out there just as there are a lot of well-written, but sometimes less known, books of the same genres. As a librarian directly involved in collection development, sometimes this can be a challenge--what to purchase for a collection and how to recommend it? Luckily, an intrepid few, myself included, have started a blog, SciFi & Beyond, which provides reviews and essays on science-fiction, horror, fantasy, and the weird. It's a fun work-in-progress and is a great place to visit in the internets if you are looking for some great reviews and insights. 

Take a look here, and let us know what you think! 

Librarians talking about ALA Annual 2014

I am really excited about the American Library Association's annual conference this year! And so are these fine people! Annual conferences are always super rewarding, and there are so many reasons to make your way there--one being that the fantastic Kyle Cassidy (whose librarian photos can also be found on Slate) will be there to take pictures of any and all who would like to share with others.

Erin Berman

Courtney Young

Yours truly

Ingrid Abrams

Mel Gooch

Leigh Milligan

Sarah Levin

Lalitha Nataraj

If you are going, let's meet! Let's talk about libraries, literacy, youth advocacy, technology, comic books, reference, whatever! And I bet the same goes for most you'll meet at the conference. Oh, and pro-tip: if it's your first time, find some New Member Round Table meetings--I've been going for a few years, and I still learn a lot from NMRT meetings and socials! And, with full transparency as I am a member, don't forget to come by ALAPlay!

Interesting story on librarians' tough decisions...

It's a tough reality that librarians have to weed collections--that means getting rid of books. Sometimes there are books sales, sometimes donations, and sometimes straight-up destruction. If this is something you find interesting, you may want to take a look at Libraries Really Do Destroy Books over at NPR.org