The Author is Listening

Here’s an interesting question:  How would you change your review if you knew the author was reading it, and very likely to respond to it?  Even terrible books often get good reviews, something I cynically attribute to the fact that the literary world is so small.  There’s been interesting discussion around this topic before, in the fact that unsigned Kirkus Reviews tend to be harsher than the signed reviews in Library Journal.

Shortly after I posted the previous bit about Quiet, Please, I got an email from the author.  I had planned to write an eviscerating analysis of the book, but receiving that email took the wind out of my sails.  It probably says more about me than anything else–that I prefer to rant in monologue form, rather than dialogue.

What do you think?  Could you be completely honest in this situation?  What if a colleague you saw regularly wrote a book and you thought it was terrible and were asked to review it?  What if other libraries were making their purchasing decisions based on what you wrote?  Would it be different if you were writing the review anonymously?  (CJ)

Professional Reading – Black Belt Librarians

 For your professional reading enjoyment . . . 

Check out Black Belt Librarians by Warren Graham.  Graham appeared at PLA this year, and reviews of his presentation were extremely favorable.  Graham has 25 years of professional security experience and has spent the last seventeen years as the Security and Safety Manager for the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

This is a quick and simple guide to security in the library.  He makes great points about establishing and enforcing rules, training staff, and documenting issues.  Thanks to his martial arts training, he gives excellent advice on addressing behavior problems, how to handle saying “no” to patrons, and ways to approach patrons with a variety of emotional states (anxiety, belligerence, out of control) that are pretty familiar to any library staff member.

Good reading for anyone who has to deal with the public.  Also, it’s only about 56 pages long–and the back cover blurbs includes the word “snappy.”   Also, “readable”–one of the best attributes in a book.  (Carol J.)