[OPLINLIST] NoveList Notes-Sept 04: Using ARRT Adult and YA Genre Fiction Lis ts

[Lynne Rohweder]

NoveList Notes							September,
2004
Please note that both the ARRT Genre Fiction List and Young Adult Fiction
List are only available from NoveList (not NoveList K-8).

TOO MANY BOOKS?

At NoveList we know that you certainly don't have enough time. With a new
work of fiction published every 30 minutes in the United States, it is no
wonder that both readers and library staff are unable to keep up with the
latest titles. Laura Miller writing for the New York Times Book Review even
wonders if the number of titles being published actually results in fewer
books being read (see "How Many Books Are Too Many?" New York Times Book
Review, July 18, p. 23). She quotes editors speaking about the "wall" of
books that readers encounter when they enter libraries and bookstores and
the frustration of these readers as they try to find a title that speaks to
them.

Helping our readers navigate this deluge of titles has always been a
cornerstone of readers' advisory service and many staff (and readers) use
NoveList to find the titles that will provide them with pleasurable reading
experiences. Whether your library uses NoveList or not, however, library
staff feel more comfortable with both providing readers' advisory service
and using readers' advisory resources when they are knowledgeable about the
titles that their users are reading and asking about.

ARRT GENRE FICTION LIST

A key element to keeping up with what our readers are reading is to know
what books are popular and what we know about these authors. One way to
assess your knowledge of popular authors is to use the resources developed
by the Adult Reading Round Table (ARRT).

The Adult Reading Round Table of Illinois, a group of librarians dedicated
to promoting Readers' Advisory services and fiction collections in public
and school libraries, has recently updated the ARRT Genre Fiction List; A
Self-Evaluative Bibliography For Fiction Librarians, which NoveList has been
offering for the last several years. 

Designed as a training tool to help library staff evaluate their knowledge
of popular fiction for adults, the list allows staff to see where they need
to focus their reading energy in order to serve their community better. The
list is divided into several different genres, with eight of the largest
genres (suspense, romance, mystery, fantasy, etc.) divided further into
subgenres (e.g., legal thrillers, Regency romance). Under each type of
fiction there is a brief description of the key elements and appeal
characteristics of the genre. Classic authors whose names should be
immediately recognizable are listed first, followed by popular authors
(those authors that are both representative of the genre and very popular
with readers).

Library staff (or others) can complete the evaluation in each genre to
evaluate their strengths.  The evaluation also serves as a benchmark list to
guide reading for the purpose of further professional development.  

WHAT ABOUT YOUNG ADULTS?

Recently, the ARRT members completed a two-year study of Young Adult fiction
and compiled a bibliography of popular authors and titles styled after The
ARRT Genre Fiction List and called the Young Adult Genre Fiction List. Like
the adult version of the genre fiction list, the YA Genre Fiction List is
divided into eleven fiction categories including contemporary, fantasy,
historical fiction, humor, comics and graphic novels, multicultural, and
more.

The ARRT members included "authors they considered most important and
popular, which naturally meant that many wonderful and worthy authors were
omitted. Several adult authors extremely popular with teens were included,
but most write specifically for a young adult audience.  Every effort was
made to make the list as unbiased as possible. Librarians are encouraged to
add authors of local interest to the list."

DIRECTIONS FOR FINDING BOTH THE ADULT AND YOUNG ADULT LISTS

Both of these evaluation tools are available on the NoveList web page as a
PDF for printing.  To get there: 

1. Access NoveList and click the START button.
2. Scroll down the Search Selection page to the section called, "Read About
Popular Titles and Topics" and select the "For Staff Only" link.
3. Select the link for either the ARRT Genre List or ARRT YA Genre List and
follow the directions.  
(Please note that these lists are not available from NoveList K-8.)

SUMMARY

We all know the discomfort of being faced with a reader who is talking
enthusiastically about an author that we have not read and in some cases
have not even heard of. In those cases, we frequently make a commitment to
read more. Using the ARRT Bibliography, you can ensure that your extra
reading time will be spent wisely. It will provide you with a map of your
genres of strength and the genres where you should focus your reading.

Also remember that NoveList is there to help you in these situations by
providing you with in-depth subject headings, reviews and annotations for
over 120,000 fiction titles.

As always, if you have any questions or issues, don't hesitate to let us
know.  You can always use the feedback form in NoveList or email us at
novelist@epnet.com.