While they do not represent the rainbow of reading tastes American public libraries accommodate, Book Review editors are a wildly eclectic bunch. One look at their bedside tables and ereaders would reveal very little crossover. This article highlights an eclectic array of spring offerings ranging from print books to an audiobook to ebook apps. It…

Reviews are an important resource for readers' advisory and collection development. They are also a helpful promotional tool, introducing patrons to what is new on the shelf. This resource includes: (1) Tips for writing strong, relevant reviews; (2) Different ways reviews can be used to promote your library; and (3) A chapter by Joyce Saricks…

Have you ever considered writing or reviewing for the library community? Are you interested in publishing a book on your favorite author or hobby? Do you need to write and publish for tenure? If so, "Writing and Publishing" is for you. Practical how-to guidance covering fiction, poetry, children's books/magazines, self-publishing, literary agents,…

Many academic libraries rely on "Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries" when making collection development decisions. This study examines holdings and use for books reviewed in "Choice," books designated by "Choice" as Outstanding Academic Titles, and the general collections for two groups of libraries. (Contains 12 tables and 3 figures.)

This article reports on selected results of a comprehensive survey of children's reading in England, carried out online in 2005 by the National Centre for Research in Children's Literature at Roehampton University. With 4182 responses from children living in England aged from 4 to 16 years, the survey is a follow-up to a similar study completed in…

Fewer employees, shorter hours, diminished collection budgets, reduced programs and services--all at a time of record library usage. In this book, library expert Carol Smallwood demonstrates that despite the obvious downsides, the necessity of doing business differently can be positive, leading to partnering, sharing, and innovating. This…

Reviews Martin Duberman's Paul Robeson (Knopf, 1988). Commends its quality and coverage, but questions whether the book meets the challenges of Robeson's opponents. Concludes that Robeson is an American hero. (DM)

This supplement/newsletter contains booktalks, news, and other information of interest to librarians and adult readers. This issue includes reviews of fiction and nonfiction books for adults; an article, "How I Turned into a Booktalker--Overnight!" by Kaite Mediatore; and a new feature, "Talking with the Talkers," which focuses…

This second annual encyclopedia summary updates the American Library Association's (ALA) evaluation of 10 sets and analyzes the deletions and additions made to each encyclopedia within the context of each publisher's revision plans. The board looked specifically for significant changes in purpose, arrangement, content style, general quality, and…

Discusses biographies written for young adults and describes problems with inferior writing in many of them. Examples of both good and bad biographies are given, and problems highlighted include unimportant details, a failure to make facts interesting, an absence of personal information, and an emphasis on neutrality from fear of bias. (LRW)

This column describes the book, "The Tarantula Scientist," that features the work of arachnologist Sam Marshall, a scientist who studies spiders and their eight-legged relatives. Marshall is one of only four or five scientists who specializes in the study of tarantulas. The informative text and outstanding photographs follow Sam as he…

Reports results of a study which compared the treatment of selected characteristics of the reviewing literature of management in professional and trade journals. The characteristics examined included lag time, review length, descriptive or analytic nature of reviews, positive or negative evaluations, and affiliation of the reviewer. (CLB)

Discusses George Orwell's lack of influence on modern science fiction and presents a selected annotated bibliography of modern science fiction materials depicting a wide variety of totalitarian societies. (MBR)

This annotated bibliography reviews 32 children's books published in Canada in 1983. The list is arranged alphabetically by author and annotations and reviews are included in both English and French. Each book is designated as suitable for a particular age group. The 18 books published in English and the 14 published in French are reviewed in…

Identifies and describes titles from the Mormon literature that have universal appeal while providing insights into an often misunderstood religious culture. Fiction with both historical and modern settings deemed to be appropriate for general young adult library collections is included. Bibliographic information and publisher addresses are…