Mystery Reader's Advisory: The Librarian's Clues to Murder and Mayhem

by John Charles

Overview

Whodunit? Taking the mystery out of serving mystery fans in the library, authors and avid mystery fans John Charles, Joanna Morrison, and Candace Clark uncover the evidence in this comprehensive and fun readers' advisory. Covering the popular mystery genre from collection development to programming and marketing tips, this is the one-stop source for librarians and mystery readers alike. In this handy reference, you'll find an introduction to the world of mystery, a step-by-step guide on how to interview readers in order to match their tastes with stories (Do you like noir or cozy?), programming ideas, marketing strategies, and collection development tips on the sticky issues of weeding, paperbacks, and obtaining out-of-print titles. The second half of the book presents two winning booklists organized by themes (e.g., Classic, Ecclesiastical, Cozy) and subgenres (e.g., Private Investigator, Legal Thrillers, True Crime). And a where-to-go guide for more specifics includes reference information, review literature, specialty publishers, and Websites. Packed with information, this user-friendly book will help you to: Develop your understanding of the mystery world - its awards (Edga

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780838908112
Publisher:	American Library Association
Publication date:	12/01/2001
Series:	ALA Readers' Advisory Series
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.55(d)

Editorial Reviews

For those who work with genre readers, these two guides are must-haves. Herald, a former readers' advisory librarian and author of several other titles in the "Genreflecting Advisory" series, and Kunzel, teen specialist in the youth services department of Princeton Public Library, NJ, separate science fiction into broad subgenres such as "General Science Fiction Adventure" and "Triumphs and Travails of Technology" and then categorize them further into sub-subgenres, like "Space Opera" and "Virtual Reality," giving annotated lists of representative titles for each. By excluding fantasy and horror, the strict focus on sf makes the guide easier to use, and while the category names may be somewhat arbitrary, a little searching yields good results for readers seeking books similar to others they have enjoyed. Good indexing, by author, title, subject, and character name, along with chapters devoted to books written for children and young adults and genre-blended books (such as science fiction/ romance or science fiction/mystery), sets this reference apart. Mystery Readers' Advisory is another excellent guide for readers' advisory professionals, to be used quite differently. While annotated lists of mysteries by themes, subgenres, and awards are presented here, the book's focus is more on learning about the mystery genre and its readers than about finding specific titles. This is true for the "ALA Readers' Advisory" series in general. The tone is chatty: one professional to another (the authors are librarians and mystery buffs), and the information is quite useful, especially for readers' advisors new to the field. The various subgenres are explored, such as mysteries with private investigators, amateur sleuths, or police procedurals, and a good section on conducting readers' advisory interviews is included. A great chapter on marketing your collection with displays and programming is invaluable. So, shelve Strictly Science Fiction prominently with others in the genre series, for your patrons to browse, and keep The Mystery Readers' Advisory on your own desk to read and refer to. [Readers' advisors needing further professional assistance with genre fiction can turn to another title in the ALA series, Derek M. Buker's The Science Fiction and Fantasy Readers' Advisory: The Librarian's Guide to Cyborgs, Aliens, and Sorcerers.-Ed.]-Jennifer Baker, Seattle P.L.

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