• Readers' Advisor News
  June 2005
• A Tribute to Betty Rosenberg
• On the Social Nature of Reading
• Cindy Orr's Golden Rules of Readers' Advisory Service
• Why Genre Matters
• About Readers' Advisor News

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Featured Article

A Tribute to Betty Rosenberg by Cindy Mediavilla

Betty Rosenberg was not your stereotypical librarian. When this petite woman with her shock of curly white hair entered a classroom at UCLA's Graduate School of Library and Information Science, her booming voice commanded attention; and she often brought a meeting to order with a two-fingered whistle…
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Scholarship and Research

On the Social Nature of Reading by Wayne Wiegand

In a preprint version of the introductory essay to Genreflecting, 6th edition, (forthcoming December 2005, Libraries Unlimited), Wiegand reviews the scholarship on the social nature of reading and connects it to the growing body of knowledge that focuses on the existence of a "public sphere," and on the concept of "place." He then links "reading" and "place" to the world of libraries we've come to know in the first part of the 21st century, and to a service in these libraries we now label "Reader's Advisory."
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Library Perspective

Cindy Orr's Golden Rules of Readers' Advisory Service

Rule #5 - Don't Pigeonhole the Readers

Find out what the reader really wants, and never rely on preconceptions that may prove embarrassingly false. That sweet little old lady may love gory horror or steamy romances, and the teenager with the eyebrow ring might just adore Jane Austen. Don't jump to conclusions.
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Inside the Industry

Why Genre Matters by David G. Hartwell

We all know that genres are great for the publishing industry, but what do genres do for readers, and why should RAs take the time to learn about various genres? David Hartwell, senior editor of Tor/Forge Books, offers some insights…
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