Where are all the Librarians of Color? The Experience of People of Color in Academia

Hankins, Rebecca and Miguel Juárez (eds.) Where are all the Librarians of Color? The Experience of People of Color in Academia. Sacramento, CA: Library Juice Press, 2015. ISBN: 9781936117833

From the publisher:

This edited volume addresses the shared experiences of academic librarians of color, i.e. Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Native Americans and Asian Americans. These experiences are very similar and offer a narrative that explains the lack of librarians of color in academia, especially those librarians that have experienced the daunting academic tenure process.

This monograph offers a comprehensive look at the experiences of people of color after the recruitment is over, the diversity box is checked, and the statistics are reported. What are the retention, job satisfaction, and tenure experiences of librarians of color? The authors look at the history of librarians of color in academia, review of the literature, obstacles, roles, leadership, and the tenure process for those that endure. What are the recruitment and retention methods employed to create a diverse workforce, successes and failures? Finally what are some mentoring strategies that work to make the library environment less exploitative and toxic for librarians of color?

Download the Title page, Table of Contents, Preface, and Introduction (PDF)

Young Adult Literature, Libraries, and Conservative Activism

Gaffney, Loretta M. Young Adult Literature, Libraries, and Conservative Activism. Rowman & Littlefield, 2017. ISBN: 978-1-4422-6408-3

Description
This book analyzes young adult (YA) literature as a cultural phenomenon, explaining why this explosion of books written for and marketed to teen readers has important consequences for how we understand reading in America. As visible and volatile shorthand for competing views of teen reading, YA literature has become a lightning rod for a variety of aesthetic, pedagogical, and popular literature controversies.

Noted scholar Loretta Gaffney not only examines how YA literature is defended and critiqued within the context of rapid cultural and technological changes, but also highlights how struggles about teen reading matter to—and matter in—the future of librarianship and education.


Table of Contents

1. How to read a young adult novel : an introduction
2. Constructing the teenaged reader
3. Tending the fair garden : canon formation and aesthetic approaches to young adult literature
4. Bibliotherapy and the problem novel : pedagogical approaches to YA literature
5. The uses of pleasure : popular literature and young adults
6. No longer safe : young adult literature and conservative library activism
7. Do we dare disturb the universe? : young adult literature and social change : a conclusion.

Expert Searching in the Google Age

Jankowski, Terry Ann. Expert Searching in the Google Age. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2016. ISBN: 978-1-4422-3965-4

Publisher's Description
How do expert searchers fit into the Google age? Is there still a role for them? How can you be the best searcher you can be? What tools can you use to develop your skills and build better searches? These questions and more are covered by Jankowski. After making a case for the value librarians can bring to the searching process, whether using Google or other databases, Jankowski takes you through the entire search cycle and offers a glimpse into the future of searching.
 
How do you negotiate a search so that all parties are satisfied? How do you decide which resources to use and use them to their best advantage? What are the steps to building a good search strategy and how do you adapt and modify it? When the results are in how do you manage the results and document the process? Filled with tips and tricks gathered from over 40 years of experience Jankowski provides the answers in this conversational, yet practical guide. 

In addition to providing checklists and examples throughout the book, an entire chapter describes search tools and resources to grow your own expertise. Opportunities to apply the knowledge gained are offered in most chapters. This compact useful book can be used as a reference text, for self-study or as a course text.

Data Visualization: A Guide to Visual Storytelling for Libraries

Magnuson, Lauren (ed.). Data Visualization: A Guide to Visual Storytelling for Libraries. Rowman & Littlefield, 2016

From the publisher:

Data Visualization: A Guide to Visual Storytelling for Libraries is a practical guide to the skills and tools needed to create beautiful and meaningful visual stories through data visualization. Learn how to sift through complex datasets to better understand a variety of metrics, such as trends in user behavior and electronic resource usage, return on investment (ROI) and impact metrics, and data about library collections and repositories.

Sections include: 

• Sections include:Identifying and interpreting datasets for visualization
• Tools and technologies for creating meaningful visualizations
• Case studies in data visualization and dashboards

Data Visualization also features a 20-page color insert showcasing a wide variety of visualizations generated using an array of data visualization technologies and programming languages that can serve as inspiration for creating your own visualizations.

Understanding and communicating trends from your organization’s data is essential. Whether you are looking to make more informed decisions by visualizing organizational data, or to tell the story of your library’s impact on your community, this book will give you the tools to make it happen.