Story Proof (book)

Haven, K. (2007). Story proof: The science behind the startling power of story. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Like Stephen Krashen's important work in The Power of Reading, Story Proof collects and analyzes research that validates the importance of story, story reading, and storytelling to the brain development and education of children and adults. Accomplished researcher and storyteller Kendall Haven, establishes the need for understanding research findings in neural psychology and brain development and the value of a common definition if one is to fully grasp the importance and necessity of story to the development of the human mind. To support his case, he reviews a wealth of research from storytellers, teachers, and others who have experienced the power of story firsthand. The author has collected anecdotal experiences from over 100 performing storytellers and from 1,800 story practitioners (mostly teachers) who have made extensive use of stories. He has read more than 150 qualitative and quantitative research studies that discuss the effectiveness of stories and/or storytelling for one or more specific applications (education, organizational management, knowledge management, medical and narrative therapy, etc.). Forty of these studies were literature reviews and comparative studies including analysis of over 1,000 studies and descriptive articles. He has also gathered research evidence from his own story performances for total audiences of over 4 million and from conducting story writing workshops with 200,000 students and 40,000 teachers. The mind-boggling and extraordinary truth is that each and every one of these thousands of original sources agrees with the general premise that stories are effective. Story Proof" offers proof positive that stories work. (Book description)

The State Library also has the related title, Story Smart: Using the Science of Story to Persuade, Influence, Inspire, and Teach.

Children's Literature in Action (book)

Vardell, S.M. (2008). Children's literature in action: A librarian's guide. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Written in informal and engaging prose, each chapter presents the historical background, definition, and unique qualificaties of the type of literature described. An especially helpful feature is the inset boxes placed throughout chpaters, which give selected bibliographies for further information and present the work of individual authors. The highlighting of these authors and their works offers a helpful model for librarians as they create their own displays and promotions....A comprehensive index allows for easy access to the information presented throughout the book. Two useful bibliographies are also included that could be used to collection building: a bibliography of resources for further study and a bibliography of the works cited. These features make the book an indispensible resource for information proffesionals. (ARBA Online)

Contents:

Chapter One: An Introduction To Children And Their Literature
Chapter Two: Picture Books
Chapter Three: Traditional Tales
Chapter Four: Poetry For Children
Chapter Five: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Chapter Six: Historical Fiction
Chapter Seven: Fantasy
Chapter Eight: Informational Books

The Guy Friendly YA Library (book)

Welch, R.J. (2007). The guy friendly YA library: Serving male teens. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Provides some excellent insights, anecdotes and practical suggestions that should help librarians encourage male teenage users. A must read for all public and school librarians who have found themselves struggling to reach this particular audience. (Library Review)

Contents:

Introduction
Chapter 1 The Library Staff vs. Guys: Why Can't We Just Get Along?
Chapter 2 Understanding Teen Males
Chapter 3 Males as Readers: Their Reading Habits
Chapter 4 Reading and Boys--Topics of Interest
Chapter 5 Books for Boys--Genres, Titles and Topics
Chapter 6 Engaging Teen Males in Library Programming and Teen Advisory Boards
Chapter 7 School Visits and Booktalks
Chapter 8 Actively and Passively Creating Library Services for Teen Males
Conclusion
Appendix A Essential Fiction Titles or Series for Teen Males
Index

Best Books for Boys (book)

Zbaracki, M.D. (2008). Best books for boys: A resource for educators. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Looking for books guaranteed to grab the attention and interest of boys? Books that will keep them reading to the end? Books that will turn them onto reading, or turn them from reluctant readers into lifelong readers? Dip into this guide for a wealth of ideas, all carefully chosen to help librarians, teachers, and parents. The approximately 500 entries have been selected for the general appeal and for their ability to engage and involve readers. Covering a broad span of literature, the book focuses on titles published within the last decade. Genres covered include humor, realistic fiction, adventure, sports, fantasy, historical fiction, graphic novels, nonfiction, and even poetry. Entries are organized by genre and each includes a brief plot summary that highlights the appeal to boys, an indication of reading level, and complete bibliographic information. In recent years, educators and librarians have become increasingly aware of their failings with young male readers, and eager to enlist boys in books and reading. If you are among those educators hoping to more successfully reach out to boys and promote reading, this book is for you. A wonderful tool for collection development, book lists, and displays, this volume will help adults sift through the plethora of titles published for children each year and identify suitable titles for individual boys in grades 3-10. (Book description)

From Awareness to Funding

From Awareness to Funding: A study of library support in America.

Principal contributors: Cathy De Rosa, Vice President for the Americas and Global Vice President of Marketing Jenny Johnson, Executive Director, Branding and Marketing Services

Free download (PDF) from OCLC or you can order a print copy.

From the OCLC website:

OCLC was awarded a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to explore attitudes and perceptions about library funding and to evaluate the potential of a large-scale marketing and advocacy campaign to increase public library funding in the U.S. The findings of this research are now available in the OCLC report, From Awareness to Funding: A study of library support in America. Though this study was based on data from the United States, there are findings in the report that could be applicable to any library seeking to understand the connections between public perceptions and library support.

Among the findings from the report:

• Library funding support is only marginally related to library visitation
• Perceptions of librarians are an important predictor of library funding support
• Voters who see the library as a 'transformational' force as opposed to an 'informational' source are more likely to increase taxes in its support

The report suggests that targeting marketing messages to the right segments of the voting public is key to driving increased support for U.S. public libraries.