Join Albany Public Library as we look toward the future of readers’ advisory in our fourth annual By the Book conference. Our featured speakers will be Neal Wyatt, Collection Management Librarian for Chesterfield County Public Library, Chesterfield, VA, and Michael B. Gannon, Associate Director for Administrative Services for Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, Hyattsville, MD. With an exciting slate of programs for professional and paraprofessional staff scheduled for Friday, November 16, APL’s By the Book is designed to give attendees real-world readers’ advisory tips and techniques that they can implement in their home libraries.

Neal Wyatt will discuss reading maps, a recent cover topic in Library Journal, and she’ll also lead afternoon breakout sessions designed to give you hands on experience with this new and exciting RA tool. Reading maps offer librarians a varied and wider range of options for connecting readers with books that go beyond the traditional appeal factors.

Michael B. Gannon will share with us his advice for making the most of book covers when offering readers’ advisory services to readers. We’ll also look beyond providing readers’ advisory for very popular genres like mystery and romance: Mr. Gannon, also the author of Blood, Bedlam, Bullets, and Badguys: A Reader’s Guide to Adventure/Suspense Fiction, will lead an afternoon breakout session on reaching out to readers of adventure and suspense fiction.

Explore one of the most in-demand new genres, urban fiction, with Albany Public Library’s own urban fiction RA expert Scott Jarzombek, Branch Librarian. Plus we’ll expand our breakout sessions to include children’s and young adult RA with Jendy Murphy, Head of APL’s Gerald D. Jennings Children’s Library.

Attendees at this year’s event are invited to join us Thursday night for refreshments and a chance to share the “Best of the Book Groups.” Bring your favorite book group title and tell us why it worked for you! The $65 registration fee also includes breakfast and lunch on Friday, November 16; student registrations are $25 (student ID required).