233: Actively Anti-Racism Service to Leisure Readers, with Robin Bradford and Becky Spratford

Steve chats with Robin Bradford and Becky Spratford, creators of the Actively Anti-Racist Service to Leisure Readers course for Learn with NoveList, about how they got started doing anti-racism training, the difference between “not racist” and “anti-racist”, working with NoveList to adapt their in-person presentations to a virtual self-paced format, and why they provide serious answers to non-serious questions.

Read the transcript!

Robin Bradford has earned a BA and MA in English, an MS in Library Science, and a JD, but has found a home in building reader-focused, popular collections in public libraries. She was recognized as RWA’s 2016 Librarian of the Year, and Emerald City Library Conference’s Librarian of the Year in 2022. She is addicted to books and dedicated to helping others discover a love of reading. She has worked with authors to help get their titles into these collections, and wrote the forthcoming ALA’s Guide to Romance Fiction to further help libraries with their romance collection. She also worked with libraries to push for equal treatment of genre fiction, and worked with readers so that they can find their favorite authors on their library’s shelves.

Becky Spratford [MLIS] is a Readers’ Advisor in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All. She is under contract to provide content for EBSCO’s NoveList database and writes reviews for Booklist and a horror review column for Library Journal. Becky is a 21 year locally elected Library Trustee [still serving], a Board member for the Reaching Across Illinois Library System, and on the Executive Board of the Illinois Library Association. Known for her work with horror readers, Becky is the author of The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Horror, Third Edition [ALA Editions, 2021]. She is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association and currently serves as the Association’s Secretary and organizer of their annual Librarians’ Day. You can follow Becky on Twitter @RAforAll.  

SHOW NOTES:

Subscribe to the (FREE!) Circulating Ideas newsletter!
Actively Anti-Racist Service to Readers [Learn with NoveList]

206: Becky Spratford

Steve chats with Becky Spratford, author of The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, about RA for All’s origin story, why people read scary books, the importance of promoting diversity in the horror genre, and which book Steve should read next to scare the bejesus out of him.

Read the transcript!

Becky Spratford [MLIS] is a Readers’ Advisor in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All. She is under contract to provide content for EBSCO’s NoveList database and writes reviews for Booklist and a horror review column for Library Journal. Becky is a 20 year locally elected Library Trustee [still serving] and a Board member for the Reaching Across Illinois Library System. Known for her work with horror readers, Becky is the author of The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, Third Edition [ALA Editions, 2021]. She is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association and currently serves as the Association’s Secretary and organizer of their annual Librarians’ Day. You can follow Becky on Twitter @RAforAll

Today’s show is brought to you by Syndetics Unbound, from ProQuest and LibraryThing. Syndetics Unbound helps public and academic libraries enrich their catalogs and discovery systems with high-interest elements, including cover images, summaries, author profiles, similar books, reviews, and more. Syndetics Unbound encourages serendipitous discovery and higher collection usage, and was recently awarded Platinum distinction in the LibraryWorks 2021 Modern Library Awards. To learn more about Syndetics Unbound, visit Syndetics.com. While there, be sure to visit their “News” tab to check out the Syndetics Unbound Blog for news and analysis, including a break-down of 2020’s most popular titles in public and academic libraries.

SHOW NOTES:

Subscribe to the Circulating Ideas newsletter for a deeper dive into this episode’s content!
The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror (shipping August 26!)

177: PLA 2020

Recorded at the Public Library Association 2020 conference, Steve chats with Sourcebooks authors Ashley Blooms, Emily Levesque, and Caroline B. Cooney about their new books and their interactions with – and love of – libraries. Then, Steve catches up with Megan Emery of the Healing Library and Becky Spratford of RA for All and RA for All: Horror.

SHOW NOTES:

Sourcebooks
Every Bone a Prayer
The Last Stargazers
Before She Was Helen

The Healing Library
NCompass Live: The Healing Library: Responding to Trauma in Your Community Through Nontraditional Lending – Recorded Online Session 

RA for All
RA for All: Horror
Summer Scares 2020
Becky’s PLA notes

161: Grady Hendrix and Becky Spratford

Steve chats with bestselling horror author Grady Hendrix and Readers’ Advisory Specialist Becky Spratford about how Grady grew up with libraries, the legitimacy of genre fiction, lessons learned from Stephen King, and the Summer Scares program.

Grady Hendrix is a best selling author whose novels include Horrorstör, My Best Friend’s Exorcism – which he describes as “basically Beaches meets The Exorcist” — and most recently, We Sold Our Souls. He’s also the author of the Bram Stoker Award winning, Paperbacks from Hell, a history of the horror paperback boom of the ’70s and ’80s, and Mohawk, a horror movie about the War of 1812.

Becky Spratford is a Readers’ Advisory Specialist in northern, IL. She trains library workers all over the world on how to help leisure readers in the public library. Becky runs the popular and critically acclaimed RA training site RA for All and its evil twin, RA for All: Horror. She is a regular contributor to Booklist, EBSCO’s NoveList database, and Library Journal. Becky is the author of The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, 2nd edition [ALA Editions, 2012] and is currently at work on the 3rd Edition. She is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association, whose membership recently elected her Secretary. You can connect with Becky on Twitter @RAforAll.

SHOW NOTES:

Summer Scares FAQ / Resource List
Ladies of the Fright

This episode of Circulating Ideas is brought to you with support from Mometrix. Through their eLibrary portal, Mometrix offers study guides and practice questions for over 1800 different exams covering college entrance, graduate school, nursing, medical, teacher certification, civil service, and many other careers or fields of study, all fully customizable and at a fraction of the cost of printed books. It’s like having an entire library of test prep materials…. all at your fingertips. So, save space, save paper, and save money; with Mometrix eLibrary. To learn more, visit GOeLibrary.com and use promo code PODCAST to get a free demo and save 10% on your first purchase.

120: Becky Spratford

Steve chats with Becky Spratford, creator of RA for All and RA for All: Horror, about getting respect for reviews of genre titles, her upcoming work in IndiePicks magazine, and how to do readers’ advisory in genres you don’t personally enjoy or understand (also, Carrie vs. Pennywise??).

DSC_4825. BeckySpratford. HighRES. BobBriskeyPhoto. 708.829.4490

Becky Spratford is a Readers’ Advisor in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up.  She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the popular and critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All and it’s evil twin RA for All: Horror and is on the Steering Committee of the Adult Reading Round Table. She is under contract to provide content for EBSCO’s NoveList database and writes reviews for Booklist and IndiePicks Magazine. Becky is also known for her work with horror readers as the author of The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Horror, Second Edition [ALA Editions, 2012] and is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association who honored her as a special guest of honor at StokerCon 2017 for her contribution to the genre. You can follow Becky on Twitter @RAforAll.

SHOW NOTES:

The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Horror
IndiePicks

Circulating Ideas is produced with support from the University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science and listeners like you. Find out how you can help here.

53: Becky Spratford

Steve chats with Becky Spratford, author of The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, at the Illinois Library Association annual conference.

Read the transcript.

Becky Spratford in YS

Becky Spratford [MLIS] has been a Readers’ Advisor for patrons ages 13 and up for over 14 years at the Berwyn [IL] Public Library. She has taught at the graduate level and trains librarians all over the world. Becky runs two popular and critically acclaimed blogs, RA for All (raforall.blogspot.com) and RA for All: Horror (raforallhorror.blogspot.com) and writes content for EBSCO’s NoveList database. She is the author, mostly recently, of The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror (ALA Editions, 2012) and is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association.

20: Best Books of 2012 (Part One)

Steve speaks with a group of librarians about their favorite books of 2012 (and some sneak peeks into 2013).

Liz Burns:
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough
Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
FitzOsbornes at War by Michelle CooperComing in 2013:Game by Barry LygaKiki Strike: The Darkness Dwellers by Kirsten MillerQuintana of Charyn by Melina MarchettaPaper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Kelly Jensen:
Crazy by Amy Reed
Me & Earl & The Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Thumped by Megan McCafferty
Something Like Normal by Trish DollerStatistical Probability of Love and First Sight by Jennifer E Smith
The Children and the Wolves by Adam Rapp
Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo
This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Butter by Erin Jade LangeThe List by Siobhan Vivian
The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis
The Opposite of Hallelujah by Anna Jarzab
172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad
Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard
Catch & Release by Blythe Woolston
Coming in 2013:
17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma
Absent by Katie Williams
The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding
When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Kristi Chadwick:
Cold Days by Jim Butcher
Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuireDiscount Armaggeddon by Seanan McGuire
Deadline (Newsflesh Trilogy) by Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire)
Angel’s Ink: The Asylum Tales by Jocelynn DrakeIronskin by Tina Connolly
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Coming in 2013:
Chimes at Midnight & Midnight Blue-Light Special by Seanan McGuire
Greenlight for Murder by Heywood Gould

Anna Mickelsen:
The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks (#2 in the Lightbringer Trilogy)Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth
Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas (Fitzhugh Trilogy #2)
The Rook by Daniel O’Malley
Coming in 2013:
A Memory of Light by Brandon Sanderson & Robert Jordan
Ever After by Kim Harrison
Anything by Sherry Thomas
A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent, Marie Brennan

Sarah Statz Cords
Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen People Who Make This Country Work by Jeanne Marie Laskas
Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace by D.T. Max
My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf
Always Put In a Recipe and Other Tips for Living from Iowa’s Best-Known Homemaker by Evelyn Birkby
George Harrison: Living in the Material World by George Harrison
Read This! Handpicked Favorites from America’s Indie Bookstores
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Reinventing Bach by Paul Elie
Quiet: The Power of Introverts In a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Coming in 2013:
American Isis: The Life and Art of Sylvia Plath by Carl Rollyson
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright
My Brother’s Book by Maurice Sendak
Detroit by Charlie LeDuff
Gun Guys by Dan Baum
Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris
Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing with Others by Stacy Horn

Becky Spratford
The Walking Dead (graphic novel) by Robert Kirkman
The Void by Brett Talley
The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle.
Flesh and Bone (Rot and Ruin trilogy) by Jonathan Maberry
A Bad Day for Voodoo by Jeff Strand
Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel (Book Two in The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein series)
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Seed by Ania Ahlborn
Coming in 2013:
Extinction Machine by Jonathan Maberry
NO24A2 by Joe Hill
Locke and Key (graphic novel) by Joe Hill
Dr. Sleep by Stephen King (sequel to The Shining)