Dear List Members
Following on from Madeleine's summary it is interesting to note that two of the
four popular non-fiction titles are biographies. The Pepys received a lot of
deserved media attention and of course won the Whitbread Book of the Year prize
this year. The National Maritime Museum marked the 300 years since Pepys death
in May this year by hosting a one-day Open Museum seminar with Claire Tomalin
as guest speaker.
There is currently a two part dramatisation on Henry VIII showing on ITV and
whether you like this version or not I'm sure people will start asking
libraries for copies of biographies/Tudor histories etc.
Media attention represents an ideal opportunity for libraries to market any
resources they have which link to the life of the person/the event or whatever.
This may mean promoting non fiction titles but also videos/DVDs and of course
library web sites.
Pepys diaries have even been turned into a Weblog which featured on the BBC
news site in January see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2621581.stm - an
example of innovation which in this case is a good one. For those few libraries
with ebook collections these can also link to flavour of the month
programmes/book awards etc. For those without ebooks the classics are freely
available (look at London Borough of Richmonds' ebooks pages for details:
http://www.richmond.gov.uk/depts/opps/eal/leisure/libraries/default.htm
Anything which gets people reading/using the Internet is worth the effort -
both Jane Austen and John Mortimer's 'Rumpole' have been dramatised on radio
recently - more opportunities for libraries to market their stuff.
I expect I'm preaching to the converted here but felt I had to add my two
pennyworth.Thanks for reading so far.
Penny Garrod,
Public Library Networking Focus, UKOLN
Quoting Madeleine Bentley <[log in to unmask]>:
> Thank you to everyone who replied to my post about non-fiction reader
> development. Here is a summary of the replies.
>
> In general people were glad I had raised the issued on non-fiction reader
> development as there is a feeling that it is too often just applied to
> fiction.
>
> A couple of people mentioned the non-fiction promotion called the Mindseye
> and one reply was from a library (Trowbridge)had participated in it saying
> it was " hugely popular".
>
> A couple of libraries have read non-fiction titles in their "fiction
> reading groups". This has proved to be popular, especially with men!
>
> There is apparently a non-fiction reading group in Edinburgh at the Royal
> Museum.
>
> Popular non-fiction titles that have worked in reading groups are:
> Samual Pepys: the unequaled self by Claire Tomalin.
> The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser.
> Don't Sweat the Small Stuff Richard Carlson.
> The Floating Brothel by Sian Rees.
>
> If anyone has any additional comments or ideas about non-fiction reader
> development they would be much appreciated.
>
> Madeleine Bentley
> Librarian
> Reading Central Library
> Reading
>
--
Penny Garrod
Public Library Networking Focus
UKOLN
University of Bath
email:[log in to unmask]
Tel: (mobile) 078 33 514502
Ariadne(the UKOLN e-magazine): http://www.ariadne.ac.uk
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