From: Sarah Nelsen <snelsen>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:31:42 -0700

I also consider blog reviews for book selection in addition to print reviews. The blog reviews often come out before the reviews in the journals, I have immediate access to the blog reviews, the blog reviews are written by knowledgeable professionals and I find them to be more honest as well as entertaining than the print reviews. I agree it is important to look at many different sources in order to have a well-rounded, well-used collection.

Sarah Nelsen Collection Development Librarian Fort Vancouver Regional Library

-----Original Message----- From: "Steward, Celeste" <csteward at aclibrary.org> To: "Kathleen T. Horning" <horning at education.wisc.edu>,
<ccbc-net at lists.education.wisc.edu> Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:46:38 -0700 Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Book review blogs

> Wow...this is a real can of worms...in all honesty, I do consider blog
> reviews for book selection and I confess to peeking at the customer
> reviews on Amazon...I may take them with a grain of salt but I still
> read them. The more well written the reviews are, the more notice I
> give
> them.
>
> As a selector, I read hundreds of trade journal reviews. Typically, the
> reviews are conflicting which makes me wonder about the subjective
> nature of any review. I have bought starred review titles and flipped
> through them thinking, yuck! To each his own.
>
> When building library collections, I think diversity in reading tastes
> is vital. If I bought only what I considered worthwhile, we'd have a
> biased collection for sure.
>
> Celeste Steward, Librarian IV,
> Collection Development
> Alameda County Library
> 2450 Stevenson Blvd.
> Fremont, CA 94538
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Kathleen
> T. Horning
> Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2008 7:56 AM
> To: ccbc-net at lists.education.wisc.edu
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Book review blogs
>
> A lot of people have shared their favorite children's and YA literature
> blogs, offering their rationales for reading them. It's nice to see
> such
>
> variety and enthusiasm for the blogs that have sprung up in the past
> few
>
> years.
>
> I'm wondering if anyone uses the blog reviews of new books in library
> book selection. Do they influence what you purchase? How do you think
> blog reviews measure up to reviews from professional review journals?
>
> KT
>
> Kathleen T. Horning
> Director
> Cooperative Children's Book Center
> 4290 Helen C. White Hall
> 600 N. Park St
> Madison, WI 53706
>
> Phone: 608-263-3721
> FAX: 608-262-4933
>
> horning at education.wisc.edu
> http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
>
>
>
> Kimberly Gotches wrote:
> > I am amazed at how many interesting blogs there are out there. I
> have
> been
> > missing out! I have a few blogs to share that I learned about at a
> great
> > Children's Literature workshop at the printer's Row Book Fair by
> Esther
> > Hershenhorn. I don't believe these have been mentioned yet?
> >
> > - kidlitosphere/ blog central
> > http://www.asuen.com/blog.central.blog.tours.html
> > - cynsations www.cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com
> > - jacketflap http://www.jacketflap.com/megablog/index.asp
> >
> > Thanks for all the great resources! :)
> >
> > - Kimberly Gotches
> >
> > P.S. Thanks largely to all your helpful advice, I have decided to go
> back
> > to school to get certified as a school librarian! I really
> appreciate
> all
> > the comments everyone made when I asked questions about the field. I
> can't
> > wait to join you all in becoming a professional in the children's
> literature
> > world. :)
> > _______________________________________________
> > CCBC-Net mailing list
> > CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> > Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> > http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
> >
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Received on Thu 10 Jul 2008 11:31:42 AM CDT