Books change lives – even save them – and at the right time, a single book can have that same power.

A recent article from School Library Journal, discussed how libraries across the country are seeing diverse titles on the rise. After all, many readers – kids in particular – want to read about people and things they can relate to, and sometimes that means judging a book by its cover. Who's image do you see on the cover? What about the author's photo on the back? Do they look like you? Why not? The fact is, these images should be diverse as the plot lines in the stories that line the shelves. And thanks to a big push by librarians, that's becoming more of a reality. 

The SLJ article Can Diverse Books Save Us? shows that in today's divided world, librarians are on a two-fold mission. First, to address the need of representation and make sure readers can find characters, authors and illustrations who are like them on their shelves. The second is to deliberately give readers access to books with characters, authors and illustrators who are not like them, in hopes of building empathy and understanding by getting a glimpse of someone else's lived experience and point of view.
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According to the article, "Across the board, librarians are buying more diverse books – two-thirds of the sample, 68 percent of survey respondents – report purchasing an increased number of children’s/YA (young adult) titles with diverse characters in the last year." Not surprisingly, the level of importance of access to a diverse collection varies in communities where populations tend to be more homogenous.
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​While there has been a lot of progress made thanks to the work of individual librarians and organizations like We Need Diverse Books, there's still a long way to go. My own experience as a librarian and a few quotes for the SLJ article make this clear:
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I encourage you to read the entire article to draw your own conclusions, but mine is this: There are lots diverse voices writing books, and more readers are reading them. Librarians are buying diverse books now more than ever, which is great – but that can't be it. Now let's see the school curriculums change to reflect this, and let's support publishers who use their resources to make these types of books a reality. Let's hold each other accountable and not build any more unnecessary walls. Let's work together to keep tearing them down, brick by brick.
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I'm a couple weeks late on this one, but I've officially started my final semester of library school at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee's School of Information Studies! Even better than that, this last "semester" is really only one class. That's right, folks! Just one measly, tiny, minuscule class separates me from my Master's Degree in Library and Information Science!

My final college class that I will *ever* take is Electronic Publication and Web Design (INFOST 685). Not only do I expect this class to be extremely beneficial professionally, I know the skills I learn in it will also be useful in my personal life – including on this blog! In the class we'll be working with Adobe Creative Cloud programs and learning some coding to eventually create our own website by the end of the class – one that doesn't use a cheating drag-and-drop template like the one I'm currently using! ;)

While I'm working on getting back into the swing of graduate school again, I also just moved into my new house over the weekend and am currently living out of boxes as things get unpacked. That, on top of work and planning my wedding next summer has kept – and will continue to keep – me pretty busy! Oh, here I go again with the excuses for not blogging more! But don't fret, I'll also have another big excuse for being busy to share early next week ... stay tuned!

Western week in my readers' advisory course was certainly an interesting one. I am not – nor have I ever been – a fan of westerns. I went into the week knowing that, and I came out of the week believing that even more strongly (haha). Considered a small and somewhat dying genre, the westerns being written today are embracing the idea of the genre-blend – incorporating elements like mystery, romance and the super natural from their respective genres and tying it into a more traditional western plot. Not only does it spice up life in the Great American West, it also makes non-western readers (me!) more likely to give the genre a shot. Based on my impressions from this weeks' readings, it looks like next time I will have to rely heavily on a good genre-blend if I'm to make it through another western ...

For this week's assigned title, the class read Doc by Mary Doria Russell, a novel about the famed dentist-turned-gunslinger, Doc Holliday. While a few members of the class with great interest in the OK Corral and Holliday's life raved about this book, I found myself agreeing with others who found it slow and hard to get through. It's well-written and thoroughly researched, but if you're not into westerns or the beginning of popular American dentistry – don't bother.

The book that I opted to read this week is a classic western: Hondo by Louis L'Amour. Again, I found myself struggling to get through it because of its slow pacing, but readers of the genre claim it is one of the best. It's definitely a "must-read" selection as far as westerns go, but nothing I would naturally recommend to the casual reader. Below is my review of the acclaimed Hondo – a great book, but one that I did not personally enjoy.

The next genre covered by my Readers' Advisory class was thrillers. Similar to mysteries, but usually quicker-paced and more suspenseful, thrillers are the types of books that get your pulse pounding. With recent hits like Gone Girl (2012), The Good Girl (2014) and The Girl on the Train​ (2015) [Wow, lots of 'girl' power here!] breathing some new life into the genre, thrillers seem to be more popular than ever.

The required text for whole class was One Shot by Lee Child (2005). While I found the main character of this ninth installment of the Jack Reacher Series a bit too cheesy to handle, I can see how some readers find great appeal in the series. The other thriller I read for this genre week was The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos (2006). Below is my review of the book.

If this sort of book sounds like something you'd enjoy I would also suggest Echo Park by Michael Connelly, another book that gives a detective the opportunity to reopen a cold case that has haunted him for years. The 12th book in the Harry Bosch Series, this mystery/thriller follows the detective of the same name after someone has reportedly confessed to a brutal murder that took place 11 years prior. When Bosch learns that his partner may have overlooked key evidence before the case went cold, the detective is left questioning himself, his colleagues and the truth of the proclaimed killer’s confession.

Read any great thrillers lately? Leave a comment or tweet me @TessaFoxReads or use #TessaFoxReads.

The second genre we focused on in my Readers' Advisory course was mystery. Prior to this semester, I had actually never read a mystery book – I know, "for shame!" Despite growing up playing the Nancy Drew computer games (I surprisingly never picked up the book series), I had sort of discounted the mystery genre. But after reading a few mystery titles lately, I just may be changing my mind.

As I mentioned in my previous post, each week of the course focuses on a different genre, with one title being assigned for the entire class to read and another title picked out individually by each student. For mystery week, our assigned reading was Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (2009), which is the first installment of the Flavia de Luce Series. The quirky, inquisitive and poison enthusiast 11-year-old that is the protagonist Flavia de Luce is really what makes the first book so enjoyable, and no doubt the rest of the "cozy mystery" series as well. It's worth noting that I listened to the audiobook version of this title, and I think it was the narration that really captured Flavia's character and made me want to read the rest of the series.

But enough about young Flavia - I'd rather talk about the mystery book I selected to read: the late Robert B. Parker's first book in the Spenser Series, The Godwulf Manuscript (1973). Below is my review.

Another mystery series that puts its primary character in similar moral dilemmas as Spenser is the Prey Series (also known as the Lucas Davenport Series) by John Sanford. Sanford’s Lucas Davenport character fits into a similar mode as Spenser and has some borderline connections. The first book in the series is Rules of Prey, although the books can be read out of order. 

If like me, you haven't done much mystery reading, I highly suggest you start sleuthing around the genre, you never know what you might discover – maybe your next great read!

It's been a while since I've posted a book review on here, and this will surely be one of many during the coming months. In my Readers' Advisory course, we focus on a specific genre each week (historical fiction, mystery, thriller, western, romance, women's fiction, fantasy, horror, sci-fi, mainstream fiction and nonfiction). Each student is required to read two books for each genre – one assigned title read by the whole class, and another selected individually on an individual basis.

As someone who tends to read more historical fiction, mainstream fiction and nonfiction, this class is exposing me to many types of books I have yet to experience. While I'm a little surprised to find myself enjoying mysteries and thrillers, I just haven't bought into the romance or western genres. Regardless, becoming familiar with popular titles of all genres – even those you don't particularly enjoy – is an essential part of being a good librarian.  

The first genre the course covered is historical fiction. The required book read by the class was Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (1999), and for the title of my choosing I picked Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2005). I've read a couple of See's other books (she tends to focus on historical fiction about Chinese women) and have enjoyed them all immensely. Below is my review of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which I listened to on audiobook - which I highly recommend!

If you've read other works by Lisa See, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan​ is sure to live up to the high caliber of writing one can expect from her. For a read-alike suggestion of another book about a young bride’s trials and tribulations set in an exotic location, check out Honolulu by Alan Brennert (2009).

In a few days' time I will be starting my third semester of the Masters of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee's School of Information Studies. I can't believe this is already going to be my last semester as a full-time grad student! That means I'll only have one online class and the capstone project to complete during the summer term before graduating, and then I'll be done with school FOREVER – I mean it this time!

I'll be honest. Last semester wiped me out completely! Taking three of the four required courses in one semester (especially on top of working two part-time library gigs and dealing with some personal issues) was a HUGE no-no. To be fair (as my fiancé likes to remind me) I was told at orientation not to take all of the required courses during one semester ... but I figured taking a mere three of them would be OK – not so much. Oh well ... I survived, but I would strongly discourage anyone else from choosing to put themselves through that undue stress mess. But I guess all the insanity I went through last semester turned out to be worth it because ...

THIS SEMESTER IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!

I mean it. I'm only taking three classes this term (which sounds like a vacation!), and they are all pretty spectacular. Here's a look at which courses I'll be taking this semester:

Management of Libraries and Information Services (INFOST 524 – online): This elective course focuses on the library/information center as a service organization. It particularly deals with management of the library/information center including planning, budgeting, decision making, leadership styles, motivation, communication, personnel and financial management. Considering I hope to be a youth services supervisor and eventual library director, taking this class will definitely pay off!

Managing Library Collections (INFOST 520): According to the course catalog description, this class is all about "the theory and practice of collection management across formats including selection tools and criteria, acquisition and evaluation of collections, deselection, preservation, and other collection development topics.​" Put more simply, it's largely about how and why librarians decide to put certain items on the shelves (or online) and – as I'm getting a TON of experience doing at my internship – choosing which items to take out of the collection.

And here's the class I am most excited about taking ... Drum roll, please!

Special Topics in Information Science – Readers and Readers' Advisory (INFOST 691 – online):
This elective deals with serving adult reading needs that addresses popular fiction and nonfiction, audiobooks, illustrated books and other popular media, as well as research on readers, readers’ advisory, and the readers’ advisory interview​. So what does the syllabus say? Read good books. For the homework? Review good books. For the discussions? Discuss good books. Having an academic obligation to sit around and read for fun ... somebody pinch me! It sounds like this class will be hard to top!

Here's to another fun, educational and formative year of library school at UWM! More importantly, I'm one step closer to graduation and my first real, big-girl job as a professional librarian! Paid sick time, personal days, vacation time, and health and dental insurance, here I come!
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This semester in my multicultural children's literature course, we were assigned to pick a topic to write a 20 page research paper about in addition to reading and reviewing 10 books of our choosing that may or may not relate to the topic of the paper. With worldwide political unrest at one of its highest peaks since WWII, choosing a topic about Muslim representation and identity in YA literature (particularly from a female character's point of view), seemed like a no brainer.

While I have not yet started my 20 page paper (oops), I have read all and reviewed most of the YA titles I chose for the class. Above is a booktalk of Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos (2006), a book about a Muslim family from Bangladesh living in the United States illegally in a post-9/11 world. With the ongoing refugee crisis, it seemed relevant and timely to discuss.

Additional YA books about Muslim Youth that I read and reviewed for this project include the following:

In less than a week I will officially be starting the second semester of my Masters of Library and Information Science (MLIS) at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee's School of Information Studies. I can't believe how quickly the summer flew by, but I am excited to start my next bout of classes.

This semester I am taking all of my classes online which will be somewhat of a new experience for me (last semester I had a whopping one class on-campus). However, now that I will be working two part-time jobs on top of maintaining this website, online classes will give me the availability to juggle my workload a lot more easily — it won't be easy, but at least it will be easier.

Here's a look at the classes I will be taking this semester at the 15th top-rank Library and Information Science school in the nation, according to the U.S. News & World Report. The majority of them are the rest of the required courses I need to graduate, but I am particularly looking forward to the only non-required course I am taking this semester!

Organization of Information (INFOST 511 – online): This required course introduces basic concepts, historical background, and theoretical, practical, and technological aspects of information organization. According to the syllabus, upon completing this course I will "be able to explain the fundamental concepts behind rules and systems that provide bibliographic and intellectual access to documents; have an elementary understanding of the major traditions in information organization, including cataloging, classification, indexing and abstracting, and bibliography; be able to critically analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each type of bibliographic system; be able to design a simple tool for organizing a small collection; and be aware of current issues in information organization.

Information Access and Retrieval  (INFOST 571 – online): According to the syllabus, this required course examines three major categories of issues related to information access and retrieval. One is concerned with the range of current information retrieval systems and techniques or processes involved in their construction and application, including database structures, indexing principles, vocabulary control and interfaces. Secondly, the course establishes how to describe and analyze the dynamics of user’s information needs and their searching behaviors. Lastly, students are equipped with critical and analytical skills related to selecting appropriate information retrieval systems, databases, resources for assistance, query formulation and other information retrieval techniques. Special attention is also given to the evaluation of information retrieval systems. 

Introduction to Research Methods in Library and Information Science (INFOST 591 – online): This required course introduces students to basic research concepts, methods, and evaluation in library and information science, and applications of research in the information professions. Upon completion of the course I will be able to identify the range of quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods used in library and information science; evaluate the merits of published research in library and information science; identify a research problem and associated research questions, and design a research project to address the identified research problem and more. I took a communications research methods class during my time as an undergrad at Marquette University, and I'm predicting this will be my hardest course this semester.

Multicultural Children's Literature (INFOST 741 – online): This course is an exploration of the literary and cultural heritage of parallel culture in the United States including African Americans, Arab Americans, Asian Americans, Latino/as and Native Americans. The course focuses on major issues in multicultural children’s literature such as representation, cultural authenticity, and evaluative criteria using critical race theory as our guiding premise. After finishing this course I will be well acquainted with major discourses in multicultural children's literary criticism, familiar with literature from each ethnic group under discussion, recognize ways in which a piece of literature reflects the ethnic group and more. As no surprise to anyone who regularly reads my blog, I am obviously most excited about this course! 

There is some ongoing conversation about whether or not the MLIS program will continue requiring a capstone project to graduate. If they do away with the capstone requirement, it's looking like I'll graduate in the spring. However, if I am required to do the capstone, I will probably wait until the summer term to complete it, making my graduation date sometime this summer. Either way, I can't believe how quickly my time as a graduate student is flying by! 

Hello dear reader, and happy Monday! I have some pretty exciting news: You're reading the words of the South Milwaukee Public Library's new youth services intern! After three different interviews for entry-level youth services positions at public libraries across southeastern Wisconsin, I've finally managed to land a position that will serve as a giant stepping stone toward working as a youth services librarian full-time after finishing graduate school.

I will still be working as a library assistant at the Community Library locations in Salem, Twin Lakes and Silver Lake; however, I am extremely excited to be able to start working more directly with children and their parents at the South Milwaukee Public Library. I am especially looking forward to leading storytime programs for kids of all ages. Now all I have to do is find a way to juggle these two library positions on top of going to grad school full-time and attempting to keep up with this blog on a regular basis . . . Good thing I'm going on vacation next week – I have a feeling it's going to be the last of my relaxation time for quite a while!