- Association of College and Research Libraries, MD
- Black Caucus of the Maryland Library Association
- Leadership Development Division
- Public Services Division
- Intellectual Freedom Panel
- Legislative Panel
- Professional Development Panel
- Marketing Committee
- Maryland Author Award
- Future of Libraries Interest Group
- Government Information Interest Group
- LGBTQ+ Interest Group
- Library Advocacy Interest Group
- Maryland Adult Programming Interest Group
- New Members Interest Group
- Outreach Services Interest Group
- Readers' Advisory Interest Group
- Teen Interest Group
RAIG Meetings, Minutes and Programs
Our Meetings
Our meetings are a chance to get together, online or in person, and talk about readers advisory with colleagues from around the state. Some meetings have an expert presenter on an RA topic. Other meetings have a theme – a particular genre to focus on. Each person reads a book in that genre and presents a short review of it at the meeting. Besides hearing about the books we've read, meetings also include wide-ranging discussions of books and reading, RA work, and anything else about libraries. Along with our discussions, we will also plan training programs for the MLA-DLA Conference and other times of the year. Finally, we will update and expand our presence by adding a social media component to our activities.
Please check back for future meeting dates.
Attendance via Blackboard Collaborate will be an option.
Our Minutes
Upcoming Programs
Soothing Reads for Stressful Times
Date(s): April 5, 2021
Time: 2:00 PM EST - 3:00 PM EST
It has been a stressful year for everyone, and while we all handle stress differently, library staff can offer their readers materials that may help bring a little relief! Join us as we introduce the concept of "hygge" and discuss comfort reads in several forms, including baking, crafting, doing puzzles, solving problems, or falling into someone else's life for a little while. Let's help each other get cozy. Register today!
Our MLA/DLA 2021 Conference Programs
Wednesday, May 5th 2:00-4:00 BOOK BUZZ 2021
Back for a third year in a row, it's Book Buzz! Get inside news on hot books coming from three big publishers. Identify upcoming titles that will please your library users. Learn how to promote your collection by watching these professionals in action. Ian Doherty - Sales Representative Harper Collins Publishers, Brian Nielsen - Manager, Penguin Random House, Talia Sherer - Senior Director, Library Marketing, Macmillan Publishers Sponsor: RAIG This program is worth 2 contact hours of continuing education.
Friday, May 7th 10:30-11:30 BOOK TALKING TO THE VOID
Reader’s Advisory is a great way to introduce people to new authors, diverse titles and give a boost to circulation. It has been especially challenging this past year because we haven’t had the face-to-face interaction with our customers that we are used to. So how do we reach people? By creating engaging booktalking videos that draw in a larger audience on social media! In this program, you’ll learn the basics of recording yourself on video and how to construct a booktalk designed for a general audience rather than a specific person. Find out how to translate your excitement about what you’ve read for a wide stage! Meg Faller - Calvert Library, RAIG Co-Chair. Sponsor: RAIG This program is worth 1 contact hour of continuing education.
Past Programs
Black Authors Matter
Date(s): July 14, 2020
Time: 3:00 PM EST - 4:00 PM EST
In response to the movement to bring attention to issues in the Black community and the need for increased diverse reads, RAIG is proud to offer #BlackAuthorsMatter via Zoom! Please come to the meeting having read at least one book by a Black author that you would like to recommend. Those wishing to 'book talk' their selection should indicate that when registering. RAIG members will share their picks, and then open the forum for participation. Each speaker will have 2 minutes for their 'book talk'. A link to a compiled document of all the authors discussed (plus many more) will be shared with the participants. Librarians will come away with a full toolbox of titles and authors from multiple genres they can draw from for their future reader's advisory opportunities. The list will also serve as a resource to use for the creation of book discussion groups and informative programs which support diversity and inclusion. Additionally we will discuss where to find resources that highlight Black authors and publishers, and how to promote Black authors in their collections.
Exploring Hot Genres: Afrofuturism, #MeToo, Uplifting Reads, and Urban Fiction
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What is Afrofuturism? Are there good books that explore #MeToo issues? What are urban fiction readers looking for? Can you recommend books that will lift my spirits in these troubling times?
If you’ve encountered these questions, come hear presenters from the Reader’s Advisory Interest Group explore the typical characteristics, appeal factors, and representative titles for each of these genres.
After the presentation we will break into groups to discuss these titles. Please read at least two of these titles before the program and be ready to contribute your insights!
- Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (Afrofuturism)
- Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger by Rebecca Traister (#MeToo)
- Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (Up-lit)
- Best Laid Plans: A Hood Misfits Novel by Brick and Storm (Urban fiction)
This program has been approved for 3 contact hours of continuing education.
May 30, 2019, 12:30-4:30 pm
Laurel Branch Library, 507 7th Street, Laurel, Maryland 20707
Stocking Your Reader’s Advisory Toolbox
Is your Reader’s Advisory toolbox rusty or do you find yourself avoiding customers seeking advice on what to read next? Reader’s Advisory expert, Barry Trott, will increase your confidence to face these questions head on and improve your skills in reader’s advisory. Participants will review ‘appeal factors’ (style, mood and story elements) of a book and how to connect books and authors to your customer. Participants will also learn how to transfer these “appeal factors” to be able to make appropriate suggestions to customers as well as develop asynchronous tools such as lists and displays. Mr. Trott will also discuss what data libraries collect that can be helpful to reader’s advisory services and how to use this data in your library.
Barry Trott is Special Projects Director at the Williamsburg (VA) Regional Library. He has served as president of ALA's Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) and is editor of Reference and User Services Quarterly. In 2007, he received both Public Library Association's (PLA) Allie Beth Martin Award and RUSA's Margaret E. Monroe Award. At the PLA Conference in March 2018, Mr. Trott was one of the Reader’s Advisory experts at the 'Top 5 of 5: A Current Affair' program where presenters showcased "go-to" lists of the latest and best books/authors for popular fiction, genre fiction, and nonfiction for leisure readers.
Registration will open at noon. Bring your own lunch and join in on networking before the program which will begin promptly at 1:00.
This training is worth 3 continuing education credits.
November 1 12:00 - 4:30 PM
BCPL - Arbutus Branch
Register Today! https://www.mdlib.org/ev_calendar_day.asp?date=9%2F13%2F18&eventid=57
Presented by the Public Services Division in partnership with NoveList, and co-sponsored by the Reader's Advisory Interest Group.
Last updated 01 April 2021.