Demystifying Genre: Nothing is scarier than trying to help a fan of a genre you yourself

don’t enjoy. You want to help that, for example, Romance reader, find the perfect book,

but you are having trouble knowing where to begin because...eek!... you don’t read

Romance. You are afraid they will find out you are a fraud. How can YOU possibly help

THEM?!? Never fear, in this program, Readers’ Advisory expert, Becky Spratford, will

teach you the basic appeals of the major genres, give you the inside track on what a fan

of that genre is most drawn to, and provide you with talking points to get your genres

readers to tell you what they want. This program focuses on providing you with a

diverse and inclusive list of up-to-date authors; only authors will be discussed. You will

leave this session with the confidence and skill to help fans of every genre, regardless

of whether or not you have ever read a book in that genre yourself. And that will leave a

trail of happy patrons in your wake.

Speaker Bio: Becky Spratford [MLIS] is a Librarian 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 writes reviews for Booklist and a Horror review column for Library Journal. Becky is a 24 year locally elected Library Trustee [still serving], a former Board member for the Reaching Across Illinois Library System, and currently on the Executive Board of the Illinois Library Association. Known for her work with Horror readers, Becky is the author of three text books for library workers, most recently, The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Horror, Third Edition [ALA Editions, 2021] and the forthcoming Why I Love Horror [Saga Press, September, 2025]. She is on the Shirley Jackson Award Advisory Board and is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association, currently serving as the Association’s Secretary and Co-Chair of their Library Committee. You can follow Becky on Bluesky @raforall.bsky.social

Additional Information: This webinar is open to all Oklahoma librarians. This training serves as the Current Trends in Public Libraries course which is required for initial certification through the Public Library Academy, but it can be also used for contact hours towards renewals. It is the final of a series of three trainings that are being offered in early 2025 from Becky Spratford of RA for All. The other trainings are:

Current Trends in Public Libraries - RA for All: Demystifying Genre