Calum Kerr

I am attending a booklaunch tonight of a new textbook for which I have submitted a chapter.

The book, Reader Development in Practice looks at the different way in which readers interact with the written word:

Reader Development in Practice: bringing literature to readers
Susan Hornby and Bob Glass, editors

Who is the reader? How do we reach them, and why? To what extent are readers determining what libraries offer? How has that changed since the birth of reader development? And what impact has organizational development had on the publishing and promotion of literature?

This edited collection covers all aspects of literature in relation to readership, exploring the chain of events connecting author and reader. It reflects on the challenges facing information professionals in reader development, looks at current promotion and partnership options, and offers new professionals and students fresh ideas, practical guidance and a firm underpinning knowledge upon which to build.

These user-friendly and clearly structured contributions bring together the work of expert practitioners and academics from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Key topics include:

    * regional partnerships and reader development strategies
    * social inclusion and accessibility
    * emergent readers and social regeneration
    * the roles of imaginative fiction in people’s lives
    * imaginative literature for children and young people
    * imaginative literature for adults
    * reading and information technology
    * promoting books to readers
    * sharing the knowledge & developing reflective practitioners.

This contemporary guide is essential reading for library and information professionals, students and academics. It will also be of great value to students taking literature and publishing courses.

August 2008; 240pp; hardback; 978-1-85604-624-4; £44.95