Dowd, Nancy, Evangeliste, Mary, and Silberman, Jonathan. Bite-Sized Marketing: Realistic Solutions for the Overworked Librarian.

American Library Association. 2010. c.140p. index. ISBN 978-0-8389-1000-9. $48.00.

Writing upon the premise that worthwhile, ten-minute, marketing fixes for libraries are unattainable, but that library marketing does not have to be grand, here Dowd (Director of Marketing, New Jersey State Library, Trenton, NJ), Evangeliste (Director, User Services and Outreach, Musselman Library, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA), and Silberman (Owner, Fearless Future; Graphic Designer, American University Library, Washington, D.C.) show how library marketing can be integrated into the everyday work experiences of librarians and library staff and still be manageable. They have created a book presenting ideas and strategies to help librarians and others articulate the value of libraries. Based mainly upon word-of-mouth marketing but incorporating other marketing techniques, including storytelling, electronic resource marketing, public relations, outreach, advocacy, Web 2.0 tools, design, branding, best practices, and more, the authors present an assortment of simple and cost-effective marketing solutions for small to medium-sized libraries. Easy-to-read, insightful, and nicely-presented, with lists, examples, worksheets, and more, this publication, which functions as a quick informative resource rather than a detailed how-to manual or comprehensive reference book, will be of interest mostly to public librarians and others desiring to articulate the value of libraries and library services. Recommended. Review copy. Availability: Amazon.com
, Barnes & Noble.com

Hooper, Brad. Writing Reviews for Readers’ Advisory: a Booklist Publication.

With a chapter by Joyce Saricks. American Library Association. 2010. c.109p. bibliog.. appendices. index. ISBN 978-0-8389-1017-7. $45.00.

Based upon his many years of experience writing book reviews and presenting review writing workshops, Hooper (B.A., European History, and M.L.S., Master’s of Library Science, Eastern Illinois University; graduate work, European history, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; author of The Short Story Readers’ Advisory (2000), The Fiction of Ellen Gilchrist (2005), Read On … Historical Fiction (2006), and The Fiction of Alice Munro (2008)), an Adult Books Editor at Booklist, the flagship review journal for public and school librarians, which is published by the American Library Association, has provided a concise, how-to manual for writing reviews. Used mostly by librarians, prior to the time that publications are published and afterwards, by librarians, other professionals, and members of the general public, reviews are instrumental resources for providing readers’ advisory, building library collections, and promoting libraries, institutions, and publications. Varying in length, they are distinguishable from criticism and written annotations and are comprised of two crucial elements: a section telling readers what the publication is about and another setting forth why it is good and/or not-so-good. Consisting mostly of eight chapters, each averaging ten pages, the author’s book covers most aspects of reviews and reviewing. In the first three chapters, which are introductory and provide the overall context for writing reviews, Hooper covers marketing through reviewing, distinguishes reviews from criticism, and discusses the two kinds of reviews, pre- and post- publication reviews. In the main part, comprised of chapters four through six, the author then presents the components of nonfiction and fiction reviews, the features of good reviews, and the characteristics making good reviewers. In chapter seven, Hooper provides advice and guidelines for organizing and leading review writing workshops. Chapter eight, a contribution by Joyce Saricks (B.A. University of Kansas; M.A., Comparative Literature, University of Wisconsin-Madison; M.A., Library Science, University of Chicago), a professor, librarian, author, and authority on readers’ advisory services in public libraries, covers a subtopic of writing reviews, writing audiobook reviews, which has unique aspects due to the format of the publications being reviewed. In two appendices, Hooper further supplements his text by discussing writing annotations and his favorite reviewers and their reviews. Filled with much useful, excellent, and pertinent information, tips, advice, ideas, and many examples of Hooper’s published book reviews, this concise, thoughtfully- presented, nicely- organized, general, and sufficiently well- documented, nuts-and-bolts, how-to book, by an experienced professional, with a chapter contribution by a noted expert, will appeal to librarians, writers, book review bloggers, and others interested in writing book and audiobook reviews for websites, book clubs, newsletters, newspapers, magazines, professional journals, and other publications. It is recommended for public and academic library book collections. Review copy. Availability: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com

Papafagos, Diane. An Easy Computer Guide for Seniors and Beginners.

RoseDog Books. 2005. c.108p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-8059-9407-0. $13.00. ISBN 978-0-8059-9407-0. $8.00 (E-book).

In this computer guide, intended for seniors and beginners, now retired Papafagos, with over twenty-four years of experience working with computers at Sweet Home Schools in Amherst, New York, The Research Triangle Institute in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and Lockheed Martin in Rivera Beach, Florida, introduces readers to computers, word processing, the Internet, and e-mail by means of easy-to-understand instructions and short, graphic dialogue boxes displayed in a step-by-step manner. Using the Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system and Microsoft Word, the author covers the aforementioned subjects in forty-one, brief chapters, averaging 2 pages each. In the first two sections of her publication, which comprise almost three quarters of her book, Papafagos sets forth information on the Windows operating system and word processing. She discusses numerous topics, not limited to computer hardware and maintenance, navigating within Windows, changing settings, the control panel, keyboarding shortcuts, formatting documents, saving, editing, and printing documents, working with multiple programs or documents, and manipulating computer files. In the last twenty or thirty pages, the author then proceeds to cover the Internet, searching the Internet, and Email. Her chapter on email is the longest one in the book at eleven pages, but it is not necessarily the best. It presents information on composing email, sending, receiving, replying to, and forwarding email, using the address book, uploading and downloading attachments, chat rooms, message boards, and newsgroups. While this publication has many features that make it a good guide for beginners, it also has other characteristics that limit its effectiveness and usefulness. Concise, clear, well-written, and adequately- illustrated, it also is slightly disorganized, outdated, and in need of additional content. The author needs to consider revising the order of the chapters so a more intuitive approach is taken. She should consider grouping chapters by sections and moving some chapters such as the one on “Internet Favorites” to appendices. Papafagos needs to adopt standard book publishing conventions, including a table of contents, sections, and numbered chapters. She needs to redo the index and reorganize it so that index terms do not consist of chapter headings beneath which subheadings are found. Index terms should be keywords that are filed alphabetically. The author also needs to update this edition to cover newer operating systems, software programs, and Internet applications. A chapter on Microsoft Excel would be useful. Papafagos may need to modify the book’s title or include more content for seniors. Its current title is slightly misleading since the book has not been customized for older readers. Finally, the author needs to include screenshots that are better labeled, a back-of-the book glossary of computer terms, a select bibliography, and appendices. This reference guide by an experienced computer professional will best serve readers who only possess basic computer skills and are learning computers on older operating systems and by means of older software packages. In need of reorganization, updating, and revision, it is not recommended for libraries. Review Copy. Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team. Availability: RoseDog Books

Irwin, Tim. Derailed: Five Lessons Learned from Catastrophic Failures of Leadership.

Thomas Nelson, Inc.. 2009. 217p. illus. index. ISBN 978-1-5955-5274-7. $24.99.

In this well-written, thoughtfully-conceived, and nicely-illustrated publication, which includes several pertinent chapter heading quotes, diagrams, tables, and cartoons, Irwin (Ph.D, industrial/organizational and clinical psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta; M.A. and B.A., University of Georgia, Athens; licensed psychologist; Adjunct Professor, Psychology, University of Georgia and Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, Florida; Managing Partner, IrwinInc.; http://www.DrTimIrwin.com), author of Run with the Bulls without Getting Trampled, speaker, and authority on leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and executive selection, sets forth his findings and views on executives who “derail” (like trains) in workplaces, a process which may occur suddenly or over time as a consequence of many misguided actions. According to the author, many extremely talented and competent leaders oftentimes fail due to flaws in their characters that indicate their lack of authenticity, self-management, humility, and courage. In fifteen chapters, comprising four major sections, Irwin presents profiles in derailment, describes the process of derailment, and sets forth ways to stay on the rails for the short term and long haul. In the first part, covering the failures of six well-known executives of major corporations in separate chapters that serve as case studies—Robert Nardelli, Carly Fiorina, Durk Jager, Steven Heyer, Frank Raines, and Dick Fuld—the author attempts to humanize the phenomenon and make it universally relevant. In the second section, he describes the five stages of derailment: failure of self/other-awareness, hubris, missed early warning signs, rationalizing, and finally derailment. The third part provides some how-to information for “staying on the rails” by developing your character. The final chapters cover five critical lessons Irwin has learned on the subject and “habits of the heart” that must be cultivated including openness, self/other awareness, listening to early warning signs, accountability, and resiliency. The author has drawn upon his background as a clinical and industrial/organizational psychologist and his twenty years experience as a management consultant in order to produce this authoritative, superior publication. Interspersed with many personal stories and anecdotes, this timely, invaluable, useful handbook is sufficiently compelling and engaging, even though the first part is not investigative journalism and relies on the summation of available public information. (p. xvi) For the most part, Irwin’s presentation of the material is intelligent and well done, although his failure to number sections and chapters may disconcert many readers. Intended for business leaders, this book will interest individuals of all types. Sufficiently well-documented with endnotes, but not a select bibliography, it is highly recommended for many public and some academic and special libraries. As a Nelsonfree product, it is available for free in audio book and ebook format from the publisher’s website once the printed version has been purchased. Additional no cost resources, not limited to a Derailed assessment, newsletter, audio and video downloads, are available on the book’s website, http://www.derailedleader.com . Review copy. Note: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. Availability: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Bookschristian.com,Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Del Russo, Dawn. 101 Glam Girl Ways to an Ultra Chic Lifestyle: A Cheeky Book with Tidbits of Advice for a Glamorous Lifestyle.

With illustrations by Barbara Ann Scarrillo. BookSurge Publishing. 2009. 110p. illus. ISBN 978-1439256336. $14.99.

In this publication, Del Russo (Fashion Merchandising and Design, Parsons School of Design, 2002; B.S., Business Management, Wagner College, 2001; contributing fashion writer for select online magazines), an up-and-coming fashion stylist and founding owner of a successful, storefront and online, clothing and accessory boutique Bella Dawn, with the assistance of Scarrillo (Fashion Institute of Technology; Owner, Brushstrokes), a graphic designer from New York City with over twenty years experience, provides a pocket-sized, guide book for women, who may be searching for budget friendly glamour and quick, easy ways to go beyond their everyday fashion, beauty, and/or lifestyle routines. By means of 101 tips, each of which is boldly-presented and colorfully-illustrated on a separate page, the author sets forth practical and realistic advice that may have financial consequences. Covering clothing, jewelry, accessories, cosmetics, hair, personal hygiene, self-presentation, health, body, mind, work, home, travel, entertainment, and more, Del Russo focuses on outward and inward aspects of glamour, thereby broadening the scope of the subject and suggesting that there is more to the topic. For the author, glamour is more than skin deep. It goes beyond appearances and constitutes a mindset and way of life. While many of Del Russo’s recommendations may relate partly to socially- and culturally-accepted standards of decorum and fashion—ex. Tip #23 Wear deodorant … (p. 31)—and others are not new but rather longstanding and true—ex. Tip #13 Find a little black, “‘must-have”’ dress …(p. 21)—most if not all her “tidbits” are original, to the extent that they combine fashion, beauty, and/or lifestyle tips into unique statements. For example, on the subject of shoes, in Tip #42, Del Russo proclaims, “Slip into a pair of designer pumps. … Every girl should own at least one pair, right?” Yes, true, probably every “girl” or woman should own a pair of pumps, a well-known, widely-disseminated fashion principle. Del Russo further implies by the wording of Tip #42 that if you can not afford to own more than one pair of pumps, than at least buy a designer brand. The author believes quality matters and it usually is an excellent indicator of beauty and style, although not the only factor. For all women, but particularly for younger, single women, who may be “home alone on a Friday night” and more able to “dress red carpet style” (Tip #69, p.77) without a husband and/or children around, this well-presented, nicely-illustrated, unique, delightful, easy-to-read book serves as a useful, fun, beauty guide. While it is not comprehensive, it may serve as a good, first start for many women, who may need a little fashion, beauty, and/or lifestyle help to move beyond the everyday. A great personal gift, it also belongs in some public libraries as a complimentary, fashion, beauty, and/or lifestyle resource as well as an enjoyable read. Recommended. Review copy. Amazon.com, Bella Dawn.com

Makous, Norman, M.D.. Time to Care: Personal Medicine in the Age of Technology.

With Bruce Makous. TowPath Publications. 2009. 464p. illus. bibliog.. index. ISBN 978-0-9776686-1-8. $14.95.

Due to millions of dollars being spent on unnecessary tests and incorrect treatments, technology- based healthcare in the United States has caused an economic squeeze that already has led to rationing of medical care and services. Here Makous, a noted, now retired, extensively trained and credentialed, primary care cardiologist, who practiced in Philadelphia, PA until 2000 (M.D., University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, WI, 1947; American Board of Medical Specialties Certification, Internal Medicine, 1957; Subspecialty Certification, Cardiovascular Disease, 1961; faculty of The University of Pennsylvania Medical School, 1959-1995, and Thomas Jefferson Medical University, 1994; formerly, Regional President, American Heart Association; Distinguished Achievement Award, American Heart Association of Pennsylvania; author of "The Road Taken" (2006); http://www.normanmakous.com), with the enthusiastic, thematic and directional support of his son Bruce, a leading healthcare fundraiser and published author (Riding The Brand (2004) and Virtually Dead (2006); http://www.brucemakous.com), proposes that the patient-doctor relationship that was displaced by technology be returned to its central, fundamental position in the delivery of medical care and services in order to humanize treatment, improve the quality of care, reduce unnecessary spending and ineffective practices, increase doctor-patient satisfaction, and result in a happier and healthier society. In six parts, comprised of seventy-one, short, easy-to-read, conversational chapters, Makous discusses his medical education and healthcare services before the technological revolution, dramatic shifts in medicine resulting from technological innovations, the impact of these changes and developments in the field of cardiology, involvement by the government, hospitals, insurers, and others in the delivery of medical care and services, insights into the future of the medical system, and more. By means of his holistic approach to the subject, the author provides a wide ranging overview of the healthcare system as well as many explicit and implicit ideas and suggestions for making it better. Some of the subtopics he covers include, but are not limited to, the fundamental tenets of medical education and practice, the art of diagnosing, the art of educated guessing, shotgun testing, hospital practices, private practices, turnstile practices, medicine as an art and science, taking medical histories and doing medical examinations, patient-doctor communications and relationships, doctor-doctor communications and relationships, choosing a doctor, psychiatric cardiology, the “laying on of the hands,” follow-up visits, house calls, patient worlds, patient views, lifestyles, and expectations, screenings, emergency rooms, treatment standards and guidelines, age bias, end of life issues, advance directives, technology upgrades, new drugs, paradigms of medical science, the medical reimbursement systems, doctors as servants of many masters, referrals, malpractice issues, universal care, and rationing. Filled with dozens of case anecdotes, evidencing the historical and contemporary, crucial role that the doctor-patient relationship has played and serves in the delivery of excellent healthcare in the United States, this sufficiently well-documented—it includes a glossary of medical terms, diagrams, photographs, the author’s curriculum vitae, and a list of additional readings, but lacks footnoting and endnoting of the text-- compelling, fascinating, convincing, noteworthy publication, based on sixty years of medical practice by an expert physician-consultant is a must-read as the nation continues to struggle with healthcare reform. For general and more specialized readerships, it will be of particular interest to patients, aspiring physicians, practicing physicians, healthcare professionals, lawmakers, and others, who have significant, immediate stakes in the nation’s medical system. It should be required reading for all of the abovementioned persons and other individuals, who care about the current and future status and quality of healthcare delivery and services in the United States. Strongly recommended for many public, academic, and special library book collections. Advance Reading Copy. Availability: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and NormanMakous.com

Redman, Peggy. How to Get the Job You Desire.

Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc.. 2009. c28p. ISBN 978-0-8059-5637-5. $14.95.

In this extremely brief publication, Redman (Owner of Peggy’s Job Preparatory Services; B.S. degree, Business Management, Concentration in Human Resources, Hampton University, Hampton, VA), a business owner with recruiting and job placement experience at Ortho Pharmaceutical Corp. and other companies, publishes a very concise guide to obtaining the job that you desire. Dividing into her book into seven chapters, the author covers the basic elements of a job search including job applications, cover letters, résumés, references, interviews, and keeping the job once you get it. Subtopics are not limited to follow-up methods, samples, tips, interview questions, proper dress, and more. This publication’s chapters are too short, averaging only three to four pages each. The longest chapter is the one on interviews, which extends over eight pages. Chapters also may consist entirely or predominantly of examples and blank forms. The chapter on references consists entirely of a blank form while the ones on job applications, résumés, interviews, and keeping the job include some additional content besides examples and blank forms. The chapter on interviews contains the most value-added advice and input from the author. The “mini dictionary” comprising the last chapter may be too general for more experienced job seekers to the extent that it defines words and concepts that may be familiar to them. Lacking sufficient advice and input from the author, a bibliography, and an index, this book will be of interest to general readers, who only may want to read a very concise guide or basic outline for conducting a job search. This publication also best suits job seekers, who may not mind paying more than fifty cents per page for a guide which functions more as a workbook than as a reference resource. Mostly due to its briefness, lack of sufficient value-added content, and costly price, this publication is not recommended for most libraries. Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team. Availability: Amazon.com, Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. Online Bookstore