Reminder - - Spooky RA for October! We are so excited to bring Horror expert, Becky Spratford back with us in October for a deeper look into the Horror genre. Please join us!

Horror Readers' Advisory: How to Help Your Scariest Patrons [DLD Workshop with Becky Spratford] Tuesday, October 21 from 10-11:30 | Register

A recent poll of thousands of library workers identified Horror as one of the Top 5 genres they were "most scared of," and yet, the genre is basking in a popularity among our patrons that hasn't been seen in decades. We cannot ignore it any longer. It's time to stop worrying that your Horror readers are monsters, and start remembering they only like to read about them. The library world's Horror expert, Becky Spratford, is here to help you conquer your own fears and walk you through today's horror landscape. In this webinar she will explain how to talk to fans, break down the appeal of horror, identify what resources will serve you best, and most importantly, give you dozens of authors and titles to start suggesting with confidence, immediately! And just in time for the start of Spooky Season. Becky will break it all down for you so that you can get up to speed on this current Horror Renaissance without terrorizing yourself in the process. Let's have some fun, talk about books, help patrons, and learn about the scariest genre together.

About Becky Spratford:

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. 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 new Why I Love Horror [Saga Press, September 23, 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

Do You Want More Readers’ Advisory? If so, we have an additional October webinar available to you:

Romance Readers Advisory: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told [PCI Webinars]

Wednesday, October 29from 2-3 | Register

Readers love Romance, but with all the different sub-genres and tropes, it can be hard to keep up! Join us for a one-hour webinar to get the skinny on all things Romance RA…

For other 2025 events, please Visit: https://cslib.libcal.com/

For any questions, please contact Gail Hurley at Gail.Hurley@ct.gov or

860-704-2223

CT State Library is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.