We are excited to bring Readers’ Advisory expert Becky Spratford back with us for a new workshop! Please join us!

Re-Charge Your Book Club [DLD Workshop with Becky Spratford] Monday, January 12 from 2-3:30 | Register for Re-Charge Your Book Club

Becky has been leading book clubs for 25 years and has seen it all. In this program she will share her tips and tricks for success. All book groups go through their ups and downs, but re-energizing your group is not as hard as it may seem. Becky will walk you through how to confidently identify and utilize the best resources for leading a book discussion, pick books that will engender the best conversations, lead a more interactive discussion even with the most jaded of groups. Let her show you how to take control, shake things up, and rediscover why you started the group in the first place.

AND…as a bonus, Becky will be presenting a webinar in our PCI Webinars subscription series next month…Note – our subscription is for Connecticut library staff only.

2025 Readers’ Advisory Year in Review [PCI Webinars] Wednesday, February 11 from 2-3 | Register for Readers Advisory Year in Review

2025 has moved into our rearview, everyone is eager to jump into the fresh start of 2026, but hold up for just a bit longer. It is important, every year, to take a step back and look critically at the year that was before setting goals or service plans for the next year. Join noted Readers' Advisory expert, Becky Spratford as she walks you through the highlights [and lowlights] of 2026 in Adult Leisure Reading. From the biggest trends, to the authors, titles, and genres that broke through, Becky will break it all down for you, wringing out the best of 2025 to take with us as we plan our service to Adult readers for 2026.

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

For other 2026 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.