Judging the Cover: An Ink&Wire Feature

As a library science student, I am very fortunate to have a paid part-time library job at the moment, a reference assistant position at a joint public/community college library in small town North Carolina. One of the things I enjoy the most about the job is the forty-five minutes or so I take every shift to clean up the non-fiction section -- which probably makes me sound terribly dull, now that I see it written down, but hear me out. I walk through the entire section, shelf by shelf, which means I look at hundreds of covers and spines. I know you aren't supposed to judge a book by its cover and all that... but really, you KNOW we all do it. Haven't you ever looked at a book and just thought, "Man, that is a really kick ass cover" or "Who the hell thought up that title"? It's especially difficult not to judge when you're looking at an entire shelf of old white and black books, and that bright pink book with SEX emblazoned on the spine is practically forcing itself on your eyes.

So, I decided to give in. After all, covers and titles are ultimately marketing decisions designed to attract my attention - and while I might feel a little dirty falling prey to good marketing, I'm only human.

Judging the Cover will be a recurring feature on Ink&Wire. I won't say regularly recurring, because the idea of sticking to a regular schedule for anything right now is amusing at best and demoralizing in general, but it's a feature that will pop up from time to time. I'll post covers of books that look interesting or fun; loud covers, ugly covers, well-designed covers, weird titles, clever titles, or books that just intrigue me for some reason. What these covers and titles have to say about our culture and the publishing industry in general should be... fun to consider.

Keep an eye out for Judging the Cover @ Ink&Wire!

Greetings!

Welcome to Ink & Wire! I'm Megan, and mine is the voice you'll be hearing through this blog. I'm a graduate student in Library & Information Science, focusing on children and youth services in public libraries. This blog is a forum for all things library-related, as well as a home for my book reviews, book trailers, and read alike lists.

I believe it's good form to disclose your biases ahead of time, so here are a few things that color my views on library service: I love technology. I love (and am addicted to) video games. I play Dungeons & Dragons and other storytelling games. I read primarily science fiction, fantasy, and young adult lit. I'm a big proponent of intellectual freedom. I believe graphic novels are works of art and literature, not just a bridge to reading "real books". And I think "And Tango Makes Three" is the sweetest book EVER.

So, what about the name? As it says in the sidebar:
"Ink and Wire reflects the changing nature of library services in the 21st century. Paper and ink will always be treasured, but the wonder of technology continues to expand our information and entertainment horizons.

Books, eReaders, Cassettes, MP3s, Video Games, Tabletop Games, Arts & Crafts, Web Design - Ink and Wire embraces them all."

So don't be surprised to find an essay in defense of the printed novel posted immediately after coverage of a library video game tournament or praise of a new eReader. Embrace the so-called contradiction! Better yet, ask yourself...why is it a contradiction at all?

Ink & Wire. 2011.