Booklist to launch new online book review venture
Contact: Mary Frances Wilkens
312-280-5715
mwilkens@ala.org
For Immediate Release
April 7, 2005
Booklist to launch new online book review venture
Graff named senior editor
CHICAGO - Bill Ott, Editor and Publisher of
Booklist, the American Library Association's (ALA) review journal for public and school libraries, is pleased to announce that Keir Graff has been appointed to the newly created position of Senior Editor,
Booklist Online.
As the signature event in the celebration of its 100th anniversary in 2005,
Booklist is preparing to launch
Booklist Online (BOL), a state-of-the-art Internet venture that will complement and expand on the print journal. The project will combine a free Web site, updated daily, and a subscription database, which will use a powerful search engine to provide access to over 100,000 archived reviews, columns and features. The free site will mix reviews,
Booklist features and an entertaining variety of Web-only content.
“BOL will provide librarians with an unparalleled tool for both collection development and readers' advisory,” said Ott. “An expanded version,
Booklist Online Plus (BOL+), to be released in Phase Two of the project, will provide subscribers with access to content from CHOICE, ALA's review journal for academic libraries, plus reviews from selected third parties.”
Graff has sat in several chairs since his arrival at
Booklist in 2001, including stints in the reference, media and adult sections. In addition to writing insightful reviews of fiction and nonfiction books, he has contributed features, interviews and many installments of the “Reference on the Web” column. An accomplished writer outside of
Booklist, he has written for a diverse array of publications, including Playboy.com, the
Chicago Tribune Magazine,
Fiction Writer, and the
Chicago Reader. He also is a produced playwright, a published short-story writer and a soon-to-be produced screenwriter (shooting on his script
Driving a Bargain is slated for this July).
“I'm thrilled to be given a chance to help shape this exciting new project,” says Graff. “
Booklist has long been more than a mere selection aid and has recently taken even greater strides toward becoming
the print source for readers' advisory. I believe we'll be able to offer librarians an incredibly powerful tool online—and also provide a great daily read for book people of all interests.”
Coe-Truman Technologies is developing BOL for the ALA. The analysis and design phase has been completed recently and programming will begin soon. A preview will be given at the ALA's annual conference this June in Chicago, and a full launch is planned for the fall.