PRINCETON: It’s all ‘The Buzz’ at library

By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
   The staff at the Princeton Public Library is at the cutting edge of what’s current, be it books, films, or technology.
   Based on a concept introduced by a staff member, the library has fused all that knowledge into weekly chat sessions where residents can interact with staff members to see what’s making a buzz. Appropriately enough, the Wednesday discussion group at 11 a.m. is called “The Buzz.”Erica Bess, the team leader of the library’s adult services, said “The Buzz” is modeled after a program that she started when she working at the public library in Darien, Conn., a well-to-do suburb roughly an hour’s drive from Manhattan. The concept there — as it is here— is to have staff share things the public would be interested in hearing about, such as books they’re reading, films, music or trends in technology.
   ”It really took off,” she said in an interview at the library.
   She admits she did not come up with the idea herself but is a takeoff from the exclusive events that book publishers in New York have to share with librarians details about soon-to-be-released books.
   ”It’s kind of like a fashion week type of thing for librarians (held) throughout the year,” she said. “There would be these kind of book buzzes where they would talk about things we really should have on our radar.”
   Ms. Bess, a New Jersey native who started working in Princeton in July 2011, introduced the Buzz concept last summer. During weekly sessions, a rotating group of library staffers — from all the departments at the library — participate. She said she suggests that presenters bring four to six things from the collection, like a book, CD or tech gadget, to each session.
   ”Not everything we talk about is cutting edge,” she said. “Because we have such an eclectic group of staff here and everybody’s presenting, you’re always going to have different interests.”
   Ms. Bess said she is looking to build an audience for the program, which attracts only a handful of regulars.
   ”I like smart people interested in a lot of things,” said Lee Moody at a Buzz session in December.
   For people who can’t attend in person, a staff member puts out live tweets on Twitter, #pplbuzz, for them to participate online.