Another year means another call for new book reviewers. And while we welcome all kinds of librarians (as well as academics and professional writers), I am personally interested in reaching out to the young bloods, those in and just out of library science programs looking to orienate themselves in the field.

My reasons are not rooted in ageism—it’s just obvious to me that incoming professionals need help understanding their realm and their potential place in it. Reviewing for LJ may smack of “collection development” and therefore not appeal to, say, a student leaning toward technological services, but I’m here to say hokum. Information is information, and all librarians love the stuff and want to see it used by people.

Signing up with one of our editors means that you can contribute to the dissemination of that information. You, in effect, are keeping America’s hungry minds fed—and jazzing up your resume in the process so that you can land that hot gig and build your very own mansion on the hill in suburban Michigan. So stop your hemming and hawing. Click here to fill out an application and contract, and we’ll send you a book faster than you can say, “Where the jobs at?” Looking for testimonals? Want to know if it’s worth it? Last year, I signed up nearly ten young bloods, and I can think of a few who’d probably be up for counting the ways that reviewing rocks their little casbahs. As John Berry says, “More later…”