This month we are looking at Reader’s Advisory tools and ideas. One of the best tools for recommending good books is the simplest one to do: Get in touch with your collection!
Knowing what books you have, what is available on your Overdrive account, and where you can ILL books makes everything so much easier for you.
Several years ago in one of my research studies, I looked at different ways library staff provided service. To look at RA work in public libraries I would go to the desk, tell them I had just read the newest Sue Grafton book and really enjoyed Janet Evaonvich’s books, and ask for suggestions on other books to read. Most people responded just as you would expect: they showed me to their mystery collection, or they offered some basic selections.
Basically, we are a profession of people who like to read, helping others to read!
And of course, that is more complex that it might sound. Because while we like books, professionally, and we hopefully(!) are in touch with the books in our collection – more exciting new books come out every day.
How do you know what to recommend? If someone comes to you for a book suggestion in an area you know nothing about, what do you say? Reader’s Advisory (RA) is your professional strategy.
Fortunately, we have a variety of tools to help you give great answers! Have you used other resources? Tell us in the comments, so we all get better at RA work! Continue reading Reader’s Advisory Tools→
We are excited to continue our Goodreads book groups into the month of March! Nothing like some good books to help us look forward to spring. Join us in our Librarian Professionals group, our Librarians Enjoying Books group, or both! Feel free to read along with us and add your thoughts to the discussions.
Goodreads describes this book as featuring “innovative and surprising ways to keep your personal diversity journey moving and the diversity commitment of your organization. Written to make this information bite-size and accessible, you’ll find quick answers to typical What should I do? questions, like: What if I say the wrong thing, what should I do?”
For our fiction group, Librarians Enjoying Books, we will be reading Love Overdue by by Pamela Morsi. It’s the story of a shy book-loving woman that takes a job at the library in a small town only to run into someone from her past!
We are continuing to provide ideas, materials, and suggestions for you in our Monthly Topics! These were all taken from our annual Needs Assessment of our members – ideas identified as areas they need more information in for their work.
This is a fun topic, because we all like to talk about books (regardless of format!), and to share our love of reading! And of course it’s tough to do sometimes, because none of us can know everything about all the books.
This month we will share some suggestions on making your RA skills sharper and broader. You should also feel free to write in and give some of your best suggestions!
Each month we’ll bring you a compiled list of fun national holidays, birthdays of authors, and publication dates of favorite books. You can use these for your own personal use or for some library inspiration! Share what inspired you in the comments.
For our fiction group, 
