Learning to suggest,
rather than recommend, was another major breakthrough. Recommend is a word
fraught with unintended meaning and emotion. Recommending places us in the role
of expert saying, “Take this book, it is good for you.” Suggesting, on the
other hand, makes us partners with readers in exploring the various directions
they might want to pursue. Simply altering our vocabulary took some of the pressure
off us- and readers- as we shared books (2).
I tried to be as vague as possible when I asked for new authors. The Library Assistant asked all the right questions, like, "What genres do you like?" and "What author have I read recently?". By the end of the interview, the Library Assistant had my search narrowed down to Historical Fiction, even with clean content.I believe suggesting authors is better than suggesting book titles, because that way the patron can decide which book to pick from the author, and the librarian can avoid "being yelled at" by the patron if the book they selected for the patron wasn't what the patron wanted after all. Below are some of the resources she suggested for me:
Authors
Charlotte MacLeod
Georgette Heyer
Carola Dunn
Anne Perry
Donna Andrews
Jennifer Chiaverini
Kate Kingsbury
These are amazing websites that suggested books with clean content the Library Assistant suggested I visit!
In the end, I selected the book Mrs. Lincoln’s Rival by Jennifer Chiaverini. I think it looks “good”!
Works Cited
Saricks,
J. (2009). The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction (2nd
Edition). Chicago: American Library Association.
Wow! I never actually considered suggesting authors more than books. That makes total sense though, because suggesting books seems like you know more about what they want. Obviously I'll still ask for book suggestions and give book suggestions if I feel confident, but I want to definitely try suggesting more authors to let patrons explore themselves.
ReplyDeleteHowever, not all patrons are good with websites and looking up more books in a more efficient manner (unless someone prefers looking through the inside covers of each book by one author). But really it all comes down to who you are working with. You just need to find out what your patron is capable of doing and wanting (internet vs no internet, books vs author, one book vs many, etc.).
Hi Carter! You brought up an interesting point, that confidence is key in Readers' Advisory. That is so true! You are also right that some patrons may or may not be as technically-savvy as others. I've helped all of the above when working at the circulation desk. Some patrons whip out their Kindle and can download a book in one minute flat, while others need help navigating the library's catalog or even manipulating the computer mouse. I think the main part of the conversation is the interview; the librarian really needs to ask a lot of questions and specify what the reader is looking for. You always just need to gauge the situation you are in before giving an automatic response.
DeleteIt makes sense to me for suggesting authors instead of books. I like to suggest authors with a series, because then the patron might be able to have a list to read, instead of just one and then they're back to wondering what to read next. Then again, I like series authors because the worlds are allowed to become all that more immersive with each new volume of work.
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine!
DeleteI like your technique on suggesting authors with a long series. That way, the patron won't run out of reading material for a while! That is true about worlds that are allowed to become more immersive in a series, especially in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Young Adult!
Dear Dana,
ReplyDeleteI’m glad that you had a great secret shopper experience! I have mixed feelings about my own secret shopper experience, since the librarians in my situation primarily guided me to a historical adventure novel. The librarians did not ask me enough relevant questions, and they did not make specific suggestions for a novel.
The method of trying to be vague also did not work for me when I simply asked for a good book. When I asked this vague question, the librarian that I secretly interviewed was confused. I have a feeling that he was unprepared, but the librarian that you encountered seemed to be skilled in answering the questions of unfamiliar library users.
I can also understand the idea of local libraries knowing the patrons by name. My parents spent some time living in Bremen, Indiana, which is a small town, and they know a number of people who live there. Because of my parents’ experiences, I additionally recognize a few individuals in the area, and I am even friends with some of the residents in the town. My family has also encountered a similar situation with knowing individuals from Woodburn, Indiana, since my family is often involved with activities and distant family members within the town’s location.
However, I disagree with your belief of allowing library patrons to choose authors instead of individual titles from an author. Some authors write in many different types of genres, so I believe that it would be unreliable for librarians to recommend certain authors for library patrons. It could also take library patrons a considerable amount of time to find the right book from the author if the author had written many novels.
Hi Megan!
ReplyDeleteOh, I know where Bremen is! That's so cool! That's too bad you didn't have a great experience for your assignment. I worked in such a small town that the patrons would often spot me outside the library, too. "Oh, you're the librarian!" Some kids would get really concerned look on their faces like, "They let you out of the building!?!" That was the tricky part of my assignment, especially since I've been to other libraries small enough where they really get to know the patrons and their tastes of books. You do make a good point about some of the authors that do crossover work in other genres, but at least that way the patrons have plenty to choose from. If you ask the right questions about their tastes, you'll be able to help them with their search. That's what I liked most about working at the circulation desk- I was able to talk to many different people about their likes and dislikes. I've made many friends that were library patrons just by talking to them, and helping them with Readers' Advisory!
I'm glad you had a great experience. I worked in a small city library where everyone knew each other. I had been there for 23 years. Even though I didn't really do readers' advisory as part of my job, I knew the regulars reading tastes and would be able to tell them if something knew came in that they might like. I always compare it to being like a bartender who knows what his regular customers drink. Again I didn't read much of what those people liked, but I was able to get familiar with the authors, genres, and tones through my patrons' interests.
ReplyDeleteI am cracking up at your comparison to bartender because that's what my boyfriend tells me ALL THE TIME. He's a bartender and he says our jobs are pretty much the same. We listen to people tell us their problems, we suggest books/drinks, we have to stay up to date on the menu/new books, and we're a friendly face!
DeleteI laughed out loud at your comparison to Readers' Advisory like being a bartender! I don't drink, but I can totally see that! Half the time I was working I felt like a library bouncer, but that's a story for a different post. :) I feel like with Readers' Advisory, you have to be more of an extrovert to be able to approach a patron and see if they need help, or if they come to you, you have to generate a conversation to get them more comfortable talking to you in order to find out what they want. It can go both ways. What you said about seeing one patron you know and already knowing what they would like to read is so true when working in a small library! Thanks for your post!
ReplyDelete