PRESENTED BY: BECKY SIEGEL SPRATFORD

NORTH SUBURBAN LIBRARY SYSTEM

MAY 18, 2010

Basic Readers’ Advisory for Public Desk Staff

Today’s Presentation

10 Rules of basic RA service and 5 resources you cannot live without HANDOUT

History of Readers’ AdvisoryHow to Read a Book in 10 Minutes:

ExerciseAppeal: ExerciseBasic Genre DistinctionsReader Profile

Today’s Presentation

Talking about books & the RA interviewHow to stay informedCustomer service and marketing:

ExerciseGeneral RA resourcesSample searchesReview 10 Basic RulesQuestions & contact info

What Is RA Service

As defined by Joyce Saricks in Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library (3rd ed) Readers’ Advisory is a “patron-centered library service for adult leisure readers.”

Today’s RA service is powered by Betty Rosenberg’s First Law of Reading, “Never apologize for your reading tastes.”

Readers’ Advisors suggest books, they do not recommend.

Quick History of RA

RA service began 1922-26 in seven urban public libraries.

1927-1935 the Adult Reading Roundtable of the ALA was formed and the scope of RA service was increased.

ALA’s Reading With a Purpose lists on special topics.

Quick History of RA

1935: 44 libraries have RA service. The New York Public Library was the most esteemed.

This RA service was very different than today’s– Readers’ Advisors were expected to make judgmental suppositions about their patrons.

Quick History of RA

When WWII came, leisure reading time disappeared and RA did not remerge until the 1980s.

1983 Downers Grove (IL) Public Library Joyce Saricks and Nancy Brown began offering the type of RA service we will talk about today.

For a complete history see Bill Crowley’s introduction in Nonfiction Readers’ Advisory. Edited by Robert Burgin (Libraries Unlimited, 2005.)

What You Need to Know About RA

Offering basic RA to patrons requires very little training

The key is to change your relationship with the books

Matchmaker vs. Gatekeeper mentalityFollow my “10 Rules” and you too can

help your library’s leisure readers & more importantly help your fellow staff

Read! Read! Read!

Read widelyLearn to “Read a Book in 10 Minutes” (pg

131-132 of Saricks)Originally presented by Georgine Olson at

the March 2004 PLA Conference.Exercise

Not speed reading for plotA method for picking up a book and making

some kind of useful connection with it.Practice all of the time

What Is Appeal?

Subject headings can be useless to the RA.Leisure readers enjoy books with a similar

“feel.” This has been defined as the “appeal” of a book.

Handout and ExerciseLook at what appeal can do for you

http://ra763.wordpress.com/ http://browserscorner.wordpress.com/

New: describe a book in 3 words!

Basic Genre Distinctions

Adrenaline Genres Adventure, Suspense, Thriller, Romantic Suspense

Landscape Genres Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Western

Genres of the Intellect Mystery, Literary Fiction, Psychological Suspense, SF

Genres of the Emotions Horror, Romance, Women’s Lives, Gentle Reads

Becky’s “Genre-a-Day”

Creating You Reader Profile

You cannot begin to understand why books appeal to others until you look more closely at your own reading.

Think of three books you have recently enjoyed (or all time favorites) and contemplate what appeal factors unite these works.

Conversely, think of books you haven’t enjoyed and try to link these by appeal.

Creating Your Reader Profile

Example of my profile is provided (Handout).

Use for Staff Development: Create personal profiles and then switch and try to suggest titles for each other.

Creating a profile gives you a better understanding of why you read what you read. It makes the unconscious, conscious.

As a result, you will have an easier time getting to the heart of your patrons’ leisure reading needs.

Talking About Books: The RA Interview

Before beginning your shift on the desk, warm up--preview new books, check best seller list, fill displays, etc…

The RA interview is a conversation rather than actual interview.

Be approachable.Start with “Tell me about a book you

have read and enjoyed.” Then ask, “Are you in the mood for that or something different?”

Talking About Books

Talk with the patron to verify what s/he enjoys.

Potential trap! Every reader reads a different version of the same book.

Remember to listen and use their words when offering suggestions. Volunteer example.

The interview proceeds as you share books with the patron. You suggest rather than recommend.

Talking About Books

Offer a range of books that hit different appeal factors. Send the patron home with more than 1 book!

Encourage readers to come back and tell you what they liked and/or didn’t like. Helps you and them.

Work on your own opening line

Stay Up To Date

Read the reviews your patrons are readingRSS Feeds:

Popular media, NPR, genre specificDon’t be afraid to change subscriptions

frequentlyAlso subscribe to library specific blogs

My suggested links in the right hand gutter of RA for All: http://raforall.blogspot.com

Share Everything With Everyone

Talk to patrons about what they are readingRA is an ongoing conversation

Ask patrons to come back and shareTalk about what you are reading to

coworkers and patrons…especially at the desk!

Ways to Share Throughout the Building

iGoogle pages with relevant RSS feeds at every public service desk.

Sign up for a book social networking site for staff and patrons! http://www.shelfari.com/bspratford Use staff preferences to build institutional

knowledge.Staff Recommendations

Browser’s Corner: http://browserscorner.wordpress.com Blogging for a Good Book: http://bfgb.wordpress.com

Staff genre studies and book discussions

Ways to Share Beyond the Building

Create a virtual presence. Involve all staff! http://www.berwynlibrary.org/ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Berwyn-IL/Berwyn-Pu

blic-Library/113918773595

http://twitter.com/BerwynLibraryIL http://browserscorner.wordpress.com/ http://www.shelfari.com/bspratford/groups

I Did What You Said But My Mind Went Blank!

Calm down. It happens to all of usIf RA staff not available you can still help:

Displays to save the dayKeep lists of “sure bets”Offer a range of printed listsReturn cartsWrite down reader’s question and

contact information and call later

Taking the Plunge: Booktalking

You are always on stage!When you talk about books at the desk, in

the stacks, etc…patrons listen (whether you are helping them or someone else)

Once you are talking to patrons about books…you are booktalking You might not have even realized you were doing it!

To the patrons, everyone at the library is librarian

Booktalking Tips

Don’t give away too much. Lure them into the book.

Keep the book center stage and yourself out of the way.

Keep it simple; no extraneous details.

Don’t lie, exaggerate, or guess at details you are unsure of. Admit your ignorance.

Be prepared to change course if you misunderstand

Talk with patrons not to them.

Offer what’s available; offer choices and let the reader decide

Develop a patter.Be enthusiastic-

whatever type of book they want.

Customer Service and Marketing

BPL RA motto: Never let a patron leave unsatisfied

Patron does not need to leave your library with what they thought they came in for in order to leave satisfied!

RA is customer service driven; without good customer service there is no RA Exercise

Customer Service and Marketing

Key: focus on the patron!Read Why We Buy by Paco Underhill

http://www.mls.lib.il.us/consulting/envirosell.asp

Get out from behind the desk Take people to their books Roam the department looking for “lost” patrons

Get the entire staff involved in creating displays

Get into the shelves and get your hands dirty Full rant:

http://raforall.blogspot.com/2010/03/keeping-shelves-in-order.htm

Customer Service and Marketing

Place signs/literature where the patrons are… not where you think they should be.

Keep your shelves in orderKeep your catalog up to dateMake return cart available for browsing

Remember matchmaker not gatekeeper

Offer to do it for them or show them how to do it themselves

Try to never say noGo the extra mile

Becky’s 5 Go To Resources

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com  NoveList: EBSCO Database Kent District Public Library’s What’s

Next Database: http://ww2.kdl.org/libcat/WhatsNextNEW.asp

Gnooks: http://www.gnooks.com/RA for ALL:

http://raforall.blogspot.com

4 More to Help In a Pinch

Early Word: http://www.earlyword.com The Librarian/Publisher connection. Use it for lists

and media appearance/high holds alters.All Readers: http://www.allreaders.com/

Not a pretty site, but if you need to know how violent or steamy something is, this is your only hope.

Fantastic Fiction: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ Great for patrons to browse

Fiction-L: http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html Use the archives or ask a question

Becky 10 Rules Revisited

Back to my 10 Rules1-5: Basic RA Practice6-7: Keeping Up Your Skills and

Knowledge8-10: Customer Service and

MarketingRefer to rules to refresh yourself,

especially after a difficult patron. Patterson winning Nobel Prize example.

Questions and Contact Me

bspratford@hotmail.comhttp://raforall.blogspot.com

Power Point and Handouts available under “Recent Presentations”

Questions?Now or anytime in the future.