This past semester, I visited the Brockton Public Library (my hometown library) once again. The Brockton Public Library serves a large, diverse city population of 94,316 people. I was pleasantly surprised to find the library has a Reader’s Advisory Librarian on duty full time. I met and interviewed Reader's Advisory Librarian, Paula, who holds a wealth of knowledge regarding Reader’s Advisory.
Paula sits at a desk right across from the new adult fiction, making it easy for patrons to approach her with questions and for recommendations. Paula’s desk is clearly labeled “Reader’s Advisory” and she even has a sign that says “Please interrupt me!” Paula uses many traditional professional magazines when selecting books, such as Library Journal and Booklist but also relies on other electronic resources like blogs. Two of her favorite websites she uses when conducting Reader’s Advisory are www.stopyourekillingme.com, a popular mystery and thriller website and www.fantasticfiction.co.uk, a site that has recommendations for several popular genres such as romance, fantasy, thrillers and more.
Paula allows patrons to request items for purchase and has a “Recommend a Book” form which is found on hand at the library but also on the website. The form can be sent in by email through the site for the convenience of the patron. When purchasing new books, Paula keeps her largest patron groups in mind, such as the elderly and African Americans. The library has two outreach programs for the elderly where they deliver books to home bound residents. Paula leads book clubs for these residents, each at a different housing complex. The patrons agree on a book, mostly fiction but occasionally nonfiction titles as well. The two current choices they are reading are The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly. Paula orders a lot of large type, fiction and nonfiction based upon these patrons’ interests.
The library’s website, www.brocktonpubliclibrary.org, contains a plethora of information for Reader’s Advisory. There is a “Novel Suggestions” part of the site with links to helpful websites such as www.baystatera.com, a local reader’s advisory blog, a Staff Picks section, links to Oprah’s book club selections, African American authors, New York Times Best Sellers, reviews from Barnes and Noble and more! The library also uses an RSS feed on their website which visually displays all the new books at the library, with links to place holds on the books through the online catalog. As Paula and I wrapped up our interview, I noticed lots of comfortable areas to sit, eye-catching displays of new fiction and nonfiction and, of course, Paula’s welcoming desk.
To sum up, here are some main points from my interview with Paula:
- Know your community-Paula pays attention to her community's needs, dislikes and likes. This makes it easier to purchase and recommend books they will enjoy.
- Identify weaknesses-While Paula's position is geared to Adult Services, she is also asked for recommendations by teens. Because the the Brockton Public Library doesn't have a teen librarian, she is trying to learn more about YA titles that are popular in order to better serve this population.
- Have an arsenal to back you up-Paula relies on particular databases and print resources in order to aid her in her job. She also uses her experience in Reader's Advisory to create handouts for patrons, opening doors to new authors and titles for them. In addition, the library website contains a plethora of Reader's Advisory material including websites and lists built by librarians.
- Library Journal
- Booklist
- Stop Your Killing Me
- Fantastic Fiction
- Bay State Reader's Advisory:suggestions from a Massachusetts Librarian
- Killer Books
- Brockton Public Library Novel Suggestions
- Oprah's Book Club
- African American Authors
- Whodunit in new England
- New York Times Bestsellers
