As I walked into the library I felt like a bit of a spy on a secret mission. Sounds like the start of a good book. Maybe even a good mystery. However, it is just my account of what happened when seeking readers' advisory at a public library. I went a few minutes out of my city of Indianapolis to an affluent library to get some help finding a good mystery.
False Assumptions I Had:
1) Reader's Advisory should be basically the same at any library you go to. Patrons should be seeking books and the librarian should be ready and willing to help said patrons find books.
2) I am not sure what a regular patron is, but somehow I had the idea that I was not that patron. I worried that being of color and having outrageous hair would somehow cause the librarian to judge me before she even helped me.
3) Pretty much the only thing I could have done to give myself away was say that I was a student doing a readers' advisory assignment. I manage not to do that!
Overall impression of readers' advisory service I received:
The atmosphere was pleasant. I found the reference desk immediately due to signage that indicated it was okay to ask questions. The librarian greeted me immediately and made me feel comfortable talking to her about what I needed. A readers' advisory interview was performed and then the librarian gave me several recommendations and invited me back to the library if I did not find any of the recommendations suitable.
One thing I missed:
During my secret shop the librarian did not show me what resources she was using to find the materials she was suggesting. However, I did find a mini flyer about NoveList which explained how to find "Read-alikes" on the database. I do not know that if I were a patron it would matter to me if she showed me how she was finding the information. She did explain to me why she was recommending a couple of the authors and she even recommended one over the others after a couple of more minutes of explaining to her why I liked one of my favorite authors. I am the type of person who would just leave it to the expert to find what I should read. I know that if I were not a librarian I probably would not be interested in learning about NoveList because I would soon forget it after being shown the database.
Lesson:
No readers' advisory interaction is perfect. However, it is a good and necessary service to provide to patrons. We are the experts and we should act as such by helping patrons find the books they want and need to read. We should also maintain an approachable demeanor when helping our patrons.
False Assumptions I Had:
- Readers' Advisory would look different in a bigger library.
- I would not receive great service because I was not the "regular" patron.
- I would do something to give away that I was a future librarian and not an innocent patron.
1) Reader's Advisory should be basically the same at any library you go to. Patrons should be seeking books and the librarian should be ready and willing to help said patrons find books.
2) I am not sure what a regular patron is, but somehow I had the idea that I was not that patron. I worried that being of color and having outrageous hair would somehow cause the librarian to judge me before she even helped me.
3) Pretty much the only thing I could have done to give myself away was say that I was a student doing a readers' advisory assignment. I manage not to do that!
Overall impression of readers' advisory service I received:
The atmosphere was pleasant. I found the reference desk immediately due to signage that indicated it was okay to ask questions. The librarian greeted me immediately and made me feel comfortable talking to her about what I needed. A readers' advisory interview was performed and then the librarian gave me several recommendations and invited me back to the library if I did not find any of the recommendations suitable.
One thing I missed:
During my secret shop the librarian did not show me what resources she was using to find the materials she was suggesting. However, I did find a mini flyer about NoveList which explained how to find "Read-alikes" on the database. I do not know that if I were a patron it would matter to me if she showed me how she was finding the information. She did explain to me why she was recommending a couple of the authors and she even recommended one over the others after a couple of more minutes of explaining to her why I liked one of my favorite authors. I am the type of person who would just leave it to the expert to find what I should read. I know that if I were not a librarian I probably would not be interested in learning about NoveList because I would soon forget it after being shown the database.
Lesson:
No readers' advisory interaction is perfect. However, it is a good and necessary service to provide to patrons. We are the experts and we should act as such by helping patrons find the books they want and need to read. We should also maintain an approachable demeanor when helping our patrons.
I love how you summarized this and broke down your assumptions. Excellent paper and excellent post!
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