Interested in providing betters Readers' Advisory service to your teen patrons? Check this presentation for information on how books make our teen patrons "feel" and matching those feelings to the right book.
4. LEUs
2 for today
Emailed
Probably in a month
5. What is Readers’ Advisory
Patron-centered library service for leisure readers
A successful readers’ advisory service is one in
which knowledgeable, nonjudgmental staff help
fiction and nonfiction readers with their leisure-
reading needs
Joyce Saricks, Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public
Library
6. Why Readers’ Advisory?
Libraries can give suggestions for new books
We can direct new readers to other books…
Provide resources for finding more books that
their patrons will actually like
Librarians and library staff are usually avid
readers and able to field RA requests
7. Why Readers’ Advisory for Teens?
http://www.search-institute.org/content/40-
developmental-assets-adolescents-ages-12-18
A way to help them with their healthy
development.
Yup. It’s critical.
8. History of Readers’ Advisory
Readers’ Advisory has been around as long as
public libraries.
Librarians were much more judgmental about
what people read in the past
10. Nancy Pearl
Book – Book Crush
http://www.npr.org/people/6395311/nancy-pearl
http://www.nancypearl.com/
11. History of Readers’ Advisory
Librarians used to think that people should read
to better themselves and not so much for
pleasure.
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=fa147d
e8-175f-413b-9032-
7c18462bf91b%40sessionmgr14&vid=1&hid=23&
bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT
1zaXRl#db=lxh&AN=25394478
12. History of Readers’ Advisory
In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Francie goes to the
librarian who “hates children” and recommends
the same two books every time.
Good Books / Moral Books
15. Understanding the Appeal of a Book
Pacing – How dense
Characterization
Story Line – How is it written
Frame - Genre
16. Understanding the Appeal of a Book
You can also think of this in terms of
How Does the book FEEL?
17. Pacing – How Dense is the Book?
Are the characters and plot quickly
unveiled or slowly unveiled?
Is there more dialogue or more
description?
Is the book densely written?
18. Pacing – How Dense is the Book?
Are there short sentences, short
paragraphs, and short chapters, or does
the story take place in a short amount of
time?
This generally does affect the reading
level.
25. Characterization
Are the characters developed over time, or are
they the types we recognize immediately?
Is the focus on a single character or on several
whose lives are intertwined?
What is the point of view from which the story is
told?
Is characterization the most important aspect in
the book?
26. Characterization
Is the reader expected to identify with the
characters or observe them?
Are there series characters, followed through and
developed over several related novels?
Are there memorable and important secondary
characters?
29. Characterization
Characters may be the most important part of
leisure reading for lots of kids…some teens still
want those characters…
Is the main character a male or female?
Is the character an animal?
Know your series!
30.
31.
32.
33. Story Line – How is it told?
Does the story emphasize people, or does it
highlight situations and events?
What is the author’s intention in regard to the
story line?
Is the focus on the story interior and
psychological or exterior and action oriented?
Does the story take place on more than one level?
34.
35.
36.
37.
38. Frame – Is the setting important to the reader?
Is the background detailed or minimal?
Does the frame affect the tone or atmosphere?
Is there a special background frame?
Setting, atmosphere, tone
Genre…is that important to the teen?
49. Nonfiction Genres
Adventure/Survival/
Exploration/Disaster
Memoirs and Biographies
Animals/Nature/Natural History Pop Culture/Sociology/Lifestyles/
Entertainment
Contemporary Issues Popular Science
Crime and Criminals Self-Help/Inspirational/Sociology
History and Microhistory Sports
Humor Travelogues
50. Genres for Youth and YA
Graphic novels are a format, not a genre
51. The RA Interview Conversation
“Never apologize for your
reading tastes.”
-Betty Rosenberg
First Editor of Genreflecting
52. The RA Interview Conversation
More of a conversation than an interview
Suggesting vs. Recommending
Using judgmental terminology
Don’t make assumptions based on age, gender,
nationality, religion, etc.
Patron privacy
53. The RA Interview Conversation
Preparation for the interview starts long before a
patron comes up to the desk
Reading a book with an eye to its appeal
Group book and author with other titles and
authors
Consider how a title or author fits in a genre
Find a system that works for you
54. Interview at the reference desk, circulation desk, or in the
stacks
Stage One – Approachability
Stage Two – Information on what the patron is looking to
read
Stage Three – Use sources to find titles that match
patron’s mood
Stage Four – Highlight suggested titles
Stage Five – Follow up
The RA Interview Conversation
55. Approachability:
While they are browsing
Lingering in the stacks
Making eye contact with you
Homework
Failsafe: “Tell me about the last book you really
liked.”
Good vs. Good for them
The RA Interview Conversation
57. Promoting RA in Your Library
“Ask Me for a Book Suggestion” buttons and
signs
Book Displays
– Current events/Topical
– If you like …
– Books You May Have Missed
58. The Art of the Display
Displays can help alert Teens to books they might
like
Displays can help make your library a
destination…
70. Continuing Your RA Training
Design a personal reading plan
– Read genres and nonfiction topics you normally
don’t read
– Read authors on the bestsellers list
Practice talking about books
– Share discoveries in staff meetings
– Talk to at least one patron per day about books
71. Continuing Your RA Training
Make Connections
– Think of readalikes for popular titles and authors
– Make a Sure Bets list for your library
– Join a readers’ advisory listserv
– Organize a readers’ advisory roundtable or
counterparts group in your area
77. RA E-Resources
Fiction-L – Listserv through Morton Grove (IL)
Public Library
NoveList
NoveList Plus
78. RA E-Resources for Youth/YA
Booktrailers and community on
www.teachertube.com
PUBYAC – Listserv for Young Adult and
Children’s librarians
www.pubyac.org
79. Publications You Should Know About
Publisher’s Weekly
Kirkus
Booklist
Hornbook
School Library Journal
80. Bibliography
Adult Reading Round Table, The ARRT Popular Fiction List, 3rd ed. (Woodridge, Ill.: Adult
Reading Round Table, 2007).
Diana Tixier Herald, Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests in Genre Fiction. 5th ed.
(Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 2000).
Fiction_L (Morton Grove, Ill.: Morton Grove Public Library, 1995). Available from
http://www.webrary.org/rs/FLmenu.html
Heather Booth, Serving Teens Through Readers’ Advisory (Chicago, Ill.: American Library
Association, 2007).
Joyce G. Saricks, The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction (Chicago, Ill.: American
Library Association, 2001).
Neal Wyatt, The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Nonfiction (Chicago, Ill.: American Library
Association, 2007).
81. Works Cited
Joyce G. Saricks, Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library. 3rd ed. (Chicago, Ill.:
American Library Association, 2005).