Slides to accompany presentation for SWFLN Library Staff Day 2014

1. SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE
TIME: READER’S ADVISORY
FOR ALL OF US
SWFLN Library Staff Day,
April 30, 2014
Book shelves of the first circulating library of Miami
Beach, Florida. State Archives of Florida, Florida
Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/42507

3. RA Speed Dating
Spend 2
minutes asking
about your
neighbor’s
reading
preferences,
Couples saying goodnight
in front of FSCW's Bryan
Hall - Tallahassee, Florida.
State Archives of Florida,
Florida Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/ite
ms/show/25270

4. What is Reader's Advisory
(RA)?
 ―the act of putting
people together with
the books they love‖ –
Diana Tixier Herald,
Genreflecting
 ―patron-oriented library
service for adult leisure
readers‖ -Joyce
Saricks, Readers'
Advisory Service in the
Public Library
 The right book for the
right reader at the right
time
 Connecting readers
and writers
Children reading their books while teddy bear sits
alone on the floor. State Archives of Florida,
Florida Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/items/show/142372

5. Rosenberg's First Rule of
Reading
Never apologiz
e for your
reading tastes
Goetz, Chuck. Brothers at
the Leon County Public
Library in Tallahassee
during national Children's
Book Week. State
Archives of Florida, Florida
Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/it
ems/show/264160

6. Other RA Rules To Live By
 ―Every reader his [or
her] book. Every book
its reader. Save the
time of the reader.‖-
S. R. Ranganathan’s
2nd, 3rd and 4th Laws
of Library Science
 ―No two people ever
read the same book‖ -
Diana Herald,
Reader's Advisory
Online Blog
Kerce, Red. Ryan Edwards lying on the floor
reading. State Archives of Florida, Florida
Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/items/show/45661

7. Anxiety Producing?
 ―One of the biggest
deterrents to doing readers'
advisory is fear:
that awful feeling I don't know
anything, haven't read
enough, and won't know what
the patron is asking about.‖
-Joyce Saricks, At Leisure
Diamond back
rattlesnake. State
Archives of Florida,
Florida Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/i
tems/show/149281
You know more than you think…Genre
Matching Quiz handout

8. Answers
1., k (fantasy, Lamentation, by Ken Scholes)
2., 1 (science fiction, House of Suns, by Alastair Reynolds)
3., b (historical romance, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine, by
Lauren Willis)
4., d (suspense, Runner, by Thomas Perry)
5., h (women's fiction, Very Valentine, by Adriana Trigiani)
6., e (historical fiction, The Passion of Artemisia, by Susan Vreeland)
7., c (mystery, All the Colors of Darkness, by Peter Robinson)
8., g (gentle reads, Back on Blossom Street, by Debbie Macomber)
9., f (honor, Books of Blood, 1-3, by Clive Barker)
10., j (western, Night Hawke, by Stephen Overholser)
11., a (literary fiction, The Echo Maker, by Richard Powers)
12., i (legal thriller, Dirty Blonde, by Lisa Scottoline).

9. So Where to Start?
5 out of 5
Librarians on
Fiction-L agree
Librarian shelving books
at Leon County Public
Library in Tallahassee,
Florida. State Archives of
Florida, Florida Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/i
tems/show/262367

10. What is this RA Interview?
 Different from a
traditional reference
interview
 The goal
 Direct questions often
don't work
Thomas, Deborah. Reporter and cameraman on a
interview - Tallahassee, Florida. State Archives of
Florida, Florida Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/items/show/113471

11. What is this RA Interview? Con’t
 Go at it sideways. Is
there an author you
have always enjoyed
(or tv show or
movie)?
 Then introduce
appeal factors-pacing
characterization,
frame, etc.
-Cheryl Bryan
Miss Florida 1968, Linda Fitts, giving a television
interview. State Archives of Florida, Florida
Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/items/show/113471

12. What is this RA Interview? Con’t
 Stuck?
 Don’t judge
 Suggest
 If you haven’t read it
 Explain
 Maintain eye contact
 Take the reader to the
books
 Ask them to come
back
-Mary K. Chelton
Leon County Public Library bookmobile
librarian helping Butch Wagner with book
choice in Tallahassee, Florida. State
Archives of Florida, Florida Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/items/show/260
720

13. Nordstrom Theory of Reader’s
Advisory
Give three book options to the
advisee:
 One very similar book to the
book they enjoyed
 One very close to that book
 And take them to another part
of the library and find a third
that is related
-Nancy Pearl
Advertisement for shoes.
State Archives of
Florida, Florida Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/item
s/show/6050

14. RA Pet Peeve
Or why
appeal
factors
matter
 One of the things that frustrates me
about "readalike" sites is that they
assume every reader is reading a
particular book/author for the same
reason, which in my experience is
not the case-Lynne Schlatter,
Shreve Memorial Library
Mothers of Twins Club in Tallahassee, Florida. State Archives of
Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/261583

15. The ―IT‖ Factor‖: Appeal or
Doorway?
 A book with a
particular ―feel‖-Joyce
Saricks
 When we…read the
first few pages, and
choose to go on, we
enter the world of that
book-Nancy Pearl
 Helps answer not just
what people like to
read but why?
Greetings from Florida. State Archives of
Florida, Florida Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/items/show/259613

16. Appeal Factors Versus
Doorways
 Characterization
 Storyline
 Frame
 Pacing
 Appeal is the
keystone to RA
 Character
 Story
 Setting
 Language
 In many books, 1 or 2
elements dominate.
 Pie chart
Joyce Saricks: Appeal Factors Nancy Pearl: Doorways

17. RA for Nonfiction-Sarah Statz
Cords
 It's all about subject;
subject has nothing
to do with it
 Nonfiction is not
contained by the
stacks
 Types; styles;
genres and
subgenres
 Not so much
escapist as involvist Robert E. Lee High School student Ed
Kromberg and his science fair project. State
Archives of Florida, Florida Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/items/show/39074

18. RA for Nonfiction-Others
Catherine Sheldrick
 Ambivalent
 Exclusive=―real‖
 Interruptions
 To be entertained and
―take something away‖
Neal Wyatt
 ―Reading nonfiction…a
different experience
than reading fiction.―
 Learning/Experiencing
Appeal
"Worms with fish appeal" sign in Tampa, Florida.
State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/items/show/246559

19. Other Factors
Elements
the
reader
DOESN’
T want in
a book*
Formats
or
categorie
s Lahart, David. Web Worms. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/items/show/96833

20. The Missing Appeal Factor?
 MOOD
 What are you in the
mood for today?
 What do you feel
like reading,
watching, listening
to?
-Mary K. Chelton
A flock of flamingos in the sunshine state - Florida.
State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/items/show/157769

21. Finding Appeal Factors-Kathryn
Bergeron
The mood…stylized and captivating. The plot
centers around…social differences, and power
relations….drama and period TV show.
Stylistically, stars an ensemble cast. In
approach …serious and realistic. It takes
place…on an estate and in the countryside....set
in England ….happens in the 1910s and in the
1920s….known for being a hit series, a Golden
Globe winner…an Emmy winner …suggested for
a girls' night.
Downton Abbey: jinni.com

22. Finding Appeal Factors-Kathryn
Bergeron
…privileged Gotham golden girl….disturbingly
damaged women of Edgar-finalist Flynn’s first
two books….Amy’s husband…she
disappears…rented mansion in his Missouri
hometown on their fifth anniversary…prime
suspect …presumed murder…sick genius and
twisted gamesmanship ….charmer Nick may not
be quite the corn-fed innocent….masterfully lets
this tale of a marriage gone toxically wrong
gradually emerge through alternating
Gone Girl: Publisher’s Weekly

23. RA for Children
 I don’t know what I
like but I know it
when I see it
 Age/Grade/Stage
 Too easy/Too hard
 Fun/Homework
 Parents
-Penny Peck
Girl checking out book at the Leon County
Public Library in Tallahassee during national
Children's Book Week. State Archives of
Florida, Florida Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/items/show/264158

24. RA for Teens
 Life changing;
connection
 Respect, sharing of
time and openness
 Active and
empathetic listening
 Specific
 Parents!
-Heather Booth
Still from the "Creature from the Black Lagoon―. State
Archives of Florida, Florida Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/items/show/9112

25. Passive RA
 Displays
 Whole collection
 Blind date with a
book
 Booklists
 Take it to the stacks
 Posters/infographics
 Shelf talkers
 Staff/Patron Picks
 Website
Flaxman Library at the School of the Art Institute of
Chicago. Blind date with a book is back by popular
demand. Retrieved from
http://saiclibrary.tumblr.com/post/45854521875/blin
d-date-with-a-book-is-back-by-popular-demand
Activity

26. Know Thyself, Know Thy
Collection, Know Thy Colleagues,
Know Thy Tools
 Read
 Write
 Prepare
 Keep Current
-Cindy Orr
Girl Scouts preparing for their trip from Tallahassee to
North Carolina. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/items/show/266897
Activity: How to Read a Book in 5
Minutes

27. Form Based (Asynchronous)
RA
 Web and paper
 Availability,
legitimacy
 Privacy
 Vocabulary
 Best person for the
job
 Time; not on the
spot
-Elena Gleason,
Sweetwater County
SPL’s online form, Your Next 5 Books. Readers
advisory: Fresh approach, same core service.
Retrieved from
http://webjunction.org/news/webjunction/readers-
advisory-fresh-approach-same-core-service.html

28. RA on Social Media
Have a Facebook/Twitter
social media session
 Advertise in advance,
have the session ―open‖
for limited time
 Monitor closely, respond
promptly—instant
gratification
 Not a venue for an RA
interview—stick with
quick one-off answers
-Elena Gleason, Sweetwater
County Library System
Should we ditch social media marketing pay to play
model?
http://www.publiseek.com/influence/social-media-
marketing/
Activity: How to Write an
Annotation

29. Social Media as Reader Space
 Turn your social media
accounts into spaces for
readers to engage with
the library and each other
 Turn patrons into readers’
advisors with questions
that engage readers, e.g.
―What books would you
recommend to someone
who has never read
fantasy but wants to give
it a try?‖- Elena Gleason,
Sweetwater County
Library System
Girl reading - Ybor City. State
Archives of Florida, Florida
Memory,
http://floridamemory.com/items/s
how/138588

30. Social Media as Reader Space
con’t
 Follow bookish
accounts and share
posts
 Repurpose content
but make it
appropriate to the
site
 Participate in
bookish memes, like
#fridayreads or
#amreading on
I decided staying up all night and finishing my book
was more important than being mentally present today.
http://www.ebscohost.com/novelist/novelist-special/ra-
4-fb-creating-a-social-space-for-readers

31. References
Booth, H. (2007). Serving teens through reader’s advisory. Chicago,
IL: ALA Editions.
Chelton, M. K. (2001). RA to-do and not-to-do list [Handout]. Reader's
advisory: The complete spectrum. Retrieved from
http://www.sjrlc.org/RAhandouts/RAdosdonts.htm
Cords, S. S. (n.d.). An introduction to nonfiction readers' advisory for
Bettendorf Public Library [blog post]. Citizen Reader. Retrieved from
http://www.citizenreader.com/citizen/nonfiction-readers-advisory-
bettendorf.html
Gleason, E. (2013, October 3). Readers’ advisory rundown. Program
presented at the meeting of the Wyoming Library Association.
Mohawk Valley Library System. (2008, May 29). Sue speaks: Nancy
Pearl entry #1 [blog post]. Retrieved from
http://www.mvls.info/blog/2008/05/29/sue-speaks-nancy-pearl-entry-1

32. References
Orr, C. (n.d.). Cindy Orr's golden rules of readers' advisory service.
Retrieved from http://www.cindyorr.com/Golden_Rules_of_RA.html
Pearl, N. (2012, March 16). Check it out with Nancy Pearl: Finding the
next good book. Retrieved from
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-
blogs/nancy-pearl/index.html
Peck, P. (2010). Reader’s advisory for children and ‘tweens. Santa
Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
Saricks, J. (2005). Reader’s advisory service in the public library.
Chicago: IL: ALA Editions.
Saricks, J. (2009). At leisure: Taking on the quiz challenge. The
Booklist, 105(22), 27. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/235647734?accountid=40795