Helping library users find that next great read is more of a challenge than you may think. Like most support staff, we may not have the formal training or literary background to satisfy everybody's appetite for good reading, but we do have the tools within us to help our clients find something they will like.
I will go out on a limb here and assume that we all love books and enjoy reading. This was probably one of the main reasons we chose library work as a career right? Let your passion for reading be your first guide to recommending future reading material for the clients. You will not know ALL the authors, but after a few weeks of seeing titles run by the desk you will begin to know which authors are most popular by genre. You can use that knowledge to help guide users to new authors.
A good trick which I've found handy is asking the clients about the books they are checking out or returning. A simple, discreet, question like "What's this author like? Was this a good book?" will usually bring about some honest opinions. Keep in mind that the questions should be casual and not too personal. Use your judgement, and remember not to ask probing questions if they would make your or the client uncomfortable. (I avoid asking for comments about the "Fify shades..." books, for instance because I can't do this without blushing!)
You all have regular clients who are avid readers in different genres. Feel free to ask them to suggest new authors or titles. I have asked a few people to help me this way, saying that I am trying to find books for a client who enjoys (for instance) victorian mysteries. Return the favour by letting them know about new titles from authors they enjoy.
Create a network of "experts" among your colleagues. Where I work my colleagues all come to me whenever they need suggestions for novels with cats or dogs. I ask another staff member to help me when a client shows an interest in Western european fiction (aka Larssen, etc..) and so on... A web of knowledge within reach and a good way to create discussions within your workplace.
Of course, there are oodles of websites devoted to reader's advisory, a simple google search will certainly help. My favourite is Goodreads, sort of a social networking site for readers. You can find something similar in our library catalogue, or, while in Vision, check out the Virtual Reference Library's Books and Literature category for many useful and interesting sites to help your your and your clients, find your best read..
Finally, this blogging initiative is part of a series of self-directed instructional modules that I am participating in as part of the New Brunswick Public Library Services staff training exercises. Each week we tackle a new topic related to our work. Last week, the first one, invited us to learn to blog. Since you see I'm a returning blogger, I think I will enjoy this experience. May even try out a personal blog too for family and friends.
This is week two, which covered Twitter and twittering. I'm now a Tweet-head. The module was well-presented and helpful, but after setting up my account and getting a few things up to follow, I wonder what else I will be able to do with it. Must spend some time checking it out. I was never a big fan of Twitter before, but if I learn more, I hope I can find a way to streamline the tweets so that I'm not constantly bombarded with advertising.
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