Passive Readers' Advisory

True readers’ advisory requires a multi-faceted approach. Traditionally, librarians have referred to in-person recommendations at the reference desk as readers’ advisory. In order to reach more readers, librarians are thinking outside of this box. Passive readers' advisory is a phrase that refers to anything other than one-on-one chatting about books.  Passive readers’ advisory can be provided through any number of tools including read-alike lists, book displays, and social media sites.  While the term implies that this is a passive activity, passive readers’ advisory requires an active approach from librarians.  Almost all tasks that a librarian might do throughout the day could connect readers with books, even without a librarian’s realization. Regardless, these activities must be intentional and librarians should spend time and effort on doing them well. 

There are any number of reasons why libraries should take the task of passive readers’ advisory seriously.  Some patrons are not comfortable asking for suggestions while others might want to browse fun displays. As our population begins to rely more heavily on virtual information and eBooks, patrons may not visit the library as often, instead relying on social media for book suggestions that the patron may checkout through an eBook platform.  Throughout the library, the library website, and all library social media sites, readers’ advisory should be integrated.  Librarians are constantly searching for and finding new ways to share reading recommendations while classic methods are being revisited and revamped.  Book displays, brochures, shelf talkers, integrating community suggestions, and the use of technology are all ways that a library can provide a service of readers’ advisory without even interacting face to face with a patron.   

 A simple yet effective way of providing passive reader’ 'advisory is through the use of book displays.  Patrons browsing for books can use these displays to get ideas of what he or she wants to read.  In a 2013 issue of RA News, Susan Brown listed twenty rules for better book displays (Source).  Many of the “rules” that Brown posted are practical and easy for a librarian to do, yet are beneficial to patrons.  Among the suggestions Brown makes is that displays should reflect not the interest of the librarian creating it, but the patrons’ interests.  While many librarians might not consider certain books high-quality, there still will be patrons who are interested in these books and that should not be discounted.  Displays should be popular with the books being the “star of the display.” Also, displays should not be limited to just books since audiobooks, DVDs, and CDs can also be included.  The goal of the display is to put the materials into the hands of patrons and get items checked out. Additionally, Brown notes that visual signage is very important and that the use of readable and simple fonts should be used, thematic icons or visual elements should be included, and props are useful. Patrons are often worried about taking materials from displays, so it’s important that your signage encourages patrons to feel welcome to take materials.

Additional tips that Brown gives are to cross promote since readers who find displays interesting might also enjoy a library blog or social media account.  Pop culture can influence displays as well as allowing current events and the community to inspire displays.  Instead of having tightly themed displays, Brown suggests using more general displays such as staff and patron picks, people you should meet for biography and character-driven fiction, or good books you might have missed.  Brown also suggests keeping the books out of display cases so that patrons can touch them, grab them, and check them out.  Most importantly, librarians should be flexible and have fun so that patrons might also have fun with the display. 

Displays have tapped into pop culture, technology, and comedy as they have gotten more creative and more artistic.  One library developed a “Readbox” made to look like the DVD dispensing Redbox (Source).  The sign was made to look like the Redbox logo and the shelves that held the books were wrapped entirely in red. The middle of the “Readbox” had signage that looked like a Redbox screen, but used “rent a book” and “return a book.”  The display was filled with books and there has been a lot of interest in the display. With the ability to share information so easily on the internet, including Pinterest, “Readboxes” are showing up in many libraries (Source).

 

 

Another popular book display that had been sweeping libraries across the country due to the help of the internet is the “Blind Date with a Book” phenomenon (Source). For this display, librarians wrap books in opaque paper, possibly putting some genre hints on the outside, and encourage patrons to check out a mystery book. Teens especially love these displays, but it’s also a hit with adults, especially around Valentine’s Day. One benefit of this display is that it encourages circulation of materials, regardless of the book’s cover. If you have a wonderful book with an outdated cover, perhaps it’s more likely to be checked out if the patron can’t “judge a book by its cover!”

 

Humor and pop culture are also wonderful tools to use when creating book displays patrons want to browse. The popular “I Mustache You to Read These Books” display uses a play on words and the mustache trend. Taping paper mustaches to the books’ covers adds a funny element (Source). In 2012, when the song “Call Me Maybe” was popular, book displays popped up at libraries twisting the words of the song to fit the display. One particularly creative one used QR codes to share book trailers with patrons (Source).  Some displays are themed around popular social media sites, such as a Twitter display featuring Tweets from books encouraging patrons to guess which books is tweeting (Source).

 

 

 

 

 

For adults, the blogger at thisisasentence.tumblr.com shares creative, funny, and sometimes subversive displays about pop culture that he creates for his public library. Some good examples include his “Boyz II Wolf-Men” display featuring books on werewolves, “How to Deal with Your In-laws” display featuring books on cocktail mixing, or his “Visit Toronto” display with book about Toronto and a large sign of disgraced mayor, Rob Ford.

 

 

 

One of the most popular displays being done in public libraries are displays on banned books. These displays educate patrons about book banning and encourage them to check out books that have been challenged or banned. These are usually done during Banned Book Week to celebrate our freedom to read. Some of the more common options include wrapping items in caution tape or covering items with censored stickers. Flames are also commonly used to remind people that books have been burned in hopes of silencing an author’s ideas. Librarian Rachel Moani has created a couple of banned book displays that show true artistic talent. Using flames, patriotic imagery, and even classic children’s book characters holding signs to show their transgressions, she encourages patrons to celebrate their right to read.

 

 

 

Another classic way of sharing book recommendations is booklists. Librarians create these based on their own professional recommendations. Many libraries print them and have them available at their reference desks. Libraries are also putting them on their websites to share with patrons. This is beneficial for other librarians as well, since they can access them and share them with their own patrons.

 A twist on the booklist format is Reading Maps. These maps use technology to help readers find other books they may be interested in. One popular format is the cloud-based presentation website, Prezi. By using technology, librarians can imbed images and videos in their recommendations. For these presentations, librarians start with popular books such as “The Night Circus” and walk the patron through recommendations. It’s a fun way to share books and include interesting multi-media information. Pikes Peak Library District has a website sharing their Reading Maps (Source).

Besides one-on-one reader’s advisory, there are other ways for staff to share their own favorite books. Many libraries are using their website or social media sites to share this information. The popular communication tool, Bookletters, let public libraries create and imbed these lists in their website. They also have the ability to share them through email. By creating a “Staff Picks” list every month, patrons can see what staff are enjoying (Source). Many libraries also run a blog, with staff members sharing their favorite books. This can be a great way to connect with patrons in a virtual way. Some library websites have a “What are We Reading” section, sharing an up-to-date list of what staff members are reading.

Information can be shared in the library as well. Shelf-talkers are commonly seen in bookstores, and they’re also popping up in public libraries. To create a shelf-talker, a librarian fills out a card on a particular book or author. On the card, they state what they loved about a book/author and why patrons should read it. These cards are placed in the collection near the books. When a patron is browsing and the stacks are overwhelming, these eye-catching cards give them a great idea of where to start and books they might enjoy.

While community members enjoy librarian recommendations, many librarians agree that people love to read popular materials that other people are enjoying. Many libraries are looking for ways to tap into that and share books loved by their community. One of the most innovative ways of sharing this information has been the Somerville Public Library’s Awesome Box. In a partnership with Harvard Library Innovation Lab, Somerville’s three branches have been placing a new return box in their buildings specifically for things patrons declare to be “awesome” (Source). If a patron loves a book, they place it in the awesome box, where it’s added to a special webpage entitled “Recently Awesome.” (Source). This is a great way to share book recommendations with patrons. Teen librarian Robin Brenner at the Public Library of Brookline has put her own spin on the Awesome Box for teens (Source). She tapped into her own admiration for the popular show, Doctor Who, to create a Tardis-shaped awesome box. This eye-catching box is an engaging way for teens to share their love of books with other readers.

 

 

 

As can be seen in the “Recently Awesome” website, technology makes sharing community recommendations easy. Some public libraries collect reader reviews and post them on a blog on their website. Other companies are integrating these reviews right into the catalog so patrons see them as they look up a book. One option, LibraryThing for Libraries, is an OPAC enhancement tool designed to make your catalog more engaging and encourage the sharing of recommendations. It also allows libraries to create their own virtual book displays right on the catalog homepage. Novelist also has the option of integrating with the catalog and sharing book recommendations from its database as the patron searches for a title.

Sharing patrons’ favorite reads doesn’t have to be technical or space-consuming. A simple wall of post-it notes could do the trick! All that’s needed is a blank wall, a heading such as “Tell Us What You’re Reading”, some post-it notes, and a pen (Source). Patrons fill out their favorite titles or what they’re reading now on a post-it and stick it to the way. Then you have an instant low-cost way to share favorite reads. This is an activity that would work for all ages. Another simple option would be a whiteboard and dry erase markers or a chalkboard and chalk. It’s an engaging but simple way to show your community you are interested in their reading habits.

 

In some cases, librarians don’t even need input from their community. They can simply pull circulation records to see which items are popular in their library. A display on the most-circulated items of the year would be a great way to share this information. An even easier way to do it, would be to create a display on recently returned items. In order to connect it with patrons, it could be called “Books Our Community Enjoys”. This is another idea that could be done for patrons of all ages. One fun example is Abby Johnson’s display at the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library. Johnson created a display to go along with their 2013 Summer Reading theme “Dig Into Reading” (Source). The display was titled “Books That Your Community Digs” and it was constantly restocked with items that were recently returned. This cuts down on shelving and also lets patrons know what others are checking out.

New technologies are allowing librarians to find new ways to share readers’ advisory ideas. As patrons check out books, why not share recommendations based on the items they checked out? Now libraries can get on board with automated book recommendations often seen online. 3M and Novelist partnered to create a self-checkout machine that would use Novelist to display recommendations to the patron as they check out (Source). Checking out triggers a Novelist search based on items selected for checkout, displaying records owned by that library that the patron may be interested in. Patrons can browse the recommendations, putting items on hold right from the machine, or printing the recommendations on a receipt. For patrons who enjoy the self-checkout experience, this may be a great way to share recommendations virtually. Additionally, this checkout station also has the capability of sharing upcoming program information.

 As mentioned, the library website and social media sites can be a great place to share staff members’ favorite books. It’s also a great place to do basic readers' advisory based on the patrons’ interests. Seattle Public Library has a portion of their website called “Your Next 5 Books” (Source). Through this interface, patrons can get professional recommendations based on their reading choices. Patrons simply fill out the online form, sharing what they love to read (and/or what they hate). It asks for books they recently read that they enjoyed or ones they didn’t care for. It also asks if the patron is interested in children’s, teen, or adult books as well as preferred format (print, eBook, audiobook, large-type, etc.). Based on this form, a librarian will email the patron with a personal list of five books they may enjoy. This is very similar to the traditional method of readers’ advisory, just moved to a virtual format. As our communities become more technology-based and virtual reference services become more popular, it makes sense for virtual readers’ advisory to also be an option.

There’s nothing more frustrating for a patron then rushing in to get the latest best-seller or trendy book being read by all their friends, and finding all copies are checked out and they have to be added to the waiting list. Some libraries are compensating for this by creating recommendations based around hot titles. One example of this is the Seattle Public Library’s "While You’re Waiting” teen blog (Source). Librarians share information for books readers may enjoy while they wait for upcoming popular books. Some of their blog posts include recommendations for the oh-so-popular Divergent series by Veronica Roth and Rick Yancey’s huge hit, The 5^th Wave. This format could easily be applied to adult best-sellers and shared online or printed out for patrons to see within the library building.

 

Regardless of the format or the method of delivery, librarians strive to provide the best readers’ advisory possible. In order to do that, traditional methods must be interwoven with passive options. Book displays, book lists, social media sites, and community recommendations are a great way to do this. Librarians around the county are getting creative about sharing books, and the internet makes sharing these ideas easy. To connect with our community, librarians must think about passive readers’ advisory in an intentional way and make it a priority in their libraries.