Week 5 - Prompt Response

Different publications review different types of books and allow different types of conversations (ex. negative reviews aren't published, eBook only titles see little-to-no reviews in professional publications unless by a popular author, etc.). How does this affect collection development?

    Collection development is crucial to maintaining and positively expanding a library’s collection. The American Library Association (ALA) (2019) states, “Library workers have an obligation to select, maintain, and support access to content on subjects by diverse authors and creators that meets - as closely as possible - the needs, interests, and abilities of all the people the library serves” (para. 2). A part of collection development includes practicing responsible materials selection, which involves considering reviews when determining whether or not to purchase new items for the collection. While publications have the right to choose what type of review conversations they allow, they need to realize that by only providing reviews that show items in a positive light (or not provide a review at all), librarians cannot fully trust that publisher’s viewpoint and/or solely rely upon that source when determining if they will make a purchasing decision.

Regarding the eBook only romantic suspense title, The Billionaire's First Christmas, are both reviews reliable? How likely would you be to buy this book for your library?

    I don’t find either review completely satisfying, given what I’m learning to expect from a well-done review. The Purdue Online Writing Lab (2024) mentions that when writing a book review, consider “Establish[ing] a background…remember that your audience has not read the work…be sure to introduce characters and principles carefully and deliberately” (When You Are Ready To Write section, para. 2).

    Other than the blog review providing the book’s summary before their personal thoughts, neither review gave a full or compelling view of the characters, nor a peek into their motivations - Why is Robyn “Santa obsessed” and what is behind Aaron’s aversion? The Amazon review describes the romance as “beautiful” and “clean”, but what aspect do those describe, the language? Tone? Setting? I found the blog review to be meandering and not very focused, with potentially too much personal detail that didn’t really pertain to the book itself. Also, and this is just a personal pet peeve of mine, I was very distracted by the incorrect grammar, punctuation, and general flow of language in both reviews; while this aspect may have not been as much of an issue, had the other issues been resolved, it still would have drawn my attention away from the focus of the review.

    Given all these reasons, and had there been a cost associated with it, I would most likely not choose this title for my library collection.

How do the provided reviews of Angela's Ashes make you feel about the possibility of adding it to your collection?

    Given the reviews, I believe this title would make a great addition to a library collection. Each review mentions how well McCourt relates his story, with no frills, but detailing and describing it with such compelling emotion and powerful imagery; filled with grief, poverty, desperation, but also love, dignity, and even humor, the reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

Do you think it's fair that one type of book is reviewed to death and other types of books get little-to-no coverage? How does this affect a library's collection?

    Unfortunately, life is full of unfairness, and this is yet another example. It hardly seems fair that one type of book receives an overabundance of reviews and/or hype, while others get little-to-no coverage. Now, that’s not to say that every book of the latter category automatically deserves, or would live up to, such a review spotlight, but it definitely seems unfair that there are literary diamonds in the rough out in the world, that don’t have the same chance to shine, just because they don’t occupy the same sphere of influence as the former category.

How do you feel about review sources that won't print negative content? Do you think that's appropriate?

    Circling back to my thoughts on the first question, I believe it is the Publisher’s right to determine what type of review conversations they allow to represent their company (and products), however, fundamentally, I don’t agree with the practice of flatly refusing to print negative content for products. I can understand the viewpoint of not wanting to allow ‘troll-like’ behavior to potentially shed an unfairly negative light when it is undeserved, but I also believe that people should be allowed to voice their honest thoughts (in a respectful way, with reasonable arguments to back them up). Subjectivity being what it is, a description one person might consider “too gory”, another person may enjoy or find intriguing enough to draw them to a story, but both viewpoints should be allowed to be voiced.

How do you feel about reviews for personal reading, and what are some of your favorite review sources?  

    Personally, I have never relied heavily on reviews for extracurricular reading. I tend to focus more on the jacket summary or what I may already know about the author to determine if I’m interested in reading a particular title. However, I don't completely disregard reviews; I will consider friends and family recommendations, as they usually know what I tend to prefer, and will scan the jacket blurbs, or quick reviews from trusted sources for new-to-me authors and/or genres. With the knowledge and experience I’ve gained from the MLIS courses though, I am much more amenable to taking reviews into account for personal reading from here onward!

 

References

American Library Association. (2019, June 24). Diverse collections: An interpretation of the library bill of rights. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/diversecollections

[Colorful books in a bowl titled Book Reviews]. (n.d.). GSA Summer Book Club. https://gsasummerbookclub.wordpress.com/how-to-write-a-book-recommendation/

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (2024). Writing a book review. Purdue University. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/book_reviews.html