Week 8 - Special Topic Paper (Exceprts)

 (The following are selected excerpts from my special topic paper.)

Readers Advisory Trends and Innovation

Wyatt and Saricks (2019) state,

The goal of readers’ advisory (RA) service is to help readers discover titles they are currently in the mood to read…helping readers find titles that they will enjoy, that will enrich their lives…Advisors respect readers’ choices, listen and respond to their interests, and help them navigate the fascinating and fulfilling world of stories. (p. xv)

With a definition such as this, the importance of RA seems obvious, however, it has only been within recent years that RA has been viewed as a vital library service, instead of being perceived as an extracurricular or frivolous hobby. While enrolled in an adult RA course, Lumpkin (2021) describes their experience of being on the receiving end of a RA interaction with a library co-worker, after asking for a graphic novel recommendation,

[An] aspect that I found both remarkable and surprising was how intimate the interaction felt to me. It seemed as if I was allowing them to enter into my own interior monologue - as a benign and helpful observer, but it still felt as if I was pulling back a curtain for them that I didn’t even realize existed. (para. 4)

Lumpkin continues by expressing, via this interview and participating in the remainder of the RA course, just how important trust is between those involved in a RA conversation. RA “provides us with a crucial opportunity to forge a space for patrons to become fully themselves as readers” (Lumpkin, 2021, para. 6). As information professionals, RA service is an indispensable aspect of the job, and in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, many trends and innovations have occurred, all of which are highlighting and continuing to prove the importance of RA service.

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One of the critical trends that has developed, and continues to grow and evolve, is that of RA education. From a pool of 1200 respondents within a wide range of public libraries across the U.S. and Canada, 82% expect staff to provide RA service, with 19% having dedicated RA staff; 60% of respondents stated that RA is very important to their library (increased from 45% in 2013) (Borasky, 2021, para. 2). These statistics show how important structured RA education is for information professionals today and in the future, for the health and prosperity of libraries, their patrons, and communities. Anderson (2016) states, “Adult RA is an important part of modern public library service, but it is not a consistent part of modern library education or training,” and continues by explaining that a 2013 survey conducted by Library Journal found that, while all the surveyed libraries offered RA service, 42% took no RA-specific courses as part of a MLIS program, and 23% had no RA education opportunities within their library (p. 203).

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There are many trends and innovations being created for, and being made use of by, libraries, designed to offer effective, varied, fun, and informative RA, while also promoting the service to patrons. Jensen (2022) highlights the creative idea of making ‘RA menus’ to place throughout the library (think of a restaurant-style menu, but filled with RA suggestions),

We often talk about how readers like to browse but the truth is, the way traditional libraries are set up are not designed for browsing because they can create browsing fatigue. It’s hard to look at row upon row of books and not get overwhelmed or, quite frankly, exhausted. (para. 1)

That is where fun RA trends come in to save the day! With things like RA menus, interactive displays, dynamic shelving, etc., patrons are less likely to experience browsing fatigue, more likely to find new reads, and hopefully enjoy the experience enough to come back, eager for their next read. Another trend in RA service is the use of podcasts; Lyons (2021) states,

Their popularity has increased even more since the pandemic began, up by 42% worldwide…podcasts also present great opportunities for librarians looking to increase reader engagement…A great place to start is with podcasts that have been adapted into books…Some podcast hosts go on to write books related to topics discussed on their shows. (para. 1-2)

 

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 References

Anderson, S. H. (2016). Trends and directions in RA education. Readers’ Advisory, 55(3), 203-208.

 

Borasky, D. (2021, July 19). Innovations in readers’ advisory that are here to stay. NoveList. https://www.ebsco.com/blogs/novelist/innovations-readers-advisory-are-here-stay

 

Jensen, K. (2022, August 29). Trend watch: Discussing the value of reader’s advisory and creating an RA menu. School Library Journal. https://teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2022/08/29/trend-watch-   discussing-the-value-of-readers-advisory-and-creating-an-ra-menu/

 

Lyons, A. (2021, April 16). Using podcasts for readers’ advisory. NoveList. https://www.ebsco.com/blogs/novelist/using-podcasts-readers-advisory

 

Lumpkin, J. (2021, December 10). Readers advisory reimagined. Public Libraries Online. https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2021/12/readers-advisory-reimagined/

 

Wyatt, N., & Saricks, J. G. (2019). The readers’ advisory guide to genre fiction (3rd ed.). ALA Editions.