Readers' Advisory on the Web - Rural

Readers' Advisory on the Web

Librarians know all about recommending "good" books, right?

• Can you suggest some mystery writers who have Asian American detectives in their books?
• Do you have any really funny novels for teenagers?
• Which novels can I read to learn about being a hidden child during the Holocaust?
• What would be a good book for me to read while I’m waiting for my hold on a copy of the latest Oprah Book Club selection?

While it's certainly true that readers visit the library in person and online seeking recommendations of great books, read-alikes, book club possibilities, and other literary choices, it's a fact that reader's advisory questions are among those most feared and often poorly handled by many librarians. Reader's advisory work requires good reference interviewing skills and familiarity with a broad range of tools to identify available new and older books. The Internet - including personal, professional, and commercial Web sites, free and subscription databases, electronic lists, and your library's Web site - is a powerful tool for helping the librarian help the reader to find the book that best suits an immediate interest and need.

Workshop Description: This half-day hands-on workshop teaches participants to recognize a reader's advisory question, exposes them to the variety of reader's advisory tools available free online, and reveals secrets for figuring out what readers are going to want to read next.

Highlights: Using discussion, a bookmark file, exercises, and a packet of handouts, the workshop will cover the following topics:

• Commercial Web sites and free databases
• Genre-specific sites
• Reader-driven peer advice
• Library/librarian-created sites
• Expert guidance to read-alikes
• Advice for special reader populations
• Resources provided by other experts
• Academic sites
• Professional organization discussion groups
• Popular local reading generators [Oprah, The New York Times, or ?]
• Authors and celebrities
• Reading groups

Who should attend: Any library staff members who are called upon to do reader's advisory work

Prerequisites:

• Comfortable using a mouse
• Able to navigate the Web using URLs, browser menus, and toolbars
• Familiar with Web terminology

Check-in: 8:30 to 9 AM Instruction: 9 AM to 12:30 PM