What does Readers Advisory look like at a virtual branch library? Iowa City Public Library staff have been mulling that question over since 2014. After launching its new website in 2017, a committee formed to tackle redesigning its Staff Picks blog into a dynamic experience where readers can "pick their pleasure" by following the recommendations of library staff who love the same kind of entertainment they do. The new staff profiles allow readers to get to know their librarians in a friendly and personal way. And book covers abound! Patrons get a visually attractive experience as they explore what staff are reading and recommending. Other problems solved include reducing the amount of time library staff needed to curate content and keeping recommendations freshly discoverable. The newly designed lists also allow for easily printable documents for hunting books down on the shelves. The new Staff Picks web presence can be found at www.icpl.org/picks. Technology—websites Public Services—Readers Advisory

1. MAKE ME A MATCH!
Revamping Online Reader’s Advisory
at the Iowa City Public Library
Melody Dworak, Collection Services Librarian
Anne Mangano, Collection Services Coordinator

2. Our Objectives
Focus on executing a successful and fulfilling project
• How do we accomplish our online RA goals?
• How did we address staff complaints with current system?
• What was our process and outcomes?
• What’s next?
• Ways to meet your patron’s RA needs with free tools

3. Project Planning:
Tuckman’s Five Stages of Group Development
FORM
STORMNORM
PERFORM
ADJOURN

4. Stage One: Form
FORM
STORMNORM
PERFORM
ADJOURN
Who are we and why
are we here?
Defining the goals of the
project.

5. Defining Our Goal:
Readers Advisory on our Website
Virtual Branch
Drupal interface Digitally duplicate services
Evaluation of current staff picks blog Digitally duplicate experiences

6. Custom Built

7. Drupal CMS

8. Starting Points: Staff Picks Blog
From Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Captured October 2014.
Format used for over a decade (est. 2006)
WordPress-Based
Separate CMS from new website
Not conducive to list-building
Not graphically interesting
Issues for Staff
Required training to use WordPress
Not posting content on a regular basis
Some staff not comfortable writing long format reviews
• Took too long to formulate wording
• Took too long to format the post
• Cumbersome to use for lists
Posts would get pushed off home page within a day

9. Defining Our Goals:
Why is Reader’s Advisory Important for the Virtual Branch
Readers Advisory
Community Engagement
Public Trust
Local Identity
Expertise
City of Literature
Outcomes: Circulation vs. Reading
Organizational Value

10. Patrons Love Our In-House Displays

11. Full disclosure:
We also had readers advisory envy.

12. Our Goals Defined
• Share our collection in a visually appealing way
• Recommend individual titles
• Create lists of items that share a common theme
• Individualize staff with an “about me” section
• Reduce the amount of staff time needed to
create and share recommendations
• Reduce the amount of time needed to view a
recommendation and access the catalog

13. Project Planning:
Tuckman’s Five Stages of Group Development
FORM
STORMNORM
PERFORM
ADJOURN
Determine the
work we want to
do
• Brainstorming
• Negotiating
differences and
finding
compromises

14. Readers Advisory options
Staff Picks
Recommendations
list of staff recommendations or
subject/genre/topical lists that are
posted to the site on a regular basis
NYPL’s Book Finder
Public Library of Cincinnati and
Hamilton County’s Reading
Recommendations
Personalized Reading
Service
patron initiates reader’s advisory by
filling out a questionnaire and the library
develops a reading list
Multnomah County’s My Librarian
Seattle Public’s Your Next 5 Books
Reader/User
Community
users create the reader’s advisory
content that is intermingled with staff
generated lists, often embedded in the
catalog
Bibliocommon Libraries, such as Austin
Public Library

15. Project Planning:
Tuckman’s Five Stages of Group Development
FORM
STORMNORM
PERFORM
ADJOURN
Individual Roles
are Clarified
• What do we
accomplish in
meetings?
• What do each of us
accomplish outside of
meetings?

16. Project Planning:
Tuckman’s Five Stages of Group Development
FORM
STORMNORM
PERFORM
ADJOURN
Feeling invested
• Focus on goal
achievement
• Accountability

17. Project Planning:
Develop Concrete, Actionable Steps
Design Product Build Tool Test & Refine Launch

18. Project Planning:
Design & Develop

19. Project Planning:
Assess Outcomes

20. Project Planning:
Assess Outcomes

21. Project Planning:
Tuckman’s Five Stages of Group Development
FORM
STORMNORM
PERFORM
ADJOURN
Project ends
• Assess if goals met
• Begin planning phase 2

22. Next Steps?
Ensure that there is continuous assessment of the Staff Picks
site
oContinually make small changes as they are identified
oPlan the larger next steps
More interactive service on slate for FY20
Incorporate Staff Picks content into other web platforms
oThe Catalog
Recommended lists or titles based on subject searches
oThe Calendar
Pair reading lists with library programming

23. Scale it to Your Needs
Love writing reviews?
Or making book lists?
Want to arrange your
staff picks by genre or
writing style?
Try goodreads!
Carnegie-Stout Public Library, Dubuque, Iowa

24. Scale it to Your Needs
Berkshire Athenaeum
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
December 12, 2017
Des Moines Public Library, Des Moines, Iowa

25. Scale it to Your Needs
Want to talk instead? Use Facebook Live. Or post a video to YouTube
Cuyahoga County Public Library, Ohio, January 17, 2018 Skokie Public Library, Skokie, Illinois, August 30, 2018

26. Staff Picks @ Your Library
FORM
STORMNORM
PERFORM
ADJOURN

27. Why a Library?
“love for good reading
on part of our young men
and women”
Minutes from the Council of Thirty
in adopting a constitution for the
founding of the Iowa City Public
Library, September 30, 1896
according to the minutes of F.V. Brock

28. MAKE ME A MATCH!
Revamping Online Reader’s Advisory at the Iowa
City Public Library
Melody Dworak Collection Services
Librarian
melody-dworak@icpl.org
Anne Mangano Collection Services
Coordinator
anne-mangano@icpl.org