Reader's advisory involves connecting patrons to books through a variety of techniques. It helps patrons understand their reading tastes and can be applied to both fiction and non-fiction materials. To be effective, reader's advisors should read widely across genres, learn to think of related books, and familiarize themselves with review and book resources both online and in print. The reader's advisory interview involves listening to the patron, asking descriptive questions, restating their interests, and providing options without judgment.

1. Reader’s Advisory
RA In a Nutshell

2. What is RA?
Includes a wide variety of practices for
connecting people to books.
Includes non-fiction as well as fiction.
Many of the same techniques can be used
for audiovisual advisory.
Helps people better understand their
reading tastes.

3. Why Reader’s Advisory?
Improves customer satisfaction
Improves library image
Keeps libraries competitive with retail
book providers

4. How to Become a RA Pro
Read a lot; read widely; try new genres.
Learn to think in terms of “readalikes”.
Keep a reader’s journal and write
annotations.
Read reviews.
Browse bookstores.
Familiarize yourself with book-related
electronic tools.
Investigate speed reading.

5. RA Online
HCPL website – Book store/publisher
Books and websites
Reading Genre websites
Novelist ReadingGroupGuides.
Author websites & com
Internet searches Bookbrowse.com
Fiction_L listserv

6. RA at HCPL

7. RA in the Stacks
Create a Reader’s Advisory station or
“Reader’s Corner” in your library
Stimulate reading with: displays, shelf
talkers, book lists, bookmarks, flyers,
posters.
Subscribe to Book Page (as a freebie for
customers).
Be proactive in suggesting books to
customers.

9. What is RA?
Includes a wide variety of practices for
connecting people to books.
Includes non-fiction as well as fiction.
Many of the same techniques can be used
for audiovisual advisory.
Helps people better understand their
reading tastes.

10. The RA Interview
Never apologize for your reading tastes or
disparage anyone else’s.
Listen to the reader.
Ask descriptive questions.
Restate their answers.
Explain what you are doing as you search.
Give them choices, if possible.
Ask them to come back and give their opinion
(or not).

11. The RA Interview
Never apologize for your reading tastes or
disparage anyone else’s.
Listen to the reader.
Ask descriptive questions.
Restate their answers.
Explain what you are doing as you search.
Give them choices, if possible.
Ask them to come back and give their opinion
(or not).

12. Webliography
• Reader’s Advisory Tools for Adults: a Five
Year Retrospective Selected Bibliography
http://harriet/adult_services/ratools.htm
Located on Harriet in the Adult Services
section.

13. Genre Respect
Lessons from Ursula K. Le Guin
“Genre: A Word only a Frenchman
Could Love”
Public Libraries, January/February
2005

14. “Genre” is…
• “a kind or style,
especially of art or
literature” -- Oxford
English Dictionary
• a valid descriptive
category
• not a value category

15. “All judgment of a category of
literature as inherently superior or
inferior is tripe.”

16. • Genres are not static.
They can combine, cross,
and transgress.
• Any Genre can be
formulized, but Genre and
Formula are two different
things.
• To put a Genre label on a
book ensures a safe, but
limited audience.

17. “There are many bad books.
There are no bad genres.”