Adult Services
Roundtable
Virtual
Readers Advisory:
Why? How? Right
now!!
January
21, 2021
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Adult Services
Roundtable Meeting, January 21, 2021
Attendees:
Shannon, Hoover
Terri, Vestavia Hills
Joi, Vestavia Hills
Leslie, Avondale
Maura, Trussville
Deidre, Bessemer
Ellen Shade, BPL
Michelle, Irondale
Bridgett, Homewood
Heather, Homewood
Joan, Avondale
Lynn Hutchins, BPL
Pam Jessie, BPL
T West, BPL
Loretta, Books-by-Mail
Holley, O’Neal
We discussed the increased awareness and usage of various virtual
reader’s advisory tools to those patrons that are no longer browsing our
shelves. Holley’s favorite venue is to
create blog posts to the O’Neal Library’s website (https://www.eolib.org/ at the bottom of the page). These are archived and can be accessed by
patrons looking for something new to read.
Often, Holley will get a list of the top 5 fiction and nonfiction titles
on Libby that have the most holds on them and she will create a “while you
wait” booklist based on these titles.
This gives the patron waiting for that top seller some alternatives to
read while they wait for their hold!
These do take her the most time because she has to do a great deal of
leg work in coming up with read-alikes but the work pays off for her
patrons. Maura shared Trussville’s
Read-Alikes page from their website (updated by Susan)
Holley also directed us to O’Neal Library’s “Shelf Care” page (managed by
Amanda) which gives reading recommendations (using Communico to create) – most
of which are updated and populated by staff members fairly often. This utilizes
widgets to scroll book covers. If a
library could do one thing well, it would be beneficial to come up with a page
like this so that you can direct patrons to the webpage. It includes Staff
Picks, NYT Bestsellers, Book Group picks and whatever else you may want to
include. Next week, Holley’s Genre book
group is discussing the Harlem Renaissance so one widget is just book
recommendations for that group.
Hoover does a similar thing using e-newsletters but it is mostly fed
through Ebsco’s LibraryAware – in other words no one person updates it,
although that is an option. Most of the
heading are things like “Mysteries and Thrillers” or “NYT Bestsellers.” Patrons sign up for these e-newsletters on
their own or by our urging. A great many
patrons say this is where they get their best recommendations. We call this service “NextReads” and you can view the options
here.
Virtual RA can take place over the phone or via email too. If a patron wants a recommendation, we need
to respond consistently and with skill.
Please see the resource list at the end for a list of RA websites
recommended to make any decision an easier one.
We discussed the problem some of us face when patrons are return
visitors and want new titles. How are
people keeping track of what was last recommended without imposing on patrons’
privacy? Two methods would be to create
a Google doc with patron info or a simple Excel spreadsheet (with access only
to those that need it). Another method
would be to ask the patron to turn on their reading history for the special
purpose of keeping track of the books.
(This is done using the patron’s account in Encore. Librarians would need access using the
patron’s card number and PIN. However,
with frequent visitors, it might be worth the trouble.) I wish that we had the funds to create an
easy, stapled little notebooks with the library logo and “reading history” as a
giveaway to older patrons that might be encouraged to keep a list of what they
like and don’t like! Hoover has one
patron who only listens to books-on-CD and she hauls around several packs of old
index cards all banded together – boy she was not happy when we rearranged the
books-on-CD by Genre!! It threw her off
her system!
At Hoover, we have an online form asking all kinds of questions to
gauge a reader’s interest. It’s called Novel Destinations and patrons use it
often when it is advertised on social media.
We have the paper version at the desk in case we have the need. One patron is on her 17th
iteration of Novel Destinations! We keep
giving her more books based on her one-time first request! (Her favorite librarian keeps track of what
she recommends and what the patron enjoyed.
They’ve developed a good rapport!)
Joi talked about her increased satisfaction in finding books for
patrons and doing general readers advisory.
She likes to create handouts for patrons (which could then go online)
using Canva.com and uploading book covers.
She also gathers books for patrons into what she calls Browser Bags –
based on the patrons needs and likes.
She collects anywhere between 4 to 6 books for each browser bag. Many other participants said they also use
Canva.com – Heather noting that there is a reasonable “non-profit” costs to
Canva if anyone wants to pursue it. For
free pictures to upload, Pixabay.com, Unsplash.com and Freepix.com were all
recommended as free sources for downloadable photos and art. Michelle at Irondale also plugged thenounproject.com for free symbols and icons.
Virtual Bookshelf at Vestavia Hills
is something that I think several libraries have initiated since lockdown. These are lists with hyperlinks for hot
reads, fall picks, new juvenile fiction – really, any kind of subheading that
can be used within Sierra to create an ever-updated search. Hoover uses “Check out our new
materials” so patrons can see what’s new and place holds directly online. I
think a bunch of libraries have created similar pages since the pandemic began.
RA videos: I talked about doing
my short 2-5 minute videos of which I does about 6-8 per month. Using either my iphone or home laptop, I’ve
done enough that I have fewer errors.
Keys to doing this with a modicum of success is repetition and
bravery. I research the book using
online resources like NoveList or book reviews.
I try to grab a few good take aways or quick quotes about the book that
will intrigue readers. I may talk about
setting, characters, or even the tone of the book. After I have the recording, I send it through
Microsoft Teams to the person on our staff who LOVES to edit video (not
everyone has this person!) I created one
consistent graphic for the beginning of the video that I simply change to match
the book. The video person just puts
them together and trims any fat to create a tighter video. Then it’s posted to our YouTube channel and
Facebook page. I share it on my personal
page and most have been getting between 50-200 views per month, depending on the
title. Examples to view: The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin, The works of Thrity Umrigar, and While You Wait for Midwife Murders by Patterson. Our Nonfiction department has a very popular
Genre book group and my colleague, Pam Bainter, does short videos to help
patrons navigate that month’s topic.
Here are two examples: Short Nonfiction
Reads
and Insatiable Readers Choices.
Making these videos have gotten easier over the months and my fear is
nearly nonexistent. I have gotten to
where they could even be posted without editing and flashy extras – they just
need to be clean with good sound. The
handout I created for this meeting has some great tips for recording virtual
RA! Give it a read…
Heather shared that Homewood has finally established a social media
team after wanting to create one for a while.
The team, more specifically Heather, is scheduling Instagram and
Facebook posts ahead of time, such as “If you like…” selections. She uses Canva to do a small, three or four
book title visual for the immediate satisfaction – these posts keep the library
at the forefront.
Some of our RA has been driving people to our virtual services,
especially when the libraries were physically closed. We created online recommendations to Libby
and Hoopla because that was what was available to the patron. We still try to mix up the formats in our RA
service. Speaking of the various methods
we have discussed here, there are many librarians out there unable to do these
things because of time and staff limitations.
I asked the participants if a small library was only going to focus on
one method or one kind of service to focus on, what would it be? Heather answered with the response that it
would depend on your library’s patrons.
Some libraries’ users will not have a very active online patronage – so
devoting your time to Facebook posts or Instagram posts may not be a wise use
of time. However, creating window
displays that say “give us a call for more suggestions” will win them over.
Most libraries response would be a mixture of medias, services and
being open to responding to a patrons’ needs via whatever format they feel
comfortable with. Holley mentioned
specifically an e-newsletter from BookBub – she will “steal”
an idea from them and create her own small handouts/flyers to give out, i.e.
top 10 audiobooks for 2020. These have
become very popular in her library.
Lastly, if you are limited in time, money and staff, pick something
virtual that you want to try and keep it consistent and useful. If you decide to add a widget to your
website, update it on the regular. If
you have a blog, bring new content every few days or every week, at least. Instead of trying to be all things to all
people, do something well that patrons can count on – even as technology
evolves, you can still put out content on a blog or on Facebook that is useful
to the patron.
2020 taught us to be brave and give things a try. Put yourself out there and try new
things. They may end up in the wastebin
of history or they might become a raging success. However, as our library landscape changes and
evolves, we need to evolve along with them!
Below is the “Handout” I created for the meeting with links to various
websites and videos that may give you some ideas for starting your virtual RA
journey!
Inspiring articles:
Programming Through
the Pandemic
by Erica Freudenberger
May 22, 2020
https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=Programming-Through-the-Pandemic-covid-19
Lockley pressed
the entire collection development staff into service to provide recommendations
for adults, teens, and kids. “We reached almost 2,200 people during our live
Reader’s Advisory event, with 148 comments and 13 shares over the course of two
hours,” says Lockley, who hopes to replicate the success of this program on
Twitter in the coming weeks. The library also has an online reading challenge
group on Facebook with more than 200 members, who explore new genres and
authors each month. “The COVID-19 situation has inspired everyone on staff to
be creative and come up with new ways for us to reach out and interact with our
customers—no matter where they are,” says Lockley. “Offering live online RA at
my library has been a personal dream for some time and it was exciting to see
it in action.”
Reader,
meet book: RA on-the-go
https://www.ebsco.com/blogs/novelist/reader-meet-book-ra-go
Also, view the web-based RA
webinar created by NoveList. You do not
have to be a subscriber…
https://www.ebsco.com/blogs/novelist/webinar-form-based-readers-advisory-when-your-readers-and-staff-are-home
Recording RA videos
Some Tips
Source: https://bookcartqueens.com/2020/09/02/virtual-readers-advisory/
Book talk video filming tips:
·
Film in Short Clips. My
filming structure involves me talking for 1-2 sentences before cutting to a
new clip. I find this really valuable when I am trying to get my words
exactly right (especially important when sharing books that talk about
racism, neglect, or aspects of a culture that isn’t my own). I don’t memorize
what I’m going to say, but this quick structure makes it a lot easier for me
to redo a clip as needed. Refilming something 20-30 seconds long is easier,
and it is much less frustrating than getting to the end of the clip and
messing up a pronunciation.
·
Add visual interest. Add
images from the book whenever possible. Some books are chapter books without
images where this doesn’t make sense, but whenever I can, I add images and
change them regularly. An adult has about an 8-second attention span in
non-COVID times. Watching me sit and talk at a screen for even just a minute
is boring. Images help.
·
Talk about books you like. Always.
I only book talk books I’ve read, enjoy, and can vouch for. I’m not this
strict when I’ve got an in-person reader’s advisory experience, with a patron
in front of me asking for Wonder readalikes, but when I’m only able to take a
handful of books to a classroom, or in this case, select what books I want to
put my time and effort behind highlighting, I want to make sure they are
books I genuinely enjoyed and think kids will enjoy too.
·
Recommend diverse books. Following
the last tip, this means you need to be reading diverse books. Hopefully you
are. I don’t care how white your community is–even if your community is made
entirely of clones of one Christian, straight, physically and mentally able
white boy–there is a whole world out there that those kids need to be aware
of and empathetic toward. (Also, if you are living in a community filled with
cloned children, I would suggest you stop reading now and run. Fast.)
·
Look up those pronunciations. Author
names, illustrator names, character names, settings. Look up them all. Don’t
be the Annamarie of three years ago who mispronounced Amina’s name repeatedly
in a book talk video for Amina’s Voice that still makes me cringe every time
I see it on YouTube.
·
Of course, all the regular technical
things:
·
Film with the highest quality camera you
can access
·
Good lighting (don’t sit in front a window,
avoid shadows)
·
Good sound
·
Consistent feel/intro/conclusion
·
Easy access for a viewer to put the book on
hold in your catalog
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Where to go for Readers Advisory? A selected list of recommended websites:
