The Future of Readers' Advisory

            Readers’ advisory has been around since the late 19^th century, becoming prevalent in the 1920s and ‘30s.   In the beginning, “the general goal of early readers' advisory services was the self-improvement of patrons.” (May, 2001)  This was a process involving several meetings between the patron and the librarian and a reading plan designed by the librarian for the moral betterment of the patron.  Reading fiction for pleasure was generally looked down upon.  Readers’ advisory services have come a long way in the intervening years, particularly through the work of Joyce Saricks, Nancy Brown, and Nancy Pearl. 

            Current trends in RA owe much to the groundbreaking work of these individuals.  Identifying elements of appeal have made it universally possible to suggest titles that readers will enjoy based on their reading preferences.  During the last 25 years, Readers’ Advisory services have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity and have become patron centered, non-judgmental, and aimed at finding the reader a book that he or she will enjoy.  Library staff should be knowledgeable and courteous, and seek to make a connection between the reader and book.  As the world changes and readers change, libraries grow, continuing to serve their users.   

Where will readers’ advisory services take us in the future?  In coming years, as needs change, readers’ advisory services will change to keep pace with innovations in format, methods, and tools.  Newer formats such as audiobooks and e-books provide opportunities and challenges.  The methods that have served readers’ advisors for many years are being seen in new ways, and opportunities for interaction provided by new technologies are providing new tools.

RA has traditionally been about books, but as library collections have grown to embrace many different formats, readers’ advisory services are growing in scope and technique.  Library staff are no longer called on merely to provide the next best book to read, but now supply readers’ advisory for E-books and audiobooks.  Each format provides its own unique challenges and opportunities. 

The appeal factors of print books also appear in audiobooks, including pacing, setting, characters, mood, and language.  However, audiobooks, by their very nature add the additional factor of audible presentation.  “Narration changes and intensifies every element of a book’s appeal.” (Mediatore, 2003)  Does the narrator differentiate between characters and voices?  Do music and sound effects add to the story?   Does the voice of the narrator match the pacing of the story?  Other considerations include where the listener will be while listening (can the narrator be heard over traffic?), and what sort of media format the listener need or wants. (Trott, 2008) 

E-books allow patrons to check out books and read them without ever having to leave their homes, but they, too provide challenges for RA.  One thing readers may miss when reading an e-book is tracking their progress by the number of pages left to read. That feeling of desperation to finish a book when you have only a few pages left is not felt in an e-book; nor is the surety that a clue is a red herring because there are too many pages left for the crime to be solved yet.  This affects how a reader experiences the pacing of the story. 

The goal of RA is to make sure the reader has the best reading experience possible.  With e-books the level of technological understanding of the reader and the format of the book will play a part in the reading experience.  So, along with suggesting a great story, the Readers’ Advisor must be a technological advisor as well, sometimes helping a patron figure out how to download, access, or return an e-book, which format to choose, or how to retrieve a pin number.

In addition to adapting tried and true methods to new formats, readers’ advisors will be exploring new methods to supplement the current methods.  “The concept of appeal is . . . being changed and adapted by those who helped to create it and by a new group of librarians eager to help develop new thinking about how patrons react to, and interact with, what they read.” (Wyatt, 2007)  Current studies suggest that reading holds appeal for the reader that is not only book-driven, but also reader-driven.  “Based on readers’ views, reader-driven appeal consists of a) curiosity; b) personal situation, needs, and mood at the moment; c) advice of friends or specialists; and d) overall popularity of a title/author/series.” (Dali, 2014)  Maybe a reader wants the latest Oprah book, not because she is interested in its pacing, plot, characters, or setting; but because Oprah or a friend recommended it.  Perhaps the reader wants an introspective book because she’s sad, or maybe just wants something different to expand her reading horizons.  “It can be as simple as diffusing boredom in the sluggish afternoon hour or killing time waiting at the doctor’s office.” (Dali, 2014)

Dali also suggests providing a comfortable, informal space for readers’ advisory interviews to take place, encouraging confidences by the reader which help the readers’ advisor to gain insight into his reasons for reading.  “The more information gained from the reader about his tastes and interests the more complex he becomes; ambition, real love of books, anxiety to keep up with friends, vocational difficulties all play a part in the reasons for coming.” (Dali, 2014)

Some libraries are now arranging fiction in genres to make it easier for patrons to find what they are looking for.  In spite of the fact that genres are listed in the library’s catalog, many users wander aimlessly through the stacks looking for something to read.  When books are arranged in genres it creates a more user-friendly atmosphere and encourages browsing. A side benefit to dividing the fiction collection into genres, is that is allows statistics to be kept that can be used in collection development. 

 While this is helpful for readers who like a particular genre, the blurring of genre lines can make for tough choices when selecting the genre in which to place an item. Paranormal romance has exploded in recent years.  Should these books be placed with romance, fantasy, horror?  Keeping up with readers’ interests is complex and challenging, but rewarding.  “The readers’ advisor of the future must have a willingness to venture into these less-known areas of the reading world and to come back not only alive but also with an appreciation for what readers in these areas enjoy.” (Trott, 2008)

New tools will provide additional opportunities for readers’ advisory transactions. Catalogers working together with readers’ advisors can begin to bridge the gap between how readers describe and experience books and how libraries catalog their collections.  “If cataloguers begin to understand the difference between their access points and how readers want to access the collection, they may be able to assist in creating readers’ advisory terms and content to bibliographic records.” (Terulli & Spiteri, 2012) This collaboration is leading the way in creating the next generation of library catalogs. 

Mobile app for virtual visit

“Next generation library catalogs are interactive library catalogs that encourage interaction and contribution by users.” (Terulli & Spiteri, 2012)  In the next generation catalog, users would be able to add tags, ratings and reviews.  Instead of providing information generated exclusively by library professionals, users are invited to add their own content and opinions, creating a “social” library catalog.  This “social” library catalog would provide a space for users to interact with library staff and allow a more intuitive use of the catalog, which in turn makes the interaction easy and enjoyable. 

Next generation catalogs extend relationships of trust between staff and patrons, whether their library visit is physical or virtual, bring patrons together, encourage collaboration, and invite user generated content.  The catalog can become more than just a way to locate library resources; it can be a path to information beyond the walls of the library, available on multiple devices, taking readers’ advisory services to the readers.  In the digital age where most people participate in social networking and some prefer online transactions to face-to-face, interactive catalogs could take readers’ advisory services to readers anywhere. 

            In conclusion, many things are leading to a bright future in readers’ advisory.  From its moralistic beginnings in the early part of the 20^th century to the current trends, readers’ advisory has advanced to become a patron centered, non-judgmental encounter intended to improve the reader’s experience.  Innovators such as Joyce Saricks and Nancy Brown have given us standard elements of appeal: tools for readers’ advisors everywhere to help readers find books to satisfy their appetites for genre fiction.   Librarians, however, never rest in their quest to better serve users. 

Advances in readers’ advisory service will continue.  Books are no longer the only game in town.  Audiobooks and e-books have entered the field, providing challenges and opportunities for growth to which RA has responded.  Studies are discovering new techniques which may augment the tried and true methods, and new tools such as next generation catalogs promise to make readers’ advisory ever more interactive.  Learning from the past, blazing new trails and heading into the future aren’t new things for librarians, it’s just what we do!

References

Dali, K. (2014). From Book Appeal to Reading Appeal: Redefiing the Concept of Appeal in Readers' Advisory. Library Quarterly, 84(1), 22-48.

Dunnebeck, K. (2011). E-books and Readers' Advisory. Reference and User Service's Quarterly, 50(4), 325-328.

May, A. K. (2001). Readers' Advisory Service: Explorations of the Transaction. Readers Advisors Companion, 123-148.

Mediatore, K. (2003). Reading with Your Ears: Readers Advisory and Audiobooks. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 42(4), 318-323.

Pecoskie, J. (2014). OPACs, Users, and Readers’ Advisory: Exploring the Implications of User-Generated Content for Readers’ Advisory in Canadian Public Libraries. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 52(4), 431-453.

Sweeney, S. (2013, Summer). Genrefy Your Library: Improve Readers' Advisory and Data-Driven Decision Making. Young Adult Library Services, 41-45.

Terulli, L., & Spiteri, L. F. (2012). Library Catalogues of the Future: A Social Space and Collaborative Tool? Library Trends, 61(1),107-131.

Trott, B. (2008, Winter). Buillding on a Firm Foundation: Readers’ Advisory over the Next Twenty-Five Years. Reference and User Services Quarterly, 48(2), 132-135.

Williamson, T. B. (2011). Materials Matchmaking Articulating Whole Library Advisory. Reference and User Service's Quarterly, 50(3), 230-234.

Wyatt, N. (2007). An RA Big Think. Library Journal, 132(12), 40-43.