Readers’ Advisory – There’s an App for That!
Readers' advisory is provided in an ever-widening range of places and spaces. From the in-person reference interview to virtual chat, from websites to electronic…
Building Your RA Knowledge Through Reading Journals
My cataloguing professor often referred to his “card catalogue mind”. I’m not quite sure what he meant by that phrase, but I like to…
Developing a Community-Led Service Culture
My previous postings have explored how strategies, structures and systems must be community-led if public libraries are to meet community needs. But the most…
Judging a Book by Its Cover
The old stern warning not to judge a book by its cover has been superseded by today’s advanced visual marketing techniques – we can rely on…
Do-It-Yourself Readers’ Advisory: Empowering the User
One of the greatest strength of libraries is the ability to provide “personal touch” assistance. Indeed, the capacity to personalize service is what distinguishes…
Transformative: Understanding the Reading Experience
How can understanding our own experience of reading help us improve our Readers' Advisory (RA) service to our library users? How can understanding more…
Adopting Readers’ Advisory Practices in the Academic Library
Over the course of the past century, public libraries have increasingly promoted reading for pleasure while academic libraries have moved away from doing so.…