Adult Reading Round Table Common Problems, Uncommon Solutions

   PROBLEM: What should you do when a young patron, a sixth grader, for example, asks for materials, e.g. a Bertrice Small novel (very racy historical erotic romance) that you feel their parents might find inappropriate?
SOLUTION:  First, we congratulated ourselves for not wanting to censor a young reader’s reading. Then we thought an unobtrusive way of determining if this was a book our patron would really enjoy would be to ask, “Oh, yes, we do. How did you hear about this author?” It may be that she wants the book because she’s going through a pirate phase, or her family’s taking a holiday to Scotland. You might then take this opportunity to steer her to some titles that would be a more “age appropriate” way to meet her needs – pointing out where the S’s are shelved along the way, of course.

Sometimes the parent is with the child and wants confirmation about what they think. Code words like “mature” and “adult relationships and language” usually help the parent decide if this is a title their child is ready for.

Often, we have younger readers wanting books that may be too mature for them to appreciate not because of sex or violence, but because of the complexity of the book itself. The precocious 14-year old who announces she’s going to read James Joyce’s Ulysses over summer vacation should be congratulated for her ambition, but also cautioned that it’s a title that has turned many a liberal arts major away from English Lit. Telling the patron that this is a great book, but one that A LOT of people struggle with gives the reader permission to set it down, without feeling like they’ve failed.

   PROBLEM: Without reading all the books, how can you familiarize yourself with a number of heretofore unknown authors?
SOLUTION: Ask co-workers what they’re reading. Who are their favorites? Read-alikes?
Read journals and pay special attention to promo budget and author tours.
Trusted patron recommendations.
Books with multiple reserves are ones RA staff should be familiar with.
Browsing carts of new books and recently returned titles.
The ARRT Genre Tool (The ARRT Popular Fiction List: A Self-Evaluative Biblliography for Readers Advisors).
Putting together bibliographies and displays provides a depth of knowledge in smaller areas.
Genre magazines like The Romance Reader (www.theromancereader.com )
How to Read a Book in 5 Minutes – which can be found at www.sjrlc.org/RAhandouts/5minutes.htm
“TIPS” from Brodart: www.brodart.com/books/colldev/tips.htm
Fiction_L: www.webrary.org/rs/FLmenu.html
Amazon.com www.amazon.com
NoveList http://search.epnet.com
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped catalog – includes comments on language, violence, and sexual content. www.loc.gov/nls/

   PROBLEM: How do you determine how much time to devote to a readers’ advisory transaction? How do you determine when you’ve done enough?
SOLUTION: This question is hard because it depends on that subjective “a-ha” moment, a look in the patron’s eyes that says “Yes, this is the book I’ve been waiting my whole life to read” (or something like that). Often your patron will give you cues like “Well, thank you” or “”I’ll just have a look at these.” But if you have a patron who honestly has no idea what she wants, or who appears determined not to be satisfied, we came up with some ideas:

• Give the patron a form to fill out indicating reading preferences and use that tool to create a list of titles that may interest the patron when you have more time and the patron isn’t tapping her foot in front of the desk.
• Guide the patron to displays and provide her with a list to peruse at her leisure. Sit her down at a computer with NoveList access and let her search for recommendations online.
• Instead of suggesting specific titles, suggest authors and then encourage the patron to look at several books by that author and select for herself whichever titles seem to best fit her taste/mood.
• Invite feedback. Tell the patron “I think I’m sending you home with some books you’re really going to like. Please come back and tell me which ones worked for you and which titles didn’t. The more I understand what you like, the better the job I’ll be able to do for you the next time you’re in.”
• Remember that many patrons aren’t sure what to expect in a readers’ advisory transaction and you want them to take their cues from us. They will follow you through the stacks until they think you’re done. You set the tone for the transaction. If you’re busy you can say “I’m going to let you browse now, if you have any more questions please come back to the desk and I’ll be with you as soon as I can.” If you feel you are not connecting with the patron, arm her with a variety of materials and tell her “please take your time and look over what we’ve talked about. And, please leave anything that doesn’t interest you for us to reshelf. You won’t hurt my feelings. I want you to go home with something you’re really excited about reading."

   PROBLEM: What do you say or do when a patron asks you for a “good” book but can’t name one she has previously enjoyed?
SOLUTION:  There are several questions that can help you discover more about the patron’s tastes. First, ask her to tell you about a movie or TV show she likes, and listen for the appeal characteristics she describes. You could also ask her to tell you about a book she hated, and then aim for a book that is very different from what she describes. Another strategy is to mention a variety of genres or types of books, and ask her which appeals to her the most. Once you have a genre in mind, you can narrow down from there.

Another tactic is to walk with the patron to the shelves, where you can browse together. She may see a book or author that jogs her memory, and you may see some books to suggest. Many libraries have a book cart near the desk that displays staff picks or books other patrons have enjoyed. These displays can be a great place to begin.

Often patrons will request a good audiobook, and this question can be handled in the same way as the question about finding a good book. Since audiobooks are a smaller collection, it is easier to browse. Also, since audiobooks experience a high checkout rate, it is best to browse the shelves with the patron so that you can see what is available.

Finally, suggest several options for the patron and encourage her to take more than one book. Ask her to let you know during her next visit whether she liked the book or not, so you can use that feedback to guide your suggestions in the future.

   PROBLEM: Some of your frequent patrons only want YOU to recommend books. How can you convince them to trust other staff members?
SOLUTION: Acknowledge that every staff member has “specialties” or strong reading interest areas –and that you want to use that expertise to provide the best service.   Introduce your fellow RA staff members to your “regulars” so that they understand that you trust the judgments of the other people who work with  you doing readers’ advisory.

   PROBLEM: Your director and/or department head does not seem to appreciate the worth of readers’ advisory work nor wants to support it. How can you change their attitude?
SOLUTION: Statistics play a key role here. Record every RA question the staff is asked. Keep a log that tracks every interaction – whether it is over the phone or in person. Tell your success stories to everyone in your library. Promote reading programs. Use book discussions as opportunities to do/promote readers’ advisory. Invite board members to participate in those book discussions. Encourage the patrons to let the director know that they appreciate the personal service they are receiving from the staff. The patrons also may want to let the local paper know the same.
         
   PROBLEM: What should you do with poorly circulating collections e.g. translations, westerns, and short story collections?
SOLUTION: Displays, displays, displays. Consider reading some of the titles yourself to increase your ability to market it to readers. Keep in mind that many of these types of collections have been rebound, which would indicate that the books/titles have withstood the test of time. However, they also may be missing the "blurb" that is normally found inside the front cover. If this is the case, you might want to consider locating a review or blurb, printing it and adding it to the inside cover. Many patrons are more inclined to check a title out if they have some idea what it is about. Before you create displays consider weeding out what really needs to go. The next step might be to make sure the collection is clean and in good repair. Repair any items you wish to retain that are in need. Now you are ready for those displays we talked about. Make them as colorful and inviting as you can. Consider ordering the same titles in different formats and creating a multi-media display. A title that seems daunting in print may be more appealing in video or audio.

   PROBLEM: You’ve blown a question, perhaps recommended an inappropriate title or author to a patron.  How do you get them back, regain their confidence?
SOLUTION: Interview the patron again. During the interview listen as critically as you can, repeating key phrases back to the patron to reinforce what you are hearing. Keep in mind that no matter how hard you listen, patrons do not always reveal what they truly want for a myriad of reasons, i.e., they don’t want to expose their feelings; they may simply not know themselves what they are really in the mood for; their mood may have changed between the time you recommended the title and they sat down to read it. The same patron may not want the same type of material the next time. Appear human, get a dialogue going—patrons are often shy about sharing their tastes with a stranger. Don’t be afraid to admit your mistake. No one knows everything. Use the resources available to you to do a more detailed and in-depth search for the appropriate materials. Ask co-workers for help, too. Accept ideas from the patron when they are offered and read what they suggest– it will give you more insight into what they really enjoy. Watch out for authors who change genres and writing styles as that may throw your patron. Don’t be afraid to admit to not having read a title you are recommending. Supply the patron with what you do know about the title and ask them to provide feedback for you. The patron then becomes a resource for you.

   PROBLEM: A parent approaches the desk with an obviously reluctant teenager in tow and asks you to find a “good” book for the teen… not the trash (s)he is reading.  What do you do?
SOLUTION:  First, talk to the teen.  There are several different strategies to try.  Ask the teen what types of books he usually reads; in other words, what is the “trash” he’s currently reading?  Then suggest titles based on his reading preferences, while keeping in mind some of the “trashy” elements the parent may want to avoid.  This is also an opportunity to acknowledge that the teen is reading something, even if the parent views the reading material as undesirable. 

If the teen is reluctant to talk about the books he enjoys, ask him what movies and television shows he likes.  This will give some insight into the style of book you might want to suggest.

Make use of readers’ advisory resources, such as Teen Genreflecting and YALSA book lists.  In addition to providing excellent suggestions for the teen, these sources can please the parent, who will see that the books listed are recommended by experts. Prepare for the situation in advance by thinking of a couple of near-guaranteed books with broad appeal. 

Browsing the New Book shelves is another tactic, particularly in the Young Adult area.  If the teen responds to open-ended questions with “I don’t know,” try asking yes/no or either/or questions to elicit an informative response.

The Readers’ Advisory learning curve in general can be a problem. It’s a lot of work to develop a feel for new authors and genres that you can comfortably recommend.

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This page was last updated on 03/11/2010.