Form-Based Readers' Advisory

Over the course of the last year, the work of the librarian has changed immensely. In-person programming and services gave way quickly to their virtual counterparts when it became clear that the coronavirus pandemic would cause stay-at-home orders and closures of nonessential services. Even when those orders were lifted, many libraries kept their doors closed and offered only curbside services, which often had a significant impact on circulation statistics.  Implementation (or improvement) of an online readers advisory form can help improve circulation statistics in normal times, and has great potential to offset the negative impact of library closures during the pandemic.

This new challenge magnified an inadequacy in my own skills, and in my library’s online services. The website of the library where I work offers the option to contact one of the adult services librarians to ask for recommendations. 9 librarians are available, each with a short description of the genres they read most, so that a patron can select a librarian to ask for a recommendation based on their interests. 7 of them name science fiction or fantasy (or both) as a favorite genre, and 3 of them claim to read “everything”. Graphic novels are mentioned several times, as well. Click on a name, and you are directed to a form requesting account info, preferred formats, and questions about whether you would prefer YA or adult, series or not, and two open-ended questions about what you like and why, and what you dislike and why. Colleagues say that the forms are rarely used, and when they are, the responses are extremely vague.

We also have a form to request a custom collection, which is largely intended for parents and homeschool families. In addition to the questions on the adult form, there are options for age level and the requested number of items, and open ended questions about subject matter and topics to avoid. While I have no experience with filling requests made using the adult services form, I have filled several custom collection requests and can say first hand that the form is not as helpful as it could be. Patrons often will fill in the subject area with very general terms - science, picture books, non fiction - or not at all. What they always do, however, is choose from the drop down menus and checkboxes. 

My experiences with fulfilling the custom collection requests have led me to realize that our request form is insufficient for both the patron and the librarians fulfilling the requests. To this end, I went looking for successful form-based readers advisory programs and discovered the Williamsburg Regional Library’s very successful Looking for a Good Book service, which appears to have inspired a revolution in the way book recommendations are made. Holland (2006) enumerates the benefits of a well-designed RA form:

The existence of the form advertises the availability of RA service. The form can be filled out in relative anonymity, particularly if electronic options or anonymous pick-up is available. If correctly designed, the form provides the patron with the vocabulary to discuss reading habits effectively, while at the same time showing that all reading interests are welcome. (p. 206)

Our forms offer advertisement and privacy, but not the vocabulary.  Especially in a time when patrons can’t or are reluctant to browse the shelves, we need a finely honed form for the patrons to fill out that guides them through the readers’ advisory process, one that provides librarians and patrons the common vocabulary necessary to have a successful RA transaction:

Many readers use terminology different from that used in the profession to talk about books. A librarian can easily follow a tangent based on a single misleading word and miss the reader’s main interests. One can listen carefully to identify favorite authors, genres, and appeal factors, only to offend the reader with 

suggestions that violate a hidden pet peeve. (Holland, 2006, p.207)

Presenting the patron with the language they need to describe their preferences seems as though it would significantly improve outcomes. But with the proliferation of sites like Goodreads and databases like NoveList, do public libraries need to concern themselves with readers’ advisory? What can a librarian add to the process?

The answer is: quite a lot. Bender (2015) implemented survey-based readers’ advisory in her high school library:

I know that students could enter topics on their own in Novelist, an online catalog, Amazon.com, and read-alike or book-related websites, but a survey could add something more personal and give an overall view of a student's interests through asking questions a computer might not be able to solve. I hoped students would feel special receiving book recommendations based on their lives and past favorites. (p. 36)

The nature of these services also require a level of technological savvy and access that is not universal. Filling out a form is more straightforward than searching a database, then limiting that search, and revising the search based on the result. 

An added benefit of a custom form is just that: it can be customized. The University of Minnesota introduced a book matchmaking program to enable students to find leisure reading within their browsing collection, and have continued to revise their form.

We also included an “other” option where participants could request a different or more specific characteristic. Our form grew and changed over time based on both responses to the “other” option, feedback from participants (who sometimes pointed out confusion surrounding a term), and new ideas from team members. By changing the form over time, we have made it less universal and more targeted to our particular community of readers. (Sievert et al., 2018, p. 257)

The forms can be specific to the dialect of the area, using the language that patrons use to describe their tastes, to be ‘translated’ into search terms by the advisor. They can be adapted to reflect the collection. Utilizing forms in this way also has implications for collection development. Just as the forms can be adapted to reflect the collection, the collection can be adapted to more accurately reflect the needs of the community the library serves.  

The future is uncertain. No one knows how long the pandemic will last and what the long term impacts will be. Libraries have been utilizing and improving their readers advisory forms to great success for decades. A program which enhances communication between patrons and librarians (and can be done from a distance) is more necessary than ever right now.

Sources:

Bromann-Bender, J. (2015). Book Match: Matching Books to Students Through a 

Reading Interest Survey. Library Media Connection, 33(4), 36–37. 

Hollands, N., & Trott, B. (2006). Improving the Model for Interactive Readers’ Advisory 

Service. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 45(3), 205–212. 

Sievert, K., Fick, A., Adamski, B., Merrill, A., & Lemay, D. (2018). Library, Library, Make 

Me a Match: Impact of Form-Based Readers’ Advisory on Academic Library Use 

and Student Leisure Reading. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 57(4), 

254–265. https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.57.4.6703

Trott, B. (n.d.). Looking for a Good Book. Williamsburg Regional Library. Retrieved 

March 11, 2021, from https://www.wrl.org/adults/looking-for-a-good-book/

Trott, B., & Williamson, T. B. (2011). Materials Matchmaking Articulating Whole Library

Advisory. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 50(3), 230–234. 

https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.50n3.230