Special Topics Paper: Passive Readers’ Advisory

Readers’ advisory is an important part of the daily services that libraries offer to patrons. Assisting patrons in finding books that appeal to them is the primary goal in readers’ advisory services. Librarians work to get readers connected to these great books. Readers’ advisory can come in the form of an interactive, face-to-face approach where readers receive assistance from librarians in the form of discussions and interviews. Librarians also look for other ways to reach patrons to get them connected to books, especially those patrons who bypass the information desk, never asking for any assistance. This can be in the form of a passive readers’ advisory, which is an indirect approach to help patrons find appealing books. Passive readers’ advisory does not require contact between patrons and library staff.

Ideal goal of readers’ advisory is to get readers to connect with books (Ross, 1991). Many times, patrons will come into the library knowing exactly what books they want. These patrons already know the titles or the authors that they are seeking. These patrons will go directly to the shelves to get their books, only coming for assistance if they need to place a hold. Other patrons will go directly to the information or reference desk and seek help almost immediately from the librarian. Then there will be some patrons who do not come into contact with any staff, preferring to remain self-sufficient.

All patrons can benefit by passive readers’ advisory services and they may not even realize it. Patrons who know exactly what they want may see a title that catches their interest as they are walking by a display on their way to get that particular title. The patrons who are self-sufficient browsers may see a title that interests them either on a display or in a shelf alert. The person waiting for the librarian might start reading the bulletin board and find a new title.

“Passive readers’ advisory is an essential part of any library’s readers’ advisory service because it reaches a group of readers who cannot or will not take advantage of real-time or face-to-face services” (Staley, 2010, p. 73). Sometimes readers just like to find material on their own (Towey, 2005). Patrons do not want to ask for help as they are independent and want to find their own books without any assistance (Saricks, 2001). Patrons can also be embarrassed to ask for help from librarians (Ross, 1991). They might be embarrassed by the genre of books that they like to read. Patrons also feel that librarians are too busy and so they do not want to bother the librarian with questions (Saricks, 2001). Patrons also have the viewpoint that librarians will not be able to help them find a good book (Ross, 1991). Passive readers’ advisory is a way to reach these patrons and provide them with services.

Readers’ advisory in any size library can be challenging. It requires a lot of time and training to do an effective advisory service (Stover & Trott, 2005). With an increase in workloads, passive readers’ advisory services are becoming more necessary in public libraries (Stover & Trott, 2005). Passive readers’ advisory can be a beneficial option when there is lack of time and/or adequate staffing. Librarians may have a long line that patrons may not wish to wait and there may be only one staff member present to assist patrons. Towey states, “Passive forms of readers’ advisory not only help patrons get to books they may like more quickly, but also establish the library staff as experts in suggesting books” (2001, p. 135).

There are many techniques that can be used to portray passive readers’ advisory services in the library. Ideas abound and are ever-changing about what works and does not work. Displays, bookmarks and booklists are among the possibilities of strategies that do not require face-to-face interaction between patrons and librarians. The role of the librarian is by no means thought to be passive throughout this service but rather, very active. It takes work on the part of the librarian to create and maintain booklists, bookmarks and displays. The librarian is actively searching for materials to use for displays, bookmarks and booklists. Readers trust the judgment of the librarian and expect books to be worth their time to invest in it (Saricks, 2001). Our patrons expect books to be thoughtfully chosen. Bookmarks, booklists and displays can often be created and used at the same time over the same themes (Staley, 2010).

Some ideas:

• Create displays that are visually appealing. Susan Brown shares ideas in Twenty Rules for Better Book Displays.
• “Book of the Day” located close to the checkout (include bookmark with the author and title and include a sentence of staff recommendation. 
• Create annotated booklists of popular titles (Saricks, 2001). Fiction_L is a great resource.
• Use bulletin boards to highlight titles, authors, publishers, staff recommendations.
• Create shelf alerts to highlight various authors. 

Patrons will always be looking for that next good book. Librarians need to help patrons find that book, whether it is through direct contact or through passive approaches like displays and booklists. The ultimate goal is to get readers connected and keep them connected to library materials.