One of my librarian roles was to help with new hire orientations. I provided our new staff with a snapshot of our community’s needs and popular interest. No matter the individual's employment background, I always said that working for a library is like working in any other customer service role, except the products you are highlighting are books and programs! But like with everything else, it’s impossible to know every genre or subject thoroughly. That’s what tools are for! And, on that front, NoveList has your back.
If you are ever looking to add a dozen more books to your TBR pile, NoveList is the black hole of literary happiness you want to jump into. Whether you are looking to learn more about a specific genre you love or expand your knowledge of a subgenre, our Genre Guides will give you examples of key titles or series and the reason why readers like a particular genre.
NoveList can also help you provide easy recommendations when a reader is looking for a book “just like” the one they are returning or when a reader is in between books until a new release. This was super helpful when I was brand new to the children’s department (and didn’t want to use the excuse “I am new” to cover myself when I struggled with a picture book recommendation). The struggle was real, but once I learned about NoveList I could simply type a book title into the search bar, as seen here with King Baby by Kate Beaton, and have read-alikes at my fingertips.
You can even go deeper with a simple book search. Using our “Search for More” area located at the bottom of a book record, you can select elements of the book that the reader enjoyed. What if the reader wants more books about baby rulers? Click on the subject “babies” and “rulers” then hit search to see a new list of recommended titles focused on those little lovable, diaper-wearing dictators!
If you're tight on time or dealing with 101 things and need a reading recommendation in a pinch, BookChat is our new add-on service to NoveList Plus. This chat function allows you to talk in real time with a NoveList BookChat Specialist. You can ask them to do the work for you! They’ll help you find whatever a reader is looking for and they’ll give you recommendations based on a book, author, genre, or more. They can even help staff with basic readers’ advisory needs like revamping a book display or suggestions on books for a book club, and much more!
Lastly, if you are looking for continuing education courses or training for your library’s in-service days, Learn with NoveList can cover all your readers’ advisory needs. We have courses to help you grow your individual readers’ advisory knowledge or set a foundation of information and tools that your entire library or department can learn together.
You don’t have to feel alone as you help readers. NoveList can help you overcome those challenging book questions and become the book-slinging superhero you are meant to be!
Maria Fonseca-Gonzalez is a NoveList Consultant and is currently reading (again) The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton to her daughter.
