Just a small part of the fiction section. There are nice displays, staff picks, and popular books showcased by genre. |
He recommended the following books to me:
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
This was recommended to me because it's about comic book creators. I've actually read this one and this is the only book that I didn't seem to fit for me. It's really more about the creators rather than the adventure and supernatural elements that I enjoy in graphic novels. That being said, I totally get why he would recommend this book to me and to be honest, if I were giving readers' advisory services to someone who liked graphic novels, I might recommend it too.
Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle
This isn't really about superheroes or comics, but he recommended it to me because it's a novel that includes a Dungeons and Dragons type of game and he thought I might like that as well. He hadn't read this book, but it was highly recommended to him by a fellow librarian.
A Once Crowded Sky by Tom King
If you judge a book by its cover, this one is the winner for me. He recommended this book to me because it's about superheroes/villains who lose their powers and have to live in the world like normal people.
Baltimore or the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City by Mike Mignola
His last "official" recommendations were two prose novels (although they do contain a few illustrations), by Mike Mignola, who is the creator of the Hellboy comics. He compared these to Lovecraft stories and thought I might enjoy them since I read The Walking Dead.
Although I had quite a stack of books in my hands, he continued to give me ideas and recommendations. He recommended Stephen King to me, and also mentioned the whole zombie novel genre. He also recommended that I check out Hoopla since they have a lot of comics since I enjoy them.
As for the environment of the fiction section, it didn't have any signs or handouts that indicated that they offered readers' advisory services. There were other papers at the desk, but they were mainly in reference to the computers that are also located in the department. There are displays as soon as you walk into the library that show bestseller lists from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The New York Times, Indie Bound and Publisher's Weekly.
Some of the bestseller lists on display |
A nice display for Black History Month. |
In spite of the lack of a real reference interview, I had an excellent experience at with the librarian I spoke with. He was personable and he seemed to be truly excited to get to recommend books to a patron. At the end of the transaction, he thanked me for asking him for help because he enjoyed being able to recommend books. He also mentioned that the library staff just had a meeting last week about recommending more books to patrons. He also let me know that if I didn't like the titles that he chose, he'd be more than happy to help me find others to read. I left the library feeling good about the transaction because it seemed to me like he finally got to act like a librarian, rather than the keeper of the computers.
I love the pictures and how you narrated your visit! It's awesome! I'm glad you had a great experience, while yes it wasn't much of an formal interview it was great to see that he didn't get totally thrown out of his comfort zone like from many experiences I've read on other blogs (including my own).
ReplyDeleteI have a musical theatre background and this type of "pretending" assignment still gives me anxiety, so you're not alone! I forgot to include pictures, but I enjoyed seeing yours. You did a great job describing your interaction with the librarian. Sounds like he helped you find some titles you will hopefully enjoy. I definitely don't think the lack of a formal reference interview was a hindrance in this interaction.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like such a great experience! I love all of their displays and materials showing patrons what books are currently popular and what books they enjoy reading.
ReplyDeleteI love that you included pictures! They really help illustrate your experience. Great job!
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