The Portable MLIS - Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – Readers Advisory Services: How to Help Users Find a “Good Book” by Mary K. Chelton

Chelton discusses some of the challenges librarians who provide readers advisory service face. Certainly knowing your customer goes a long way in being able to help find reading material they are looking for. It is important to ask enough questions to hone in on what type of reading material is being requested. Are they looking for a fiction or nonfiction read? Do they want a book by an author they have read before? What genre or format are they looking for? As librarians become more familiar with their customers, this task should become easier. What greater satisfaction than being able to suggest books to a customer – books you know they will love!

In a school library, librarians get a chance to know their students more intimately than in a public library. This helps in collection development and readers advisory because you get to know the authors, genre, and subject matter they enjoy reading. Since I work in a primary school library and know my students, I am able to order books I know students will enjoy reading. They are so excited when a new book arrives and I have saved it for them to read first.
Displays and merchandising are great ways to promote books in the library. It is difficult for young students to find books in the library. Just think about it – most of the books are shelved so that only the book's spine is visible. I try to put as many books as I can on display face out so that students can see the cover and the title better. Displays on top of bookshelves, in a library window, by the circulation desk, or on low tables work well. Theme displays are particularly useful. For example, if I know that a grade level is studying the solar system, mammals, or weather, I capitalize on that and create visually stimulating displays that include stuffed animals, objects and of course books on those subjects. I always know how well I am doing by noticing how many books have been signed out.

Chelton talks about the use of the online reference database NoveList. (p. 160) You can access this database at http://www.ebscohost.com/novelist. There are readers advisory suggestions here as well as online newsletters that you can subscribe to – I highly recommend these, by the way. This is a subscription database, so to gain the full benefits of this source I would check with your public library to see if they are a subscriber. The search feature is wonderful and limiters allow you to narrow your search effectively. Under the “Readers Advisory” tab are newsletters, fiction checklists, book display ideas, training, bookmark templates, and marketing tools to name a few. While perusing the site I came upon “What Mary K. Chelton Read in June 2009.”


Chelton, Mary K., (2008). Readers Advisory Services: How to help users find a “Good Book.” In Haycock, Ken & Sheldon, Brooke E. (Eds.), The Portable MLIS: Insights from the Experts (pp. 159-167). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

NoveList, http://www.ebscohost.com/novelist. Accessed 7/1/09

“What Mary K. Chelton Read in June 2009.” http://web.ebscohost.com.db.4cls.org/novelist/detail?vid=17&hid=106&sid=7736a5af-609d-4534-a093-10d40267e254%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9bm92ZWxpc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d Accessed 7/1/09.