Research-Based Readers' Advisory

289 Pages·2009·1 MB·English

by  Jessica Moyer

J e s s i c a e. M oy e r
re s e a r c h - B a s e d
re a d e r s ’ ad v i s o r y
Research-Based
Readers’ Advisory
ALA ReAdeRs’ AdvisoRy seRies Research-Based
Readers’ Advisory
The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Nonfiction
Serving Teens through Readers’ Advisory
The Horror Readers’ Advisory:
The Librarian’s Guide to Vampires,
Killer Tomatoes, and Haunted Houses
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Readers’ Advisory:
The Librarian’s Guide to Cyborgs, Aliens, and Sorcerers
The Mystery Readers’ Advisory:
The Librarian’s Clues to Murder and Mayhem
The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction
The Romance Readers’ Advisory:
The Librarian’s Guide to Love in the Stacks
The Short Story Readers’ Advisory:
A Guide to the Best
Research-Based
Readers’ Advisory
JESSICA E. MOYER
WITH CONTRIBUTIONS By
Amanda Blau | Heather Booth | Sarah Statz Cords
Nanette Wargo Donohue | Katie Dunneback
Neil Hollands | Jane Jorgenson | Cynthia Orr
Joyce Saricks | Andrew Smith | Kaite Mediatore Stover
Joan Bessman Taylor | Mary Wilkes Towner
Barry Trott | David Wright
American Library Association
Chicago 2008
While extensive effort has gone into ensuring the reliability of information appearing in this book, the
publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, on the accuracy or reliability of the information, and
does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by
errors or omissions in this publication.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard
for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992. ∞
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Moyer, Jessica E.
Research-based readers’ advisory / Jessica E. Moyer ; with contributions by Amanda Blau . . . [et al.].
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8389-0959-1 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8389-0959-0 (alk. paper)
1. Readers’ advisory ser vices. I. Moyer, Jessica E. II. Blau, Amanda.
Z711.55.M69 2008
025.5’4—dc22 2007049421
Copyright © 2008 by the American Library Association. All rights reserved except those which may be
granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8389-0959-1
ISBN-10: 0-8389-0959-0
Printed in the United States of America
12 11 10 09 08 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Preface vii
1 Readers’ Advisory Ser vices: The State of
the Practice, by Joyce Saricks and Barry Trott 1
2 Adult Readers 12
Research Review, by Jessica E. Moyer
Librarian’s View, by Jane Jorgenson
3 Nonfiction Readers and Nonfiction Advisory 37
Research Review, by Jessica E. Moyer
Librarian’s View, by Sarah Statz Cords
4 Audiovisual Advisory 56
Research Review, by Jessica E. Moyer
Librarian’s View, by Kaite Mediatore Stover
5 Children and Young Adult Readers
and Readers’ Advisory 77
Research Review, by Jessica E. Moyer
Youth Ser vices Librarian’s View, by Amanda Blau
Young Adult Librarian’s View, by Heather Booth
6 Book Groups 111
Research Review, by Joan Bessman Taylor
Librarian’s View, by Andrew Smith
7 Romance and Genre Readers 134
Research Review, by Jessica E. Moyer
Librarian’s View, by Katie Dunneback
8 Readers’ Advisory Interview 154
Research Review, by Jessica E. Moyer
Librarian’s View, by David Wright
v
vI CONTeNTS
9 Tools for Readers’ Advisors 172
Research Review, by Jessica E. Moyer

Librarian’s View, by Mary Wilkes Towner
10 Cataloging, Classification, and Browsing 198
Research Review, by Jessica E. Moyer
Librarian’s View, by Nanette Wargo Donohue
11 Collection Development and
Collection Management 219
Research Review, by Jessica E. Moyer
Librarian’s View, by Cynthia Orr
12 The Future of Readers’ Advisory,
by Neil Hollands and Jessica E. Moyer 242
Index 261
pRefACe
Welcome to Research-Based Readers’ Advisory. This book is unique to the
world of library science publications because it is meant for and written
by both researchers and practitioners. In fact, eleven of the twelve chap-
ters in the book (the exception is the introductory chapter) were written
by both a researcher and a librarian, in a format never seen before. Let me
tell you a little more about the structure of this book.
Chapter 1, the introductory chapter, is by readers’ advisory experts
Joyce Saricks and Barry Trott. Both winners of the Allie Beth Martin Award
for their outstanding work in readers’ advisory ser vices, Saricks and Trott
discuss the major developments in readers’ advisory ser vices, the current
state of the serv ice, and the concept of the reflective practitioner.
Using the same format, chapters 2 through 10 look at adult readers,
nonfiction readers and nonfiction advisory, audiovisual advisory, children
and young adult readers and readers’ advisory, book groups, romance
and genre readers, the readers’ advisory interview, tools for advisors,
cataloging and classification, and collection development and collection
management.
The first section in each chapter, approximately half of the chapter,
is the “Research Review”—a thorough and critical review of the existing
research related to an area of readers’ advisory serv ices. Each Research
Review notes the gaps in the existing research and works that need to be
updated to reflect the many changes brought on by recent technological
developments. Written with the busy advisor in mind, these sections often
extensively summarize important works to make the full findings avail-
able to the reader who may not be able to access or read the original work.
By the end of each Research Review, advisors all over the world will be
systematically exposed to the key researchers, publications, and findings
in each area of readers’ advisory. The reviews, though focused on schol-
arly research, are written in such a way as to be accessible to all practicing
advisors as well as library and information science students of all types.
The second section of each chapter is the “Librarian’s View.” Approxi-
mately the same length as the preceding Research Review, the Librarian’s
View is written by a practicing librarian and readers’ advisor with inter-
est and experience in that particular aspect of readers’ advisory ser vices.
vII
vIII PRefACe
Less formalized and structured than the previous section, the Librarian’s
View focuses on the practical aspects of the selected area of readers’ advi-
sory ser vices. The Librarian’s View also includes some response to the
Research Review from a practitioner’s point of view, as well as personal
experiences from the advisor’s interest and expertise.
Chapter 12, about the future of readers’ advisory, is a collaborative
chapter coauthored by Neil Hollands, reader ser vices librarian at Williams-
burg Regional Library, and me. We focus on a recent publication about the
history of readers’ advisory and outline some directions for future devel-
opments and changes in readers’ advisory research and practice.
Above all, I hope that you enjoy the book and find it useful in your
work as an advisor. And if you are a student reading this book, then I hope
you are inspired to work as an advisor.
Acknowledgments
The creation of a book is never the work of one person, and this book
was no different. I would first like to thank my many coauthors who not
only listened to my ideas but agreed to write a chapter for me, despite
their busy personal and professional lives. I thank Juanita Ball, interli-
brary loan technical assistant at Richland Community College, who spent
many hours obtaining most of the articles and book chapters referenced in
this book, as well as all of the interlibrary loan staff and student workers
at Milne Library, SUNY Oneonta, who filled in the missing pieces. Joyce
Saricks and Laura Pelehach were the first people to hear my ideas for this
book, which without their encouragement and thoughtful feedback never
would have been written. Finally, I extend my gratitude to my family: my
husband, Christopher, for dealing with me (and doing the housework)
while I wrote and for listening to me ramble on every time I had a new
idea or problem; and my cats, past and present, Tornado Max, Charlotte,
Mitt, Tiggy, and Smokey, for keeping me company while I worked.
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ReAdeRs’ AdvisoRy seR viCes:
the stAte of the pRACtiCe
by Joyce Saricks and Barry Trott
How We Got There
Since the last quarter of the nineteenth century, when the public library
as we think of it today was being established, librarians have realized the
value to the library that comes from working with readers. In his 1876
article in the first volume of Library Journal, Samuel S. Green called for the
development of what he described in the title of the article as “Personal
Relations between Libraries and Readers.”1 Here, Green outlined the ways
that librarians could connect with readers (of both fiction and nonfiction)
and set the stage for the development of both reference and readers’ advi-
sory serv ices in the public library over the next century and a quarter.
Green’s article noted the ways that libraries benefit from the development
of a relationship between the librarian and the library user. These benefits
should all sound familiar to contemporary librarians and, in particular, to
readers’ advisors:
Joyce Saricks developed and directed the readers’ advisory department at the Downers Grove
Public Library in Illinois from 1983 to 2004. She has written two books on readers’ advisory.
Saricks currently serves as NoveList’s read-alike coordinator as well as columnist and audio
reviewer for Booklist. In her spare time, she teaches at Dominican University Graduate School
of Library Science.
Barry Trott is the director of adult ser vices at the Williamsburg (Virginia) Regional
Library, where has also worked as a reference and reader serv ices librarian. Barry is the past
chair of the RUSA CODES Readers’ Advisory Committee for ALA, edits the readers’ advisory
column for Reference and User Services Quarterly, and writes for the NoveList readers’
advisory database. In 2007 he was awarded both the Public Library Association’s Allie Beth
Martin Award and the ALA Reference and User Ser vices Association’s Margaret E. Monroe
Library Adult Ser vices Award in recognition of his work in readers’ advisory ser vices.
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