Secret Shopper

Secret Shopper

                When I first walked into the adult section of the small branch library I visited, I noticed one librarian at the reference desk.  I did not see any readers’ advisory signs or booklists.  The only display was of new books.  I browsed a little bit and then walked up to the reference desk.  The librarian was working on something and seemed a little irritated.  He hesitated a moment and then said, “How can I help you?”  I told him that I was looking for a good book to read.   He then asked me, “What do you like to read?”

                At this point I was anticipating a conversation about books, what I liked to read, and hopefully finding a new title to read:  “For many avid readers, talking about books is an enjoyable experience in itself and an extension of the pleasurable reading experience.  Therefore, the soul of a readers’ advisory interview is the talk about books” (Ross, C., Nilsen, K., Dewdney, P., 2002).  I told him I had recently read Me before You by JoJo Moyes and I really enjoyed it.  He pulled up Novelist and then selected the read-alikes.  He did not ask me any questions or converse with me at all.  Next, he told me that I could do this myself over on the computers by the desk but did not offer to offer any assistance with Novelist.  He then said, “Do you want me to print this list or do you want to go over and look this up over there?”  I felt like I was being dismissed.  I just said that would be great if he could print it out for me.  I was given a list of 9 read-alikes for Me Before You.  He resumed working and did not offer to see if any on the list sounded interesting to me or see if they had them in stock. 

                I was really disappointed in my experience at this library branch.  The librarian made me feel like I was inconveniencing him by asking for assistance and that I should have been able to do this myself.  I am lucky to work in an Adult Services department that is well-staffed and when working at the public Reference desk, I am able to give my full attention to customers when they approach.  If I have something time sensitive or detailed, I am usually able to work on that in the back office.  I understand that not all librarians are in this situation.  However, the primary purpose of libraries is to serve the public and that should always be the top priority.  Personally, I would not request assistance from him in the future and if I was a new library patron, I might not return to that branch.  Further, I think it is good to make the public aware of the databases and tools that are available to them and familiarize the public with how to use them.  However, I was not offered any assistance or guidance in how to use the database.  The librarian did not really talk or listen to me.  He provided very minimal assistance and was very dismissive of my request.  Sadly, I do think he had at least some readers’ advisory training but did not have time to offer quality service.  He pulled Novelist up right away, but just did not take the time to converse with me or offer much assistance even though there were no other patrons in need of assistance.  I had the same experience Chelton describes in her research:  “Most of the public librarians encountered by the MLS students had no idea how to conduct a readers’ advisory interview, a remarkably simple process.  Ask the reader what he or she liked about the book that inspired the query, and then follow up by asking if the reader is in the mood for something similar or perhaps something different.” (Chelton 2003).

                In addition, I expected at least some type of question about the appeal of Me Before You.  There were no questions about what appealed to me about that particular book or what I liked about it.  The librarian just went straight to the read-alikes and then did not even talk about them with me, he simply printed them out and ended the transaction.  As Saricks notes:  “We have found that most readers are usually not looking for a book on a certain subject.  They want a book with a particular “feel”.  As we work with readers in libraries, drawing on both fiction and nonfiction collections, it very quickly becomes clear that we need to understand both subject headings and appeal characteristics if we really want to serve readers.” (Saricks 2005).

                While I understand the stress of having deadlines while at the same time working the reference desk, I think that serving the patrons of the library needs to be the utmost priority.  I felt like I received minimal assistance while there were no other patrons currently needing assistance.  I did not have a readers’ advisory interview at all and the librarian simply looked up a few read-alikes and printed them off for me.  I understand the difficulties of providing good readers’ advisory assistance and often feel insecure about my own ability to give good readers’ advisory service (hence, I am taking this course) but I feel like, regardless of the situation, patron service should always be given top priority.

References

Chelton, M.K. (2003).  Readers Advisory 101.  Library Journal.  Retrieved from:  http://libraryjournal.com/2003/11/ljarchives/readers-advisory-101/

Ross, C.S., Nilsen, K., & Dewdney, P. (2002).  The Readers’ Advisory Interview.  In the Reference Interview (pp. 163-175).  New York:  Neal-Schuman.

Saricks, J. (2005).  Articulating a Book’s Appeal.  In Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library.  Chicago:  ALA.  pp.40-73.