USING THE LIBRARY CATALOGUE FOR READERS’ ADVISORY SERVICES

Working together to enhance Readers’ Services through strategic searches, social software and next generation

catalogues

Laurel Tarulli, Collection Access Librarian

Halifax Public Libraries

TRADITIONAL CATALOGUE

LIBRARY CATALOGUES: FACING FACTS

Traditional Mindset – The catalogue is hard to use

Lack of expertise for the different search functions which leads to frustration

Use and knowledge of subject headings and genres

Limitations of catalogue and its content Traditionally considered inventory list,

not a discovery tool

WHY WORK TOGETHER?

Overlapping expertiseGenre expertsSubject expertsKnowledge of collectionKnowledge of reading trends – what’s hot vs.

what’s not

THE CATALOGUE AS AN RA TOOL

Why?Because the catalogue is controlled “in-house” it allows for numerous collaborative possibilities

Enriched content/description Reading lists Uniform headings/access points Personalized annotations Local/specialized access points RA/Cataloguer collaboration

THE CATALOGUE REFLECTS OUR COLLECTION

Allows an RA to suggest titles that we have in our collectionReaders go away happy with a positive experience!

Novelist and other resources are very good in finding similar reads, but they don’t reflect what we have in our collection

SFP (Suggestion for purchase) but the readers want a book now – not in a month or so. We run the risk of losing them to a bookstore or having them walk away disappointed. You don’t want readers to feel as if we don’t have what they want

THE CATALOGUE: SEARCHING VS. USING

Using the catalogue as an RA toolUnderstanding how to create keyword searches

to pull out appealsKnowledge of how access points are applied as

well as additional, searchable content found in records

Knowledge of genre headingsSuccessful searches that combine genre

headings and subject headings

ADULT FICTION GENRES Become familiar with the genres used in

your library catalogue Successful searches combine genre

headings with subjects How do I know what to search?

Look at the records to see what is being used Adult fiction records usually include:

Setting/Place Occupation of protagonist Genre

GETTING TO KNOW A BIB RECORD

Who? People/Professions

Where?/Place

What?/Topic

Genre

AUTHOR EXAMPLE Author

I really like books by James Patterson. Can you recommend other books like his?

Elements Mystery/Suspense Serial Murders Investigations Murders

Genres – Mystery ; Suspense

Subjects – Murder investigations, Serial Murders

Subject keyword search: Suspense Serial Murders Murder investigation (26 results)

GENRE EXAMPLE Genre

I don’t read fiction. I prefer something I can learn from, but interesting and enjoyable. Not a boring textbook. You know, something readable.

Elements: Non-fiction, readable, not a textbook

If we can probe further (the RA interveiw)... Used to read biographies Likes interesting or unusual facts

Does this give us enough information to bring to the catalogue?

YES!

The reader wants something Interesting, Readable and Non-Fiction

Narrative Non-fiction Reader

Genres: Memoirs, Microhistory*You can narrow this down further by subjects such as professions,

time periods or location.

Search Options: Subject search using these genres Refer to HPL reading lists (For example, Quirky

Memoirs)

YOU TRY IT! Author

If you like Marian KeyesElements

Funny Single Women Romance

What genres or subject headings would you use in your search? Let’s look at a bib record for clues…

BIB RECORD ELEMENTS

MARIAN KEYES READ ALIKE: Search elements:

Genres: Humorous, Chick lit, Romance Subject headings: Single women, England

Subject keyword search: chick lit humorous single women

Catalogue Results (56): Helen Fielding, Lucinda Rosenfield, Meg Cabot,

Sarah Mlynowski, Elise Juska, Sue Margolis, Carole Matthews

If you add “England”, 9 results are retrieved

WHAT’S COMING?

Ooh, I bet it’ll

be great!

I like things the way they

are.???

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES…

Vendor Products NoveList Select

Social Catalogues Folksonomies User/Staff-generated information

Additional Enriched Content Chat widgets – Chat isn’t just for the Reference

Desk!

VENDORS ARE RECOGNIZING THE CATALOGUE IS A VALUABLE RA TOOL

“More and more people are using the library from home to find books they have heard about. If the book is checked out or there's a long hold queue, they go on to another site. NoveList Select helps your users discover new books that meet their needs and on your shelves by showing them similar titles right in the catalog.”

- NoveList Select web page

NOVELIST SELECT – READING SUGGESTIONS RIGHT IN THE CATALOGUE

Partial Record:Team of Rivals by Doris GoodwinSalt Lake County Library

SOCIAL CATALOGUES User-generated content

Folksonomies/Tagging

Contributing reading suggestions and recommendations

Creating booklists Ratings

Writing Reviews

FOLKSONOMIES

BENEFITS OF USING FOLKSONOMIES

ENRICHED CONTENT Content from Vendors

Cover art Search inside features Additional tags, reviews and recommendations

Syndetic Solutions

Google Books

Amazon

LibraryThing for Libraries

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

HPL is implementing the discovery tool AquaBrowser. This “social catalogue” will be launched in beta for staff in December. This will be a great tool for Readers’ Advisors!

WORKING TOGETHER: RAS AND CATALOGUERS

Enhances collaboration between Collection Access and Readers’ Services

Our collections are based on our readers’ wants and interests

Encourages an online community of readers RA moves out of the physical library and into

the readers’ homes and community Encourages users to share reading ideas and

interest with the library and each other – it becomes “their” library