Everyone’s a Readers' Advisor: Training & Merchandising Strategies For Public & School Library Staff

Readers' advisory, always an important part of library service, has gained new prominence in recent years. Built on passion for books and personal relationships, this unique skill can be learned by anybody working in a school or public library, and can also always be developed further, even by experts in the field. Many library staff learn about the readers' advisory interview as an important way to connect the right book with the right patron. But few learn how to improve their silent readers' advisory skills, even though silent RA--through displays, good shelving technique, and more--can reach not only a larger group of patrons, but also a more diverse one.

In this program, we'll talk about the skills associated with providing readers' advisory beyond the RA interview, focusing on the importance of good displays and merchandising. We'll look at many photos of effective displays, both in the library world and outside of it, to demonstrate why certain simple changes can both increase your circulation and increase your connections with patrons. And finally, we'll talk about how you can share these new (or refreshed!) skills with everybody in your library in order to catalyze more excitement around your library's readers' advisory services.

Objectives:

After participating in this webinar, you will be able to:

• Identify a few simple tricks that will enhance the effectiveness of any book display

• Implement a set of guidelines that will keep displays and shelves looking approachable and browsable

• Begin training your colleagues or staff on how to use these principles