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Take a moment to reflect on why this work matters to you.

1. What makes this work meaningful? How can it become more so?

2. How can you work to build your conversations with readers into valued and lasting relationships with them?

3. Pause and think about your work with readers, for a few moments become a reflective practitioner of the readers’ advisor’s art.

Share your reflection with other learners on this padlet discussion form.

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This work is meaningful to me because I love books, sharing them, hearing about books other people love and discovering new books. It's satisfying to help a patron find their next book, to see their eyes light up when you describe a book they might like. It feels great to introduce a reader to an author or book that you love, but it's also great when you can offer suggestions for a genre you don't normally read. It shows when you put a bit of effort into finding out what your patron likes and talking to them about their preferences. I think this will keep them coming back to ask for more suggestions and share their thoughts on the books you chose for them.

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I once read an essay with the premise that children love to play, but when they grow up they seem to stop this vital activity.  According to the author of the essay, children grow up to be adults and continue to play, it's just that as adults playing takes the form of reading fiction.
More often than not I get patrons who want to tell me about what they're reading and want me to get excited with them, which I do.  I've had very few patrons ask me for a book recommendation -but it's still fun to hear them spout about their favorite read. They sound a lot like an excited kid!

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I believe our communities still expect us to be experts on books, and to be able to provide great, personalized recommendations, even if they don't directly ask for them. This is one of the key functions of the library, and it's important to be able to do it well to demonstrate our usefulness and professionalism. It's also the best part of my day! I also love sharing books and getting readers excited about new books and authors.

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One of the main reasons people visit the library is to get help finding things/information, or to learn new strategies for doing so on their own. Reader's advisory is something like reference work--the key difference being that RA is more of an art than a science--there's no one correct answer, but plenty of possibilities.

Much as giving thorough and thoughtful answers to reference questions keeps patrons coming back to the library as a trusted source of information, showing that you are paying attention to a patron's preferences when making book suggestions makes them want to come back for future suggestions.

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Becoming more comfortable recommending titles, and realizing that not every title is going to be a good fit are ways that I can make the conversations with readers into lasting relationships. I think sometimes, I get hung up on recommending the "perfect" titles based on the information the patron has given me.
The work is meaningful to me as a reader, as I am committed to helping readers find new authors and titles. It's also important for me that that they have the skills to find new books on their own. I think of all the things I have gained from reading--information, empathy, windows into other worlds, etc., and I am always eager to share that with other readers.

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Opening Up to new ways of Readers Advisory

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Opening Up to new ways of Readers Advisory

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1. The more we practice Readers Advisory, the better we can understand the thought processes and behaviours of different kinds of people during an RA interview.

I think it can be made more meaningful by:

following an appeal element structure during the RA interview that we are comfortable using

taking reflecting notes on how successful our interactions were, in order to improve upon it.

In the Australia Reads executive reader summary, it was suggested we focus our RA services on infrequent readers to have the greatest impact.

While avid readers like Mark and Emily are fantastic to assist and found meaning in the work, the biggest impact we can have on Australian public libraries is to focus on infrequent readers.

Following-up with them about how the reading experinece was

Keeping up to date on genres/authors that interest them and offering new programs and books available in the library that may interest them

Letting them know about online tools that they may enjoy using

3.

I always follow RA interview processes with patrons who initiate the desire for recommendations, but less so for patrons that aren't aware that we can provide RA services.

I believe a part of my hesitation is assessing that they are time constrained or may not have the patience for the proccess.

In these situations I tend to direct them to appropriate locations and spaces for browsing, and ask them to approach me if they need further help. If they start appearing more open to interaction, I ask again as well.

In the future I think I will be more more open about I can provide Readers Advisory services that will benefit them. I have yet to directly tell them I can do this and we are trained to do so.

In order to improve my RA practice I will start using the following techniques to build trust and common ground:

Paraphrasing what the reader says to reassure them

Recommend books by very similar authors or the same author even though that may seem like an easy win as it builds trust early on

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I've been working in public libraries for almost 30 years, and when I started readers' advisory was a really important part of the work.  I started at my current library 12 years ago and was really surprised that, while the library had focused great effort on becoming a center for learning, it had neglected developing RA skills with both professional and para-professional staff.  That combined with a community where reading for anything more than getting through the day was a low priority for about 48% of the population (who struggled with literacy issues.  It was no wonder our circulation was down.

My current role focuses a big chunk of time on developing readers' services for my library system.  I spend a lot of my time working on educating staff about RA and the importance of reading for pleasure for all ages.  I took this course because I was looking for strategies that might work for our staff and our customers, and I'm glad to say it's working.  I see opportunities for sharing the importance of sitting down one-on-one with a reader and having that conversation that not only builds a relationship with the reader, but also builds our librarian skillset in this area and helps us all understand why reading is important to us as individuals and as a community.  This work really is about building a love of reading and building a community of readers.  It's core to everything a library is about, and it's central to why I became a librarian.

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It's hard for me to articulate why pairing a reader with a book is such a soul-satisfying experience. Part of it is sharing books I've loved, or know others have loved, but it's more than that - it's like spreading positivity and enlightenment in a sometimes negative and darkening world. But another part of it is that knowing and recommending good books is part of the value we bring as "professional readers" to our communities. We're like matchmakers, both in the romantic and incendiary sense. And there's nothing more gratifying than having a patron come back with a wow. Also nothing more intimidating than "what else have you got," lol. Keeping in mind that this is a relationship, not a transaction, is important and and helpful.

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This work matters because of the reader-librarian connection -- it fosters people's trust in the public library to have a librarian who actually listens to them and takes an active interest in what they want to read, and makes it their mission to get them walking out of the library with a book in their hands. Reading can be so spiritually fulfilling, and part of our job as reader's advisory librarians is to help readers achieve that fulfillment. It's very satisfying!

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This work matters in building relationships with patrons where they love suggesting books for me to read as well.

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This work matters in building relationships with patrons where they love suggesting books for me to read as well.

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Community, and the process of always learning and growing.

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Connecting the right books to the reader is invaluable, because otherwise they could miss out on reading experiences that would lift their spirit, enrich their lives, introduce them to new ideas or ways of thinking, broaden their understanding of a certain place or time in history, etc. The more we get to know our patrons on a personal level, the easier it becomes to match them up with the perfect book for them. Talking about books often leads to getting to know the patron and leads to greater clarity on what types of books they might like based on their values and personality. Not to mention, it is fun and very rewarding when they read and enjoy your book suggestions.

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This work matters both for the impact on the readers and for the impact on the collection, helping to highlight authors not backed by big publishing houses, and introducing people to an interesting range of diverse and diverting books. It potentially has a impact on library membership too - so this work matters for how libraries function

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This work matters because the right book at the right time has the power to transform a person's life. When a patron takes the time to get back to me about a book they have enjoyed, which I recommended to them, it is incredibly rewarding. 

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This work matters because the right book at the right time has the power to transform a person's life. When a patron takes the time to get back to me about a book they have enjoyed, which I recommended to them, it is incredibly rewarding. 

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But I love connecting with people more, and being able to have conversations with people about what books they love and loathe is a great way to connect. It doesn't matter if we agree or not, but enjoying the chat is a most welcomed break from helping someone log into their email or fixing a paper jam on the printer. This course is teaching me how to not only open those conversations more easily, but to also sustain them for longer by asking the probing questions. It helps me build more knowledge on my library's collection without the need to have read all the books, and the benefit to the customer is that I will be better equipped for the next person, thanks to the previous one. It's a win-win!

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There is a sense of pride that comes when you connect a reader with a book they love. Asking the right questions, drawing out the information you need and having knowledge of resources you can utilise to identify a selection of possible great reads are the skills that connect us to our reading customers.

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There is a sense of pride that comes when you connect a reader with a book they love. Asking the right questions, drawing out the information you need and having knowledge of resources you can utilise to identify a selection of possible great reads are the skills that connect us to our reading customers.

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I feel that it’s important for several reasons. Firstly, it keeps our readers coming back, which is what we want as a service provider. It allows our customers to see that we are interested in them and genuinely want to help them. We aim to make customers feel welcomed and at home in the library. Building great connections through readers advisory is a great way of achieving this. For me personally I also get great satisfaction from helping customers in general and helping to find their next best read is definitely a big part of that.

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One of my favourite things is to share a conversation about a book with someone. To be able to help a reader find their next book makes my work so very meaningful. I know that I build valued and lasting relationships with me readers because they know that I listen carefully, never judge their feelings and emotions and respect the reading elements that are important to them. I am always friendly and enjoy so much the fact that I have a job where I get to promote the pleasures, rewards and excitement of reading. When I know I have helped someone fall in love with reading again, or for the first time, it is pretty special to be able to share this happiness with my reader.

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I feel what makes this work meaningful, is giving people a joy of reading (in any format) as reading can take you to so many places. I think remembering the reader, and bits of the conversations you've had, or the interactions you've had helps develop a lasting relationship. It also makes people feel heard, which is important.

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One of my main goals is to promote a love of reading!

(0-100yrs+) Suggesting 'Good Fit' books to people of all ages and walks of life is an essential component in ensuring people want to continue to be lifelong readers.

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I'm incredibly fortunate to be building a career as a librarian and what makes this work so meaningful is books not only allow us to learn about different lives, times and perspectives but in doing readers advisory we are not only building relationships with our patrons but in turn we are building community and making libraries vital to community spaces.

The instructions in lesson two have been incredibly helpful and have allowed me to be more analytical in the way I approach RA, including the different resources. The ways I can work to build my conversations with readers is to also follow up with them after they've read the book and ask for feedback. This will enable me to finetune my recommendations and learn about their preferences for future suggestions.

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...to recommend something to someone, and for them to feel that you 'get' them. It's a source of pride for me and hopefully, makes them feel seen and makes them feel like they're using the library in the way it should be used!

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Sharing/encouraging the love of reading is rewarding and can change a persons outlook on life and provide them with a life-long friend.

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This work is meaningful to me because it in part it involves people trusting you with their leisure time. In this busy age, people don't have a lot of time to relax and read so paying attention to their needs and recommending something I hope they'll enjoy is important. Expanding their views, and seeing the excitement of reading in their eyes is a rewarding part of the job.

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This work matters to me because it helps people to connect with one another and the world. It increases knowledge, critical thinking and compassion. Joy can also be found. At the library, I'd like to start more conversations with browsers.

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This work matters to me because it helps people to connect with one another and the world. It increases knowledge, critical thinking and compassion. Joy can also be found. At the library, I'd like to start more conversations with browsers.

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The satisfaction on successfully chosing another book for our readers is wonderful. In a small isolated community it opens the world in a way that is not otherwise available

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Knowledge is the foundation of human civilization. It's more than just 'power', its essential to our very survival and the advancement of a race. And a Library is the heart of knowledge. Libraries are the armory of every written word, story, quote, thought, discovery and tale we have ever conceived. Libraries are a terminal to new worlds, both real, and fantastical. Libraries are our archive of thought. Both mirthful and somber. Within a library, within the rows of every immaculate shelf, of every worn novel, we rediscover wonder.

We rediscover our humanity.

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This work matters to me because a public library is such an untapped resource in the community, and RA is one of the many ways you can build relationships within the community. It's learning about your community and learning about what makes people tick, and helping them discover that literature can alleviate all kinds of barriers.

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It’s important because it keeps our people coming back. It shows that we are interested in the person and are trying to help them with their new adventure. I like finding their next book and especially when they come back and let you know they enjoyed the author you suggested to them. I find this very rewarding and helps me to recommend the titles to other people if others have enjoyed them.

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It’s important because it keeps our people coming back. It shows that we are interested in the person and are trying to help them with their new adventure. I like finding their next book and especially when they come back and let you know they enjoyed the author you suggested to them. I find this very rewarding and helps me to recommend the titles to other people if others have enjoyed them.

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Helps readers find enjoyment and learning through books and hopefully will enrich their life.

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Helps readers find enjoyment and learning through books and hopefully will enrich their life.

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Quality RA matters to me becasue I enjoy meeting with patrons who have really benefitted or enjoyed my RA in the past and who come to find me again after they have returned the item they borrowed. Patrons who recognise me, smile when they see me and then come over for a chat about the great book they have just finished and then ask me to find another new read, make my day. :-)

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Quality RA matters to me becasue I enjoy meeting with patrons who have really benefitted or enjoyed my RA in the past and who come to find me again after they have returned the item they borrowed. Patrons who recognise me, smile when they see me and then come over for a chat about the great book they have just finished and then ask me to find another new read, make my day. :-)

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Relationships are what matters in a community setting like a library. Stories are what connect us to each other.

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I've loved reading my whole life, but that is not the case for everyone. I think helping people understand that choosing a next book is an adventure and that it's ok to walk away from books that aren't a good match for you in an important part of becoming an active lifelong reader. For people who want more out of their reading life, reader advisory can keep them from falling into ruts, teach them about new authors they may not have heard of or expected to enjoy, and create a relationship with libraries and library workers who have the readers tastes and interests in mind.