Readers' Advisory Ideas by Learn with NoveList

Learn_with_NoveList — 2022-07-06 02:44:23 UTC

Can you think of any other readers’ advisory ideas that are fun and creative like the book jar? Add your suggestions to the padlet discussion board. And check the board to see what your fellow learners recommend.

Let patrons do the recommending to each other! Provide sticky notes where they can write down why they enjoyed a book and then add the book (with sticky note) to a display.

2022-07-24 19:14:04 UTC

We do seasonal selections using an old gumball machine instead of a jar. Around Halloween, we had thriller and horror suggestions and around Valentine's Day we included romance suggestions. I think patrons really enjoy feeling like they are getting a "prize".

2023-05-11 19:47:36 UTC

2024-10-14 19:41:17 UTC

Pairing book picks with interactive displays, like putting out a paper fortune teller that has book suggestions, or a paper pumpkin patch with surprise book titles on the back.

Book Bundles

2025-06-28 02:01:18 UTC

Creating little book bundles for people to borrow that could include a mix of fiction, non-fiction, comics, audio/dvds - all around the same topic/genre or theme.

What's Trending in Bookshops

2025-06-30 05:01:34 UTC

Each month we check out book displays in our favourite bookshops. We make sure that these books are available within our library branches. We have ten frames where we photocopy the front cover of each book and slide them into each frame. If any of these titles appeal to our borrowers they can very easily use our library app to reserve a copy. The book may not be in our library but it is a fantastic way for our borrowers to know that one of our branches certainly does have a copy and it is so easy to reserve.

RA idea

laurabush8 — 2025-07-03 04:55:57 UTC

Junior Librarian for the month - have a space in the library promoting to children that you can be librarian for a month. The books they like are put on our online reading list.

2025-07-13 03:20:54 UTC

Not exactly Readers' Advisory, but 'A blind date with a book' for Book Lovers' Day. Wrap books in brown paper, or coloured paper (colour coded) relating to genres. Again, select book with great reviews.

Display Shelf with Staff and Patron picks

2025-07-21 12:49:19 UTC

Display monthly or 2 monthly staff and patrons picks on a shelf

2025-07-22 09:22:22 UTC

We have a Quick Picks display which has a variety of genres. We also have a bestsellers section.

Recycle NYTBS Book Jackets

2025-08-16 22:55:33 UTC

Recycle NYTBS Book Jackets - NOVELIST TRAINING INSPIRATION

Presently I have a magnetic board of miniature NYTBS book jackets for the current week. The board invites patrons to grab one of the brightly colored hearts, write the name of a book they have read and enjoyed and post it on the board.

I have a collection of past NYTBS list jackets that I was planning on using for a December Book Display. The BOOK JAR story has inspired me to create a small bookshelf for the older book jackets to serve as a READER'S ADVISORY DISPLAY for GOOD BOOKS!

The jackets are NYTBS from the last 12 months. These titles are more likely to be available for check out then this week's current jackets on the board. I will present it to my supervisor and see what she thinks.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE BOOK JAR STORY!

AH :)

2025-08-21 18:22:33 UTC

Book Bundles

Book Recommendation tree-patrons (and staff) write book suggestions on their leaves and hang them from the tree to provide ideas for other patrons; leaves are color coded by genre

2025-08-25 16:28:09 UTC

First Sentence quotes

2025-09-02 16:14:21 UTC

Along the lines of "Blind Date with a Book", write the first sentence of various books, non-fiction and fictions on the front of cards. Then write the title, author and shelfmark on the back.

Blind book dates. Wrap up books and have them select a random book that has a starred review.

2025-09-20 19:49:16 UTC

2025-09-24 01:10:14 UTC

Fun book displays are always an engaging and creative way to involve readers. One of the libraries in my service did a 'laundry day' display that only displayed books with shirtless men on the front.

RA Ideas

2025-10-11 05:28:06 UTC

We have done Blind Dates with Books (other people have suggested this too), as well as Book Tasting (younger readers) - you make a big event out of it, set the room up like a cafe, have "set menus" and then allow the participants to "taste" a book (i.e. read the first chapter) - then they review what they've read and you've given them a sense of what they might want to read in the future.

"Read this when you feel..."

2026-01-18 01:09:57 UTC

Anxious
Unstoppable
Stuck
Lonely
Nostalgic
Curious
Like smashing the patriarchy

A curated list of books to match the mood to you're in to read during different times. Matching books with emotions or feelings can help people to feel more connected to them :) A fun idea could be bookmarks with the emotion/feeling printed on the top and a list of books below, possibly with checkmarks so the patron could read through all of them and tick them off one by one. To start this off, you could have cards labeled with something like "I need a book for when I feel..." and a blank space underneath where patrons could fill in their own feelings/emotions, and staff could fill in a few slots with recommendations.

Another fun idea would be a wheel to spin with different genres or titles.

2026-05-23 15:40:21 UTC

We have a display of staff picks.

2026-05-29 00:03:26 UTC