I believe there is inherent good in the act of reading; that reading makes life better for absolutely everyone; and that my mission in life is to get people to read, and to love doing so.

                                                                                  —Melissa Elliott, “The Book Adept”

READERS’ ADVISORY IN-PERSON TRAINING

It takes two people to make a good book: the writer and the reader. A librarian’s job as a readers’ advisor (the bridge between reader and book) is not to sell someone on a particular book; it is to find out whether the person asking for something to read would be beguiled by that book, that writer. The key ingredient to good readers’ advisory is a knowledge of readers. Once you know how and why people read, the next task is to arm yourself with knowledge of a wide array of books from all types and genres. Finally, you must learn the power and potential of the readers’ advisory interview to bring the two together.

Subjects covered:

• readers and their motivations
• the readers’ advisory interview
• appeals and doorways
• resources and genres
• the extension of readers’ advisory beyond the one-to-one interaction

Target audience:

• Librarians
• Booksellers
• Anyone who works directly with the public in a library or bookstore

Even if your support staff isn’t directly tasked with readers’ advisory duties, there are a variety of opportunities for engagement during informal encounters if the training is there.

Choose from:

• 90-minute seminar
• Three-hour training
• Day-long training (with lunch break)

Prices begin at $400, plus travel expenses from Los Angeles. To schedule a training for your library staff, please use the Contact page. For a look at the Book Adept’s credentials, please see the C V page.

Click here for ONLINE READERS’ ADVISORY TRAINING course details.

PLEASE NOTE: Other online trainings are in the development process. Check back here for news of their availability.

Click for free readers’ advisory resources you can download.

“BE A BOOK-TALKER” TRAINING

Libraries are (in addition to everything else they offer) a giant box full of books. A large percentage of the library budget may be spent on collection development; and then librarians wait, certain in their own choices of the best books, for people to come and check them out. But with so many other demands on their time and with other leisure activities on offer, an overwhelmingly large portion of the community doesn’t take advantage of that reading stash. Sometimes, the only way to attract readers is to go out and get them.

Book-talking is an excellent tool to bring the community’s attention to your wonderful collection, increasing your circulation statistics. It’s a good way to raise your library’s profile in the community, reminding your patrons that they want library services to continue and grow. Book-talking is also a positive means of outreach by librarians to school children, young adults, book clubs, service organizations, senior centers, and more. Outreach and library advocacy are increasingly important as libraries strive to maximize the user experience; what could be more engaging than a friendly librarian touring the community with an armload of good books to suggest?

Subjects covered:

• The three requirements to be a book-talker
• choosing books
• building and writing book-talks
• mechanics and procedures
• planning a book-talking program for your library

Included in the four-hour and day-long trainings: actual experience of book-talking.

Target audience:

• Children’s librarians and teen librarians for outreach into the classroom
• Adult librarians for outreach into the community
• Other library staff who are interested and enabled to do outreach

Choose from:

• 90-minute seminar
• Four-hour training
• Day-long training (with lunch break)

Prices begin at $400, plus travel expenses from Los Angeles. To schedule a training for your library staff, please use the Contact page. For a look at the Book Adept’s credentials, please see the C V page.