Wednesday, September 10, 2008

HEY, read this.

I am currently reading How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read. This entire concept is an important one for librarians, who have to be able to speak authoritatively on any book brought up, whether in the collection or not. In this book, Pierre Bayard emphasizes the importance of knowing a books location, meaning its place in a larger context. For example, I may not have read Vampire Academy (yet) but I know that it is a YA book that made it onto many YALSA lists last year, less humorous than M.T. Anderson's Thirsty and sassier and more action packed than Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, but a good choice for fans of either of those.

So often, patrons mention a book and flat out ask me if I have read it. Sometimes, this can be deflected into a smile and "No, do you recommend it?", but sometimes it results in the person being shocked that I have not read it (or perhaps that I work in a library and have not read it, I should have been weeded out at some point in the interview process). Other times, I become close enough to a patron to speak openly and recognize some trends in what he or she takes out enough that I can recommend something (other than that, I only recommend or make suggestions when patrons specifically ask, I try not to be a Buttinski), then the patron inevitably asks if I have read it and I have to decide if I should lie and say I have, or should I admit I have not (and usually get my recommendation ignored then because if I haven't read it then it doesn't count).

I read School Library Journal and Publisher's Weekly whenever I can get my hands on a copy (less often that I would like, unfortunately), I browse Amazon at work when there is a slow moment to keep up with bestsellers and new releases, I am familiar with the plots and concepts of most of the major literary works that I never read, and some of the modern bestsellers. For example, I can't think of a situation where I would ever read either a Jodi Picoult or a Nicholas Sparks novel, but I know the plot (and plot twists) of most of them thanks to wikipedia and to reading last chapters. I am familiar enough with my library's (rather small) YA collection that I could pull anything off the shelf and booktalk it immediately (I am not even the YA Librarian!).

Honestly, I don't need to have read the book for you to trust me, patrons. There are other ways. Osmosis, even. At the moment, the two people who actually trust me are the Best Friend and Doctor Boyfriend. I can throw a book at them and say "read this, you'll like it" and they DO. See what you are missing, world?

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