Secret Shopper Summary

Overview

I visited my future local public library for this assignment. We recently bought a home in the area and I was excited to test out the library. I have been there before when I had an Evergreen Library Card because the library had the best selection near me. This library is a large 2 floor library with large sections of underappreciated genres. They have the largest graphic novel selection I have found in the many public libraries I have visited. They also have an expansive fiction selection with plenty of historical fiction novels for me to choose from. I chose to do the interview about a new historical fiction novel. It’s a broad enough topic that I felt I could be asked many detailed questions to really find a great book for me. Historical fiction is my favorite genre and I looked forward to find a new book to read.

Atmosphere

I love the atmosphere of the library and it makes me even more excited to use once we move. It is very modern and spacious, but has plenty of computers for public use. There were no signs regarding reader’s advisory. I did not wander into the teen or children area to check for signs in there. There are already so many signs around the library, I couldn’t imaging adding one more! I also don’t believe everyone would know what reader’s advisory means. When I worked in a public library, I had plenty of patrons come up and ask for recommendations, but I now wonder how many more questions I would have received with a sign up.

The reference desk was easy to find. There was one staff member at the desk but the desk looked like it could hold two people. Since I went at 7 p.m., I expected only one person. The staff member who helped me, Helen, was very approachable and friendly. She was dressed professionally but welcoming. There were also book recommendation lists on the reference desk relating to fiction and nonfiction.

Interview

The interview process was not as long as I was expecting it to last. There was only a small interview before I received my recommendations. Going into the interview, I decided to provide only the information she asked for so I could see how her recommendations matched up with my tastes.

I initially asked for a recommendation for a historical fiction novel. I did not want to ask for anything to specific to slow the natural interview process down. She asked me if I liked historical fiction novels and I told her yes, it is my favorite genre. Helen immediately asked if I had read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I had read it, but her recommendation made me think she had also read it and she was giving me a personal recommendation rather than from a webpage.

Helen then asked me what historical fiction novels I have recently read. I told her All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. I chose these three books for the variety, but I also wanted to see if she picked up on the era of books I enjoy. She told me she was recommended All the Light We Cannot See but she hadn’t had the chance to read it yet.

After telling her these books, she started her search for a new book for me. While she was searching, I asked her what she was using to find a new book. She told me she used Fantastic Fiction. The three books she gave to me were The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure, The Last Telegram by Liz Trenow, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and The Patriots by Sana Krasikov.

Practice

I feel there were many positives and negatives with the reader’s advisory interview. One thing I noticed was she didn’t ask me what era of historical fiction I was looking for. When I am searching for new books in historical fiction, I begin to narrow it down by era. There are so many books considered “historical fiction” and it makes it hard to find a good book to recommend. I did give her three books all set in World War II, in hopes she would search for other books during that time.

She did give me three books all set during or around the era I was looking for, which was surprising. I’ve read The Kite Runner but I did not even know about the other three. I love hearing about new novels so I was ecstatic to hear brand new novels for me to read.

Helen only used Fantastic Fiction to find the books she recommended me. While more than one would be ideal, most of the time I have only had librarians use one resource to start with. If the patron asks for more recommendations or different recommendations, then I would expect the librarian to use different resources.

Overall I believe the interview was a success. I now have three new books to add to my “to read” shelf on Good Reads. Helen was also very friendly and open to listening to me. All three books I have not read sound right up my alley and I am excited to read them. I think the only thing that would have made it better was the interview itself. I feel the interview went about as well as I expected. I never expect a librarian to go into a lengthy interview process initially. Many people are just looking for a new book or author and a long interview process isn’t necessary. I would definitely go back and get more recommendations from Helen. It was a good experience and I will probably be back for patronage soon.

Feelings

I felt wonderful after the interview. I was mainly excited to have a great library staff at my new library. The library is doing well in regards to money, so I wasn’t shocked to see such a great atmosphere and staff member in Helen. Helen being so friendly and welcoming made the experience splendid.

Helen didn’t seem like I was bothering her or wasting her time. She seemed to enjoy being able to recommend and talk about books, even if they are books she had not read or heard of. She didn’t make me feel judged which is not always the case when I am talking with librarians in my experience. Helen also listened very well and responded with more questions and not just yes/no answers. Helen most likely had reader’s advisory training based on her questions she had asked. She didn’t go into much detail, but I still felt like she had taken a course or session in it. An MLS has been requirements of librarians for a while, and this library requires all librarians to hold a degree which leads me to believe she has had Reader’s Advisory training.