Secret Shopper Experience
Below is generalized
scripting of my readers’ advisory interaction with this librarian; it is not
exactly word for word, but as close as I could remember when writing it down
after the interaction had concluded.
Librarian: (turning towards me, making eye contact, smiling) Good Morning,
is there something that I can help you with?
Me: Yes, I need a good book to read. Do you have any
suggestions or can you help me?
Librarian: I sure can, have you read any books recently that you have
enjoyed? Alternatively, is there a specific genre that you are interested in?
Me: I tend to be all over the place with my reading, I just
finished All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven and Meddling
Kids by Edgar Cantero. I thought both were good.
Librarian: I am actually familiar with both of those, and they are quite
different. Did you enjoy the realistic nature of All the Bright Places or
did you prefer the mystery/horror elements of Meddling Kids?
Me: I enjoyed both, but I am really looking for something that
is different from what I have already read. Something that I will not be able
to put down (at this point, I could see that she had brought up Novelist on her
computer, but changed tactics when I said that I wanted something different
than what I had read recently).
Librarian: Well, if you want something different from what you have
already read, have you considered romance or fantasy books? Perhaps a
combination of the two?
Me: I would definitely be willing to consider it; do you have
anything in mind?
Librarian: I personally just finished Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson
series. It features werewolves with an urban fantasy feel and is very
fast-paced. There is also some romance thrown in there too. There are ten books
in the series and would definitely keep you busy for a little bit.
Me: Sounds interesting, I would definitely like to try them.
Librarian: Great, follow me and I will show you where they are
shelved, I know that they first book is in because it just was returned this
morning!
Librarian: (After leading me to the books, she grabbed the first one
and handed it to me) Just let me know if this does not catch your interest and
we will find something else for you (walks away to let me read the synopsis).
With this assignment, I
had essentially prepared myself to experience the worst, but hoped for the
best. I am thankful, however, that my experience with requesting a good book
went just as well as it could have. I felt immediately welcomed by the
librarian I was dealing with, and she did not appear phased by the dreaded
question of asking for a ‘good’ book. The librarian was thorough in questioning
me as to what I had previously read and what genres of books that I enjoyed.
Even though I purposefully evaded her attempt to narrow down my interest to see
what her reaction would be, she remained calm and ditched her initial plan of
using novelist to find books similar to what I had recently read. Instead, she
attached to what I had said about being willing to read just about anything,
and attempted to find a genre that I had yet to explore. I felt that she
understood my needs as a reader, and she made me feel comfortable; essentially,
she made me feel like our RA interview was just a casual conversation between
friends. In all honesty, there was nothing additional that this librarian could
have done to make my experience better, because I walked away more than
satisfied with a new series to read.
Your Readers’ Advisory reads like it went wonderfully! The librarian made sure that you felt welcomed and encouraged. She asked what book you had just read and what genre you were interested in. It is also nice to note that she asked you if you liked specific appeals about the novels and then suggested something different from that but still fitting within your wants. I’m glad you had a good experience!
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea,
ReplyDeleteThe librarian that helped you is the librarian I hope to be someday! One who knows how to use software to assist in Readers' Advisory, but also has a wealth of information in her head, too! Currently, I'm better at the former, but as I keep reading (and trying new genres), I hope to be the latter! Glad your experience went so well. Mine went better than I expected, too.
I like the way you wrote the conversation out. It is nice to see that the librarian took you to get the book then gave you time to look at it. It's nice to have someone show you directly to the book. If you know where you going it's fine if they don't; but taking you to the book they recommend is a nice step in making sure the reader can find the book that is recommended, and that the book is still there.
ReplyDeleteI love that you included a script for how your interaction went. Great job on your summary and I'm glad that you had such a great experience!
ReplyDelete