The One Where I Read ALL the Books (not really)

Many people think librarians have ALL the time and read ALL the books... ever.  You may have had a similar conversation yourself, perhaps even recently.  Here's an example of a conversation I have quite often:

Patron: Do you have the Game of Thrones series?

Me: Certainly!  Let me check if it's in. [searches OPAC] Yes, the first book is available. You'll find it in fiction under the author "Martin." 

Patron: Have you read it?  Is it any good?

Me: Not yet, but I have heard fantastic things!  It's mostly great if you are looking to spend some time in an epic fantasy world.  All of the characters are very well developed.

Patron: Why haven't you read it? You should read it!

Me: Oh, I certainly hope to get to it, but there's just so much out there!


This sometimes proceeds for a bit where they try to convince me that I need to stop whatever I'm doing and read this book.

The Truth Behind Librarians and their Books 

Contrary to popular belief, librarians do not "sit around and read all day," but we are quite knowledgeable about our collection.

It is quite understandable to get excited about a book.  I do it all the time!  But many people seem to think librarians can or should read all the books.  Especially with a concentration in YA services, I find myself reading teen and YA books most of the time, not only to keep up with trends, but because I truly enjoy them.

This leaves a small gap when I am doing Reader's Advisory for the Adult or Children's collection, but there is a method to "fake" your way through a conversation without actually reading the book.  That may be why so many people get the impression we have read everything, but the truth is, we are simply very organized!

My Methods (add together, shake well, serve):

1. Read reviews.  This primarily comes into play for the YA collection.  In order to decide what books to purchase, I need to read reviews and summaries from places such as Kirkus, Amazon, and Goodreads to determine if the book will be a good "fit" at the library.  This gives me a great idea about the books for later when a patron asks about them.
2. Look at books as they come in/are cataloged.  One of my favorite things to do at the library is open boxes from Amazon.  It's like Christmas without knowing which present you're supposed to get and you learn what books the other librarians have ordered.  This way, I keep a fresh perspective of what our patrons want and what we are getting.
3. Talk to colleagues about books in the collection.  Three main people do the selecting and ordering for the three main collections in our library (adult, children's, and young adult).  The best way to get an idea of the audience and books for this collection is to talk to those who deal with them everyday.
4. Shelve books and shelf read.  Now, the more responsibilities you have as a librarian, the less time you have to do these things.  Often, shelving and shelf reading is left to volunteers, but whenever I need a break from what I'm doing, I shelve just a few books and take a peek at what's on the shelf.  This also helps when directing people to certain areas when you are more familiar with the layout when you need to direct people or lead people to books ("Yes, Nora Roberts in in the last row on the right.  Look at the second shelf down and you're there!").

End Result

In the end, a little bit of knowledge can go a long way.  I have recommended books (successfully) to dozens of patrons when I had never actually read any of the books I pulled for them.  I may not even be interested in the genre they like, but I will find them a book that they love.

Just these few ought to do it...