RA Training Day Slides – The Catalogue as an RA Tool

The RA training day went well this past Monday. It was great to see a room of about 19 library staff members eager to learn about readers’ advisory! In addition, we had a handful of staff from libraries throughout Nova Scotia, from Yarmouth to Cape Breton, attending our session.
I think the training went well, and [...]

The Catalogue IS an RA tool: Annual RA Training Day

In November, our Readers’ Services Team will be holding our annual Ra training day. As usual, it is an introductory training for new staff, or for readers’ advisors in the library who either need a refresher or haven’t yet attended a formal RA training. New this year, we’ll also include a handful of [...]

Library Catalogues are no longer an inventory but a place, and a community

We made history in the RA world at APLA this year. For the first time outside of Ontario, an RA in a Day pre-conference session was held in Canada. I was able to speak at this conference in a presentation called Social Catalogues: Enriching Content that Enhances RA Services.
Social catalogues will play a vital [...]

The New Face of the Library Catalogue?

Casey Bisson, co-author of the blog MaisonBisson, posted a suggested design of what Amazon (and perhaps our own catalogues) should or could look like in his new post Book Search Results vs. Users.  The design concept has been around since 2006 – and it’s only coming to most of our attention now.  Interesting.  From a Readers’ Advisory perspective [...]

New Reader’s blog highlights the catalogue as an RA tool

I’m always looking for ways to further the relationship between the library catalogue and Readers’ Advisory services. I believe the catalogue is an important RA tool and cataloguers are key Readers’ Advisors.
This month, our library launched an RA blog called The Reader. It’s a public blog, created for patrons and staff. As a member of [...]

Cataloguing component in RA training course

Last week our library held a Readers’ Advisory training session for those staff members new to RA work, or new to the library and interested in RA work.
For the first time, a cataloguing component was introduced into this training. This is a big step for the catalogue in public libraries. With the shift toward social [...]

Cataloguers’ Picks Reading Lists

We’re trying a new project here at Halifax Public Libraries.  The cataloguers are creating booklists based on set criteria, set out and reviewed by myself or my supervisor, for placement on our catalogue’s main page.  The topics tend to be timely, reflect the collection as they experience it through cataloguing, and largely reflect the items being [...]

Aesthetically pleasing book labels

Here’s a new idea for book labelling.  I have to admit, I kind of like it.
I wonder, taken a step further, if they could include the subject and genre headings or a suggestion for a catalogue search that would bring up similar books.  That would really enhance access.  Or, if the label includes other book recommendations.  [...]

Readers’ Advisory Services: In the Backroom

As a member of our Readers’ Advisory Team at HPL, I’ve become interested in what the catalogue can do to assist and promote RA services while at the same time, maintaining the integrity of the catalogue.  While I don’t mind creating local headings if they provide long-term benefits to access, I don’t feel comfortable adding [...]

Narrative Nonfiction – A New Genre Heading?

With the growing popularity of Readers Advisory Services, it is to be expected that skills and expertise will grow to incorporate nonfiction as well. We are starting to see this trend in Canada.
Not only are patrons happy to seek the assistance of a Reader’s Advisor (RA) when attempting to find that “perfect” summer novel, but [...]