You've probably heard more than once the saying "those who can, do; those who can't, teach"… Is it true for readers' advisors? Maybe some of the time. But what I've found with readers' advisory is that there is a way to turn the saying around. Those who teach, can do. Can do better RA, that is. Each teaching opportunity I've had has increased my own RA ability—exponentially.
I've been performing RA functions for years — since long before I became a librarian, in fact. I worked in a mystery bookstore where I was constantly called upon to help customers find something new to read. Once I had earned my degree and started being officially asked for 'readers' advisory' service, that practice proved helpful. And if I do say so myself, I was pretty good at it—especially when it came to crime fiction, of course.
But what helped even more to strengthen my abilities was to actually teach someone what I knew. For three semesters now I've taught an online course called Reading Interests of Adults for the graduate program at the local university. And boy, have I learned a lot. Having to find timely articles and reference resources, up-to-date themes, and re-familiarizing myself with each of the genres, subgenres, and sub-subgenres moved me out of my comfort zone and helped me update my readers' advisory toolbox.
Who amongst us hasn't seen an article or book about RA and thought, "hmmm, I've got to read that, but not right now. I'll set it aside and read it later". Two years later you're cleaning out your desk and there you find that article and many others like it. Of course, you had every intention of reading it — not just because you thought you should, but because you really wanted to; but time is limited and there's always something more urgent nudging its way to the top of your 'needs doing' list.
And that's where instruction comes in. Nothing makes reading those articles more necessary then having to face a group of eager (and often knowledgeable) students who all have questions and thoughts about why and how readers' advisors do what they do. How do you come up with readalikes? Why do we try to suggest rather then recommend? Or more commonly now, what's wrong with recommending a book? What are all the variations in the horror genre? What do I do when faced with the dreaded "I need a good book" conundrum. By prepping for the discussions I was going to have with my students and in hopes of imparting some of what I do when it comes to readers' advisory to them, I gave myself permission to pause and read those articles, and to study up on the genres. Finally it was important enough to warrant the time. Research for the sake of teaching made it a very practical task.
Perhaps some of you are thinking you're never going to teach a full course on RA for anyone. For me, it certainly helped that I was being paid to do the work and thus could justify using my free time to do the research and reading. But even if I didn't teach that course, I'd try to look for other opportunities within the framework of the job I already do. I might offer to run an RA session at our monthly staff reference meeting. Or I could suggest a continuing education opportunity at the system level. Or volunteer to participate on a panel at our state meeting. Even mentoring a new colleague or co-worker might provide impetus to learn more. In short, the possibilities are always there; and I've found that each of them offers me a reinforcing jolt of RA awareness. (Think of it as a Red BullTM for the RA part of your brain).
Now, if you feel uncomfortable with teaching, start small. Come up with a teaching opportunity for the people you already work with. If you subscribe to a database like The Readers Advisor Online, offer to do an in-depth study of the database and train other staff on the tips and tricks you've learned. Perhaps you keep up on book blogs and websites that other staff may not be aware of; if so, suggest providing a short session for your colleagues. Or maybe you avidly read romance or historical fiction—think of this as an opportunity to share your reading passions. If you're not comfortable speaking in front of people, come up with something you could provide in another format. A web-based tutorial that takes your audience through some of the most helpful RA sites, or perhaps even a podcast. Any of these ways of teaching can do the trick — that is, to increase your own RA base of knowledge. Pushing yourself just a little beyond your own limits allows you to stretch those RA muscles; and after the first time, each new opportunity will become a little easier.
JANE JORGENSON is the Home Services Coordinator at Madison Public Library and an instructor for the distance education program at the University of Wisconsin-SLIS. She also acts as an editor for Madison's book reviews blog, MADreads (http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads).