Reader's advisory

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Readers advisory (or readers' advisory) is a fundamental public library service that sometimes occurs in other contexts, e.g. in bookstores. It involves suggesting fiction and nonfiction titles (often called "readalikes") to a reader through direct or indirect means. Direct readers advisory is based on an assessment of the reader's preferences via an interview during which the readers advisor identifies the personal preferences of a particular patron/reader. The focus of this assessment is on genre and appeal elements (i.e. the level of characterization, plot elements, pace, tone, writing style, frame, and setting). Via this assessment, a readers advisor then uses personal knowledge in addition to specialized print and online resources to come up with appropriate readalike suggestions.

For example, if a patron asks for a good book, the readers advisor might ask the reader to describe a book she's enjoyed reading before. The focus of the conversation is not on recitation of plot, but on the aforementioned appeal elements. In our example, the patron tells the readers advisory of a humorous mystery novel with a sharp-tongued female protagonist. Our readers advisory also learns that the patron/reader prefers fast-paced dialogue to excessive descriptive passages. Once the appeals of the book are identified, the readers advisor will suggest appropriate titles in the collection. These are usually titles in the same genre although this is not always the case.

Indirect readers advisory involves the creation of displays, bookmarks, and annotated book lists that a reader/patron can pick up and peruse on their own without actively engaging a readers advisor. These indirect readers advisory aids, particularly annotated book lists, focus on appeal elements, not plot summary.

There are numerous books, online subscription databases, and websites dedicated to readers advisory. Popular print resources include the What Do I Read Next? series of reference books (from Thomson Gale), the Genreflecting series (from Libraries Unlimited), and the Reader's Advisory Guides (from ALA Editions). Popular subscription databases include NoveList Plus (from EBSCO) and FictionConnection (from Bowkers). There are also many free resources available on the internet that can be use to help facilitate a readers advisory transaction.

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