Making Magic Happen

Building and Launching a Reader’s Advisory Kiosk

Authors

  • Kara Reuter Worthington Libraries

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5860/ital.v43i2.17133

Keywords:

Sierra, NoveList, Polaris, Reader's Advisory

Abstract

For many patrons, libraries are synonymous with books and reading. However, people don’t always take advantage of reader’s advisory services offered by libraries. Rather than approaching librarians for suggestions of what to read, most people instead turn to their personal networks or express a preference for more passive approaches to recommendations. As a halfway point between in-person reader’s advisory interactions and algorithmic recommendations, Worthington Libraries staff leveraged the NoveList and Polaris APIs to create custom book recommendation kiosks. Recommendation Stations, as we call them, allow people to scan a book barcode, browse read-alikes, check local availability and print shelf locations, all in the guise of an interactive fortune teller.

Author Biography

Kara Reuter, Worthington Libraries

Digital Library Manager

References

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Erica Turner and Lee Rainie, “Most Americans rely on their own research to make big decisions, and that often means online searches,” Pew Research Center, March 5, 2020, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-read/2020/03/05/most-americans-rely-on-their-own-research-to-make-big-decisions-and-that-often-means-online-searches/.

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Kara Reuter and Lisa Fuller, Envisioning What’s Next: Worthington Libraries and People’s Lives after the Pandemic, October 2023, https://www.worthingtonlibraries.org/sites/default/files/attachments/envisioning-whats-next.pdf.

Kara Reuter, Standing out from the Crowd: Worthington Libraries in the Community and in People’s Lives, April 2020, https://www.worthingtonlibraries.org/sites/default/files/attachments/standing-out-report.pdf.

Rachel Noorda and Kathi Inman Berens, “Immersive Media and Books 2020: New Insights About Book Pirates, Libraries and Discovery, Millennials, and Cross-Media Engagement: Before and During COVID.” Publishing Research Quarterly, 37 (June 2021): 227-240, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-021-09810-z.

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Downloads

Published

2024-06-17

How to Cite

Reuter, K. (2024). Making Magic Happen: Building and Launching a Reader’s Advisory Kiosk. Information Technology and Libraries, 43(2). https://doi.org/10.5860/ital.v43i2.17133

Issue

Section

Public Libraries Leading the Way