Week 5 Prompt

Ebook only books, which are increasingly popular (especially in the romance genre) see little to no reviews in professional publications unless they have a big name author. How does this affect collection development?

I would say this has a negative impact on collection development. My reasoning for this is as follows, without professional reviews there are few credible sources to tell librarians why they should add an eBook only item to their collection. However, if several reviews are positive, there can be in power recognizing something  as popular and making a decision based on that.

How do these reviews of  Angela’s Ashes make you feel about the possibility of adding it to your collection?

Because these reviews of the book are overwhelmingly positive, I would add this book to my collection. Another reason I would include this book in my collection is that the reviews do an excellent job of summarizing the book in a way that would make me curious to read it.

Do you think it's fair that one type of book is reviewed to death and other types of books get little to no coverage?  No, I do not think this is fair. However, I do think that this is somewhat inevitable, because some genres are going to be more popular than others, especially when you consider the unique demographics of a particular library.

How does this affect a library's collection?  

I think this affects a library’s collection in a few ways. For example, popularly reviewed genres such as romance or thrillers may take up a large portion of a collection because it is so easy to find feedback on this genre of books. Additionally, if a certain type of book gets little to no coverage, it would be difficult to find reasons to add it to collections, due to little to no feedback. Finally, it goes back to credibility, if we do not know much about a genre or a format how do we know whether or not it is worth adding to a collection?

How do you feel about review sources that won't print negative content? I think that as long as publication is upfront about the fact that they only publish positive content, it is appropriate. However, I think collection decision makers should take into account both positive and negative reviews so they can combat biases.

How do you feel about reviews for personal reading, and what are some of your favorite review sources?

I’ll admit that I don’t often read reviews for personal reading. I typically will only read reviews if I need help making up my mind on whether or not I want to read something. I pay more attention to people’s star ratings, it’s quick feedback on a title. I like to read my friend’s reviews of books they’ve read on Goodreads, and sometimes I’ll read strangers if they catch my eye. I’ve read a few on Amazon, and after completing this week’s course work, I think I’ll start checking out reviews on Kirkus, Booklist, and Library Journal.


Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 12, 2023 at 10:54 AM

    Hi Megan! I think you make a great point about the popularity of genres dictating the coverage a book may get, and subsequently, how it impacts collection development. Personally, at the library I work at, a large portion of our collection is mysteries and thrillers because they have positive reviews and because our patrons enjoy them. It does form a bit of a cycle, leaving other books and genres out - patrons read mysteries and thrillers, they sell more, more mysteries and thrillers are published a reviewed, more patrons read mysteries and thrillers, and so on. Is there a certain genre that seems to be more popular where you are?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Megan RichardsFebruary 12, 2023 at 4:01 PM

      The reference librarian at my local library said that Christian fiction is very popular. It makes sense that thrillers and mysteries would be amongst popular genres.

      Delete

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