Shine a Light on: Your Next Great Read

Shine a Light On: Your Next Great Read (YNGR)

Terzah Becker

During the sad spring of last year, after our physical libraries abruptly closed and staff started working from home, patrons needed good reads more than ever. But they couldn’t come in to browse or get in-person suggestions from our friendly librarians. The solution? Former Patron Services ace Johanna Dadisman and I, both on the virtual Social Media team, put our heads together…and Your Next Great Read—identical to a program BPL’s early Social Media team used pre-2010 to boost our following—was reborn in early June 2020.

Now, more than a year later, it’s still going strong. In 2020, we helped 253 patrons find books via the program, and through August 31, 2021, we are on track to pass that handily, with 203 patrons helped.

How does it work? Every Thursday from 1-3 p.m. you’ll find as many book-loving staff as have time hovering over the “Recommended Read” channel in Teams, waiting to hear which books patrons are telling us they loved. Rachel Garfield-Levine looks out for patrons commenting on our Instagram, and I watch Facebook. We post all requests to the Teams channel—and staff riff off of each other’s suggestions, often trading funny comments and revelations about what we ourselves have loved (and hated) reading as we build a list we think that particular person might like. Once we have that list, we post it as a reply to their comment. One of several images used on social media channels for the YNGR program.

Here is a real exchange from our August 5, 2021, Facebook post:

Patron: Circe, The Hummingbird’s Daughter, and Queen of America. (Thank you!)

BPL: You are so welcome! Try one or more of these and then let us know what you think: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia; Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks; Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi; A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes; Ariadne by Jennifer Saint; The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker; and the translation of The Odyssey by Emily Wilson.

Patron: What a brilliant list! I just read Year of Wonders and adored it. And now I can’t wait to try the others. Thank you so much!

That kind of praise (humble-brag) is normal for us. And it’s not only patrons who get a lift from the Recommended Read. Staff from all departments across the library look forward to Thursdays, when we have a space for one of the basics that led many of us to work at the library in the first place: our love of reading.

Alice E.: I love it when I can go "Oooh! Ooh! I know one!"

Brett K.: We have such a well-rounded and wellread group of staff participants, and I love it when people we don’t get to hear from very often chime in when they have the perfect book for someone. What a great way to connect with patrons, sharpen our readers’ advisory skills, and have fun at the same time!

Gina S.: It's been wonderful to get to know our colleagues in such a fun environment, to see their amazing talents and watch them riff off each other's comments—RR behind the scenes has a life of its own! It is so good to laugh aloud.

Jennifer L.: This channel/program is so fun. I got to know people more deeply through participating in this program. I've learned a lot more about RA. And even read several books because of the great recommends. I use this channel to search results for YNGR forms or even helping patrons live. The community building aka humor in here is aaaamazing, and has been super supportive in this isolating year.

Julian I.: This Teams channel is so unique, and connects so many of us from all departments and library locations—and that's what I love about it most. We are awesome and unstoppable together when it comes to books and information! It's a team made up of truly passionate people, and the jokes are a bright spot in my day and often make me giggle. It is also a great break in the day when I'm overwhelmed or bored with online work. It reinvigorates my brain!

Lara H.: This part of our offerings has really kept me going throughout this past year. I wanted to work at a public library because I love books, and I love people, and I have a particular, irrepressible enthusiasm for matching the two. A couple of patrons mentioned to me that they'd been extremely isolated over the pandemic and that this service gave them opportunities to feel genuinely connected to other people. I also think we all bring such diverse perspectives to each request!

Tim M.: I was skeptical of the number of staff resources dedicated to this weekly program. But then I joined the group more actively and found out how beneficial it is for staff in building community, connections, and just a fun outlet for bookish conversation. These are all things that the pandemic suddenly ripped from our work lives last spring and RR really filled this void in a unique and unexpected way. The fact that staff want to multi-task for these two hours speaks to the value they place on this service. And feedback from the public has been glowing! Another reminder for me that the best things in life can be hard to quantify!