HANCOCK COUNTY — The stereotypical view of a librarian may be an older woman with glasses perched on her nose, with an index finger raised to her lips, telling young children to shush.
But in reality, librarians are men and women of all ages, whose main motivation is sharing their love of reading. They also love sharing their thoughts on the latest and greatest titles to hit the shelves.
Staff at the Hancock County Public Library recently introduced a program called Your Next Great Read, in which they provide patrons with reading suggestions based on readers’ preferences.
Within five business days, a librarian will select three to five books based on the patron’s input and bundle them together for pickup at either the man branch in Greenfield or the Sugar Creek Branch in New Palestine.
Books can also be sent via contactless home delivery through the library’s new homebound service, designed for patrons who are physically unable to visit a library branch.
Staff reference librarian Paul McNeil came up with Your Next Great Read and developed the online form used to gauge patrons’ interests.
“Most people on our staff, even the non-librarians, tend to be voracious readers and love to share what they’re reading. We just want to connect readers with awesome books,” he said.
The Next Great Read service is based on what librarians call “readers advisory,” which can include recommending titles and authors through book displays, reading lists or in-person conversations.
Providing readers advisories is an essential part of being a librarian, said McNeil, only now there’s an official online form to help navigate requests.
The online format gives librarians more time to dive deep into a patron’s reading interests and come up with some great suggestions, rather than quickly giving ideas off the tops of their heads.
With so much content available now, it can be hard for librarians to be aware of everything that’s available without doing some research, McNeil said.
“Moving readers advisory online helps librarians take the time to examine all avenues of possibility in our collection,” he said.
McNeil’s manager, Cody Flood, was happy to help him launch the program.
“I think it’s great to give patrons the chance to have us select their next book when they don’t know what they want to read next. We’re the experts in that area ,” said Flood, the library’s access services manager.
Librarians can choose to answer those requests that match up with their personal interests or areas of expertise.
“We all have our own niches, our own personal preferences, so as people fill out requests our librarians can look for the ones they feel best suited to answer,” Flood said.
The librarians specializing in youth resources are available to make suggestions for children and teens.
Patrons are encouraged to add as much detail to their request forms as possible, and can provide feedback on materials that are suggested for them.
“They can provide us with more detail about what they did or didn’t like, and we can start to get a better idea for what they’re going to like,” Flood said.
The goal is to create long-term relationships with patrons, and connect them with books and resources they may not otherwise discover.
While he’s not aware of any similar programs taking place in libraries throughout the state, Flood is sure they exist somewhere.
The library’s online form takes making suggestions for patrons to the next level, compared to a brief conversation at the resource desk, he said.
The online format is especially helpful in the midst of a pandemic, when fewer patrons are coming into the library and more are reserving books online.
The library first premiered Your Next Great Read in mid-May, when it launched curbside pickup service after both branches were shut down for two months due to COVID-19.
“We’ve had over 60 requests so far across all age groups,” Flood said.
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To submit a request for the Next Great Read program, use this online link: qoo.ly/36phwq.
Parents seeking suggestions for their kids should use the link bit.ly/2YeWdEm.
For more information or to access the links, visit hcplibrary.org and look for Your Next Great Read.
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