Secret Shopper

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For this assignment, I went to another branch of the library system I work at. I hadn't been there since I was a child, so I was able to be anonymous! It was Friday lat morning and super slow, so there was no issue getting service. I went to the reference desk and asked for a recommendation, mentioning that I'd read a few books recently I didn't really care for and wanted something new.

The librarian asked the basics about what genre I liked to read and I answered fantasy but generally not the long epic series types. She didn't really ask any further questions about appeal or even about the books I mentioned I hadn't liked at the beginning of the conversation. She also mentioned not being very familiar with the fantasy genre.

So she recommended a book she had read and enjoyed, The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle. I've seen the film but not read the book. This was a fine recommendation and probably one I'll even enjoy, but I don't think it was quite what I was looking for. She also gave me a copy of the Book Page magazine which features new release books across many genres with little reviews or blurbs. 

The whole experience was fine but I wouldn't say it was good necessarily. She was friendly and certainly trying to be helpful, but I think the use of some readers' advisory tools and more questions would have helped the interaction. 

I also sent the same question to a virtual librarian chat at another library just to see what happened. This was fully a useless interaction, because all the librarian did was send me a link of the 2022 staff picks web page. It wasn't even fantasy focused, just all staff recommendations. I don't know if this was due to the specific librarian or just the follies of online chat in general, but it was pretty much a waste of time.

I do have to note that this assignment made me feel awkward and weird in a somewhat inexplicable way! I would enjoy being on the librarian end of the conversation, but being the patron felt odd. I would have to imagine a many other patrons probably feel the same way about approaching readers' advisory! So I guess I just have to wonder what we can do as a profession to make patrons not feel weird about asking for recommendations across a wide array of genres, and not just the top trending titles.

Or maybe it's just a me problem!

Comments

  1. RamahFebruary 3, 2023 at 6:14 PM

    Hi! It seemed like we had similar readers' advisory experiences! I like that she was honest about not being familiar with the fantasy genre. Most patrons always assume librarians know ALL the books and read every single genre! Was the library busy at all? Because that could have impacted whether she could have continued to ask more questions? This was the case with me at least. I think most patrons are in a rush most of the time and expect the reader's advisory process to be super quick but it can be a challenge to find the perfect book for someone.

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    Replies
    1. Megan RichardsFebruary 3, 2023 at 6:37 PM

      I'm sorry you didn't have a great experience as far as receiving recs goes. I'm glad you pointed out that you felt awkward on the patron side of things. I didn't mention this in my assignment, but it was awkward for me at first too, glad to know I was not alone!

      Delete
    2. Laurie FancherFebruary 4, 2023 at 9:10 AM

      Ramah, the library was actually really dead slow when I went! So I expected the interaction to be a little longer because of that, but oh well. She might have been working on another project or task and was alone at the reference desk.
      Megan, I'm glad I wasn't alone too in feeling awkward! I know it's not a logical feeling of course, but it still felt weird.

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    3. TashaFebruary 4, 2023 at 5:53 PM

      Hi Laurie , I felt awkward too. For me I think it was two fold. First this goes against my natural inclination. I much prefer searching for what I want on my own. I would never go up to a reference and asked for help, Secondly, I was uncomfortable with the inherent dishonesty in this assignment. I didn't like having to hide my real intent. I'm a terrible liar! lol

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    4. Erin CataldiFebruary 7, 2023 at 10:09 AM

      Tasha - I'm so sorry - I've never thought of this assignment as dishonest - I just want people to put themselves in patron's shoes and feel what it is like to be on the other side. I think that makes better RA ambassadors of all of us and allows us to anticipate how patrons are feeling when we are the ones helping them. Sorry you felt uncomfortable!

      Delete
  2. Sydney WebbFebruary 5, 2023 at 4:28 PM

    Hi Laurie -
    It sounds like you had a very similar experience to mine! I had asked for historical fiction recommendations with my librarian but they mentioned that they weren’t entirely familiar with historical fiction, which made a difference in my experience. I’d also have to agree with you that it felt awkward and maybe a little unnatural to ask for recommendations in that capacity because I feel like I need to know all the answers (or at least like I should). I enjoyed getting to have the "patron experience" though, as I haven't had that for a while with working at my local library.

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  3. Katie Reads BooksFebruary 5, 2023 at 7:10 PM

    Laurie,

    I feel like we may be feeling an extra layer of awkwardness that patrons might not have. We are low-key testing another librarian's abilities as a learning experience and I've always felt a little awkward doing that. A patron might feel the experience is meh (and we don't want that!) but I find it cringy to have a bad readers advisory experience because it makes me worry about my job performance. I don't know if anyone else feels that way, though.

    And the virtual library one is weird. It makes me wonder if that was just a chat bot responding...?

    The appeal aspect is one that I'm glad we've been focusing on. Someone liking "fantasy" as a genre can mean a lot of different things. Sarah J. Maas, Michael J. Sullivan, J.R.R. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, and Naomi Novik are all fantasy writers, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend Sarah J. Maas to someone that wants a book like Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind (some people like both, but you get the idea).

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    Replies
    1. Erin CataldiFebruary 7, 2023 at 10:06 AM

      I am so sorry you feel this way! I promise this assignment isn't meant to trip up other librarians or judge their performance! Being on the other side of the reference desk is so important - by putting ourselves in the patron's shoes we can offer much better RA experiences for them. Feeling what our patron's feel gives us insight on how to act and ultimately what to ask.

      Delete

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