GREGORY UNIVERSITY, UTURU

ASSIGNMENT ON:
READER SERVICE AND QUALITIES OF A READER SERVICE LIBERIAN

BY

NAME:
ENYIOGU ABRAHAM CHIMEZIE

MATRIC NO: 21041100015

DEPARTMENT:
MEDICAL LABORATORY SECIENCES

FACULTY:
HEALTH SCIENCE

LIBRARY NO: 180

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR

GST 105: (USE OF LIBRARY)

SUPERVISOR:
DR. IKPO OKOROAFOR

DATE: 2ND FEBRUARY, 2022

 TABLE OF CONTENT

COVER PAGE: i

TABLE OF CONTENT. ii

CHAPTER ONE:

INTRODUCTION 1

THE READER SERVICE. 1

SERVICES FOR DIRECT READER (ADVISORY) 2-3

QUALITIES OF A READER SERVICE. 3-4

REFERENCE. 5
INTRODUCTION:

THE READER SERVICE

Readers' advisory (sometimes spelled readers advisory or reader's advisory) is a

service which involves suggesting fiction and nonfiction titles to a reader through direct
or indirect means. This service is a fundamental library service; however, readers'
advisory also occurs in commercial contexts such as bookstores. Currently, almost all
North American public libraries offer some form of readers' advisory.
This division is in charge of making direct contact with Library patrons. 

It keeps track of items processed by the Technical Services Division and makes them av
ailable to users in a well-organized and controlled manner.

Furthermore, the area is concerned with supporting readers in obtaining informatio

n and using the library's resources for study and research.

Moreover, the section provides resources to the Library patrons for home
reading. The resources are arranged on the shelves with the aid of Library of
Congress Classification Scheme.  The Readers’ services department  is the
image-maker of every Library.

Meanwhile, the reader services section handles all matters relating to student and staff
registration, temporary memberships, the issuance and cancellation of library tickets,
and other reader-related needs.

In addition, the area includes resources for Library patrons to read at home. The Library
of Congress Classification Scheme is used to organize the resources on the shelves.
Every Library's image is created by the Readers' Services department.
SERVICES FOR DIRECT READER (ADVISORY):

Direct reader advice is based on a nonjudgmental assessment of the reader's personal

preferences via a sequence of questions known as a Readers Service dialogue. The
evaluation focuses on reader preferences for a variety of variables, including subject,
reading level, genre, writing style, characterization level, plot elements, plotline, pace,
tone, frame, and place. The goal of this interview is to identify three or more relevant
choices (sometimes known as "readalikes"—especially if the conversation was prompted
by a patron's interest in new authors/titles similar to one they've enjoyed in the past). A
readers' advisor combines personal understanding of the material with a variety of
specialist print and online resources to come up with appropriate recommendations.
Direct Readers Service's purpose is to recommend books based on a reader's personal
interests and preferences. Readers' advising is not performed by librarians who just
propose their favorite books with little or no respect for the patron's personal interests.
Readers' advisory is not being performed.

If a patron wants "a nice book," for example, the readers' advisor may ask the patron
to describe a book they have appreciated. The debate is focused on the aforementioned
appeal components rather than plot repetition (i.e. pace, subject, tone, writing style,
etc.). In our example, the patron describes a hilarious mystery novel with a sharp-
tongued female heroine to the readers' counselor. Our reader's counselor additionally
discovers that the customer enjoys fast-paced speech to lengthy descriptions. Once the
appeal aspects have been established (for example, a hilarious mystery with snappy
language and a female heroine), the readers' advisor will propose acceptable titles from
the collection based on personal experience and/or research. If a patron wants "a nice
book," for example, the readers' advisor may ask the patron to describe a book they
have appreciated. The focus of the talk is not on plot recital, but if the patron has
requested a mystery, a smart reader's counselor will frequently provide a suggestion or
two that will lead the reader to a new vista outside of the genre or milieu stated.
Readers' advisory can also be done in a variety of media. A patron who enjoys the film
Matilda, for example, may be unaware that it is based on a book by Ronald Dahl. Other
audio book fans may be introduced to additional titles read by the same person.

The production of displays, bookmarks, and annotated book lists that a reader/patron
can pick up and explore on their own without actively engaging a readers' adviser is
known as indirect readers' advisory. Instead than providing lengthy story descriptions,
indirect readers' advisory aids, such as annotated book lists, focus on appeal elements.
Some public libraries, such as the Williamsburg Regional Library in Virginia, have
recently began experimenting with form-based readers' advisory, which provides a
deeper indirect Readers Service experience.

To get the most out of merchandising, go to different parts of the library. The
entryway, the extremities of stacks, heavy traffic areas, and the circulation desk are the
four zones. The placement of the display in these areas ensures that patrons will see
the books on exhibit and, hopefully, use them. Books, not banners and announcements,
should be there, according to Ross and Chelton, because merchandised volumes will
circulate swiftly. Another way to improve a library's readers' advisory service is to keep
a Staff Recommendations display up to date. Staff recommendations make it easy to
choose a book because many readers are browsers.

THE QUALITIES OF A READER SERVICE:

1. The most important, and also the most nebulous, quality is social in nature. Service
to Readers Librarians must possess the interpersonal skills required to deliver excellent
customer service. While the aim of this service in the early twentieth century was a
"gracious hostess to moral betterment" (Genz, 1998, p. 3), today's model is for
librarians to "play the part of active guides, joining users on their journey to knowledge"
(Genz, 1998, p. 3). (Cassell & Hiremath, 2006, p.5). Whether the librarian is greeting a
patron into the library or accompanying him or her on a journey, the "friendly and
conversational" manner is still the norm for many reference interactions (Cassell &
Hiremath, 2006, p.6). Librarians must evaluate a collection.
2. Reader Assistance Librarians must be knowledgeable in their profession; they must
know how to find information, how to evaluate the quality of information sources, and
how to organize information. The librarian "sees immediately in what domain of
knowledge the description sought for may be found, and brings to the inquirer
authoritative treatises in this department," according to Green (1876, p.78). In fact, the
Reader Service Librarian acts as a translator between the patron's query and the
language of informational organization. While this attribute has remained important
over time, organizational systems have not. Information (and study) is becoming
increasingly multidisciplinary and cross-categorize. The extensive access provided by
electronic resources (where each word may be searched).

3. Reader Assistance "Demonstrating how, when, and why to use diverse reference
sources in an integrated style that will capture the user's attention at the teachable
moment," librarians must be outstanding instructors (Cassell & Hiremath, 2006, p.7).
Not only does the librarian need to know how to teach information literacy, but he or
she also needs to know when a user needs to be taught and when they just need a
quick answer. Although it is no longer expressed as the Victorian concept of assisting
"lowly people to grow in culture," this teaching ideal has remained constant over time
(Green, 1876, p.79).

4. Because "technology continues to change reference service," librarians must be

curious and inquisitive about new tools and resources (Cassell & Hiremath, 2006, p.12).
Patron expectations for service (with answers available at any time of day or night via
Google) and resource formats have shifted as a result of technological advancements.
Because many patrons are already aware of new developments, librarians must keep up
to maintain their status as experts. The internet's easy access to information has
democratized information, and librarians must keep up to maintain their status as
experts. Because "the key aspect of reference work is to help users obtain information
to fulfill their information needs by any means feasible" (Luo, 2007, p.12), and
librarians must be able to give reference, openness to technology is also required.
REFERENCE

Dilevko, Juris; Magowan, Candice (2007), Readers’ Advisory Service in North American Public
Libraries, 1870–2005, Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, p. 3, ISBN 978-0-7864-
2925-7

Crowley, Bill (2005), “Rediscovering the History of Readers Advisory Service”, Public Libraries,
44 (1): 37

Crowley, Bill (2005), “Rediscovering the History of Readers Service Service”, Public Libraries, 44
(1): 38

Jump up to:a b Dilevko, Juris; Magowan, Candice (2007), Readers’ Advisory Service in North
American Public Libraries, 1870–2005, Jefferson, North Carolina, and London: McFarland
& Company, Inc., Publishers, p. 53, ISBN 978-0-7864-2925-7

Amazon.com (30 January 2007), Editorial Reviews: Product Description, ISBN 978-0786429257
Cassell, K. & Hiremath, U. (2006). Reference and information services in the 21 st
century:An Introduction. New York: Neal-Schuman.

Genz, M. (1998). Working at the reference desk. Library Trends, 46, 505-525.

Green, S.S. (1876). Personal relations between librarians and readers. Library Journal, 1, 74-
81.

Luo, L. (2007). Reference evolution under the influence of new technologies. (No. TR
200703). University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.