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Readers' Advisory Resources

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This section includes links to various general and specialized sources of information to assist libraries in providing Readers' Advisory Services. We maintain a number of other pages that will complement these Readers' Advisory resources. These are  Literature and Fiction Sources and  Youth Literature Resources.  You  may also want to consult the publication entitled Readers' Advisory Service. There are other more specific pages relating to certain aspects of public services such as our Children's Services, Programming Resources page (i.e book clubs) and  a general Public Services Resources page. For evaluation and research on the effects of programming see Reports of Interests.

Topics include

 General Resources | Book clubs | Book Reviews | Genres | If you like ... | Libraries with RA Services on-line |  Listservs and discussion groups |  Non-fiction / On-line Magazines and Newsletters |  Web Rings

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 indicates an item written by OLS-North staff

Clicking on certain topics will open a new window, if the link is to a topic included in an other Clearinghouse page
General Resources
  • Readers' Advisory Work with Genre Fiction. (University of Tennessee) The course introduces the major elements of reader's advisory work and applies them to genre fiction. The genres normally covered are: adventure, Christian or inspirational fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, horror, mysteries, romance, and science fiction. Considerable emphasis is placed on identification of appeal elements in a work and how to help the reader select the right book
  • Allreaders.com This site allows readers to search for novels by specific elements of plot, character, setting, style and theme. More than 10,000 titles already are registered and can be found by users typing in various criteria.
  • Based on the Book  (Mid-Continent Public Library US) Movie titles based on novels, non-fiction books, short stories and plays are presented by Mid-Continent Public Library (Missouri). Can search by year of movie release, title or author
  • BookBrowser Reading Lists (Barnes & Noble.com)  "The Reading Lists are the core of our site, and are designed to help avid readers locate new books to read. We have tried to combine the browsing quality of the old card catalog with the flexibility and efficiency of the Web."
  • Fiction-L Booklists
  • It's a reading rave ! (EBSCO) Free interactive website
  • Literary Locales: Picture links to the places that figure in the lives and writings of famous authors
    NoveList: Your Guide to Fiction  An electronic readers' advisory resource which assists fiction readers in finding new authors and titles. The product supports library staff who are working with these readers. It is a subscription service. To inquire about subscription plans and rates, contact: novelist@epnet.com." 
  • Overbooked Specializes in literary and genre fiction information. Includes author web pages, annotated lists of non-fiction, fiction and mystery books which received starred reviews, themed booklists, and forthcoming books.
  • The Reader's Advisor (Sachem Public Library) Includes Alt.Reading Hey! There's More to Life than Best-Sellers!
  • The Readers Advisory Link Farm (Indiana U. School of Library and Information Science)
  • Webrary Readers' Services (Morton Grove Public Library) Everything for book lovers: Recommendations/Reviews, the Fiction_L mailing list, Web sites and more
    • Web Sites for Book Lovers  Includes a "Genre Fiction Sites" list from the Morton Grove (IL) Public Library.  Excellent comprehensive and continually updated list of links. 
  • Whichbook.net formerly Book Forager. Developed as part of the Society of Chief Librarians' Branching Out project this program is designed to help readers to choose something different from a range of contemporary fiction. You can search by your mood or by the book's or by the book's content
If you like   ... 
Non-fiction
Libraries with RA Services on line
  • BookReviews    Springfield Public Library (Elgin County Library System, Ontario) 
    " Even though the Springfield Library is one of the smallest branches located in Elgin County, it also produces one of the highest circulation rates of books in this area." This RA initiative obviously helps. This is a CAP site.
  • King County Library System  Good Reads and New Reads (US) Excellent selection of good reads by topic including Good Reads in Large Print, Good reads for teens and Good Reads for Book Clubs, Resources for readers on the Internet. Includes non-fiction and fiction lists.
  • Great Reads  (Kitchener Public Library)
  • Good Reads (Waterloo Public Library)
  • Morton Grove Public Library.Fiction_L Booklists (Morton Grove PL) 
    " Many discussion topics on Fiction_L, the Morton Grove Public Library's mailing list for reader's  advisory issues, result in compilations of books on a particular theme, authors with similar styles, etc.  Many of these booklists are then made available on our web site, accessible through the index below. They are arranged in the following categories: Genre, Character, Setting, Subject, Author, Audience, Best: "Best of..." lists, Miscellaneous. Because of the nature of the booklists, the dividing lines between the categories are often fuzzy. In addition, a booklist may appear in more than one categories (except for those listed under Miscellaneous)." 
  • Matchbook: (Morton Grove) This is a special service that allows library users to pick subjects of interest: antiques, hobbies, sports, favorite authors, fiction categories, etc. The library will generate a list every month of new books in the Library that match the profile exactly!
  • The Reader' Advisor (Sachem PL, NY) Includes suggestions to break the Bestseller habit, sleuth of the month, non-fiction titles
  • Readers' Corner (Brampton Public Library)
  • Reading Lists (County of Los Angeles Public Library)
  • The Reading Room. (Rocky River Public Library, Ohio)
  • Teen Reads (Pickering Public Library) Includes Recommended reads database, thematic lists of recommended reads, A selection of booklists featuring recent and classic novels useful for school assignments
  • What's New For Book Lovers (Pickering Public Library) 
List servs and discussion groups
  • The Bookwire® Mailing List Index
  • Feminist SF, Fantasy & Utopia ListServes
    Interested in talking to other people about the works of Ursula Le Guin, Marge Piercy, Suzy McKee Charnas, Elisabeth Vonarburg, Joanna Russ, and many others? Want to find out more about these authors, and other writers like them? 
  • Fiction-L (Morton Grove Public Library) "Fiction_L is an electronic mailing list devoted to reader's advisory topics such as book discussions, booktalks, collection development issues, booklists and bibliographies, and a wide variety of other topics of interest to librarians, book discussion leaders, and others with an interest in reader's advisory. Fiction_L was developed for and by librarians dealing with fiction collections and requests; however fiction lovers worldwide are welcome to join the discussion. Among the topics discussed have been: genre study, bibliographies, workshops, audiobooks, reading clubs, and print and electronic resources. The discussion is not limited to fiction, but rather covers all aspects of reader's advisory for children, young adults and adults, including non-fiction materials."
  • Literary Academic Discussion Groups    Useful to know about when you need specialist advice.
  • PUBYAC (PUBlic Young Adults and Children) is an Internet discussion list concerned with the practical aspects of Children and Young Adult Services in Public Libraries
  • RA-Talk Canadian equivalent to Fiction_L
  • Romance Readers Anonymous Listserv   RRA-L (Romance Readers Anonymous) is a well-established, well-respected Listserv devoted to the discussion of romance novels.
  • Topica E-mail list Directory  Use this tool to find the discussion group you want to join
Online magazines and newsletters
Web Rings for Readers

"In each of its tens of thousands of Rings, Member web sites have banded together to form their sites into linked circles. Their purpose: to allow more visitors to reach them quickly and easily. The Web Ring system can support a nearly unlimited number of separate and distinct Rings across the Internet. This unique structure allows the creation and evolution of tens of thousands of different "web communities."

  • Children's Literature Web Ring  "This is a ring of sites devoted to books for young people. A Web ring is a collection of sites on a similar theme, linked in a circle. You may travel through the sites by clicking "next" at each site, and you will eventually arrive back at your starting point." 
  • Readers' Advisory Service Websites   (A web ring) This is an extensive list  of sites divided into many categories. 
 
For questions, comments, and suggestions regarding this website, please
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