I know that this is a "quick HIT" since I'll probably still get information
from several others later, but here are the comments made to me personally
about what sources are being used as selection tools. (My initial question
came from a personal experience when I saw two different librarians
selecting materials via Amazon rather than professional selection tools.
One was a "career librarian" with little formal training in this area and
the other was a recent graduate from a university program. My concern came
when I asked how they choose books and neither could tell me what I expected
to hear--- that they first took reviews from journals and/ or current and
retrospective selection tools. In fact one told me that she looked at the
ads in the journals to select her materials (based upon starred reviews?).
I then wondered if the lack of professional training was a problem for one
of them and the ease of seeing online bookstore and journal ad reviews were
a "quick" way to do the harder task reading and then selecting materials for
the other one.
Among the group that responded there are several who do use professional
selection tools, but I also see that some also use Amazon for various
reasons--- and there is a definite difference in opinions regarding the
reliability of the website's reviews (which was my initial concern when I
saw others in the field actually relying on those reviews for selection
purposes "in real life.") Although Amazon may not be a "primary" source for
selection, it is being used as a secondary source for selection based upon
the reviews, visual content, and possibly price information.
Although I never heard from anyone specifically about electronic reading
programs driving the collection development, I am also interested in knowing
if selecting materials has become easier or harder with these programs in
the library--- especially if there are librarians who do not agree with the
program personally but must support it because it is a district /
school-supported program.) Here are the comments:
***********************************************
I work in a Centralized Collection Department for a county library. I did
used to work in a high school library though. I find the process much the
same. I use reputable review sources, i.e., Library Journal, Kirkus,
Publisher's Weekly, and Booklist are the major ones. The selector for our
children and young adult collection uses School Library Journal. For core
lists I use Public library catalog and Fiction catalog. It seems easy for
me to mark my selections and then order from that. Of course in a public
library patron requests have a high value when choosing materials. In a
school library I used faculty and student requests in the same manner.
******************************************************
I still do my selection pretty much the "old fashioned" way. I rely on
reviews form Booklist, SLJ and Library Media Connection. I ordered
Wilson Library Catalog while I was preparing the order for our new
library last year. I refer a lot to best book lists from ALA and from
SLJ for my fiction selections. We also subscribe to Junior Library
Guild for fiction books, so that my favorite types of books don't
completely dominate the collection! I never use Amazon as a primary
resource for book selection. I use it to check fiction titles to
determine "cover appeal" - which often makes or breaks a fiction book.
If I have some doubts about a book, I do check Amazon's online reviews
to help make up my mind. I also read the reviews posted by readers to
help me make up my mind when I am on the borderline about a book. I
certainly see your point about relying on a marketing source for reviews
- and it is never my first stop for reviews. My unresearched sense of
things with Amazon is that they post the reviews "as is" - warts and
all. I think they sell books no matter what. I don't think posting
negative reviews or negative reader reviews is something that they worry
about - but it certainly is possible. Hence, I think it is important
to use it carefully. Probably many reviews can be found on our
subscription databases. It is just easier on amazon, because amazon's
book section concentrates completly on books. Also - did you know that the
source of all their review material on the books comes from Baker and
Taylors Title Source? Again - a company in the business to sell books - so
a commercial venture with perhaps some reason to suppress negative reviews.
********************************************
On my lunch break I always check Book List and Book Links which I have a
subscription to and highlight the ones for future purchase. I use Follett's
Titlewave a lot, because I know they are a good source of reviews. When the
book does not have at least one review on Titlewave, I try to find it at the
bookstore or another library and review it myself. I also take
recommendations from my peers at LM-Net.
*******************************************
I use to subscribe to Horn Book, but when my budget was cut I gave it up
and try to borrow it from a colleague at a larger school. I liked the
reviews in Horn Book, but often didn't have time to read the articles.
************************************************
I read the reviews given in Teacher Librarians Magazine and also have a
subscription for Resource Links which is a Canadian publication. I was
hoping our local association would get a subscription to School Library
Journal, but the consensus was that we should just use some of the on-line
journals.
There are books displays at our fall teacher-librarians conference and in
the spring Saunders comes to town and puts on a huge display for us.
I have enough trouble keeping up with all the LM_Net messages without
spending time exploring sites for reviews too.
*********************************************
I still use the Wilson catalogs, plus BookList; also use TitleWave, but
check the reviews, & look through some books with the vendors. I used to
subscribe to more review journals but really can't even keep up with Book
List. I use Amazon.com as "Books in Print" mostly. I hadn't thought of it as
a "selection tool", although it does lead us to other books on the same
subject. I have teachers who bring me printouts from Amazon.com all the
time, though, so teachers at least are using it as a selection tool! They
are always annoyed when I tell them I can't purchase from Amazon.com because
they want whatever it is today.
Please post a hit, not so much of what individuals such as I use, but of
what is being taught in the "library" schools today. Should be interesting.
**********************************************************
I use the Library Media Connection (formerly the Book Report) reviews, ALA
Best Books lists, Wilson High School Catalog, Titlewave reviews and
occasionally Amazon reviews. I also go by recommendations from this list.
***********************************************
We do NOT teach that these are appropriate selection tools. We also do not
recommend Titlewave and the other vendor supplied sources. They have
warehouses full of bools to sell, and they are NOT going to include a
negative review that might impact selling the stock they have on hand. We do
teach that these are ORDERING tools, but they don't replace careful reading
of reviews in primary sources.
BTW, the "review" on Amazon for my own book is actually for a competing book
from a competing publisher! So much for their accuracy!
--Carol Simpson
UNT SLIS
**********************************
Selection tools and publishers' catalogs are two different things - and I
would think Amazon.com would be like the second. My selection tools are
Booklist, reviews in newspapers (St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune),
Wilson's Jr. High/Middle School catalog, and profession journals from the
curriculum areas such as Science Teacher, Social Education, Mathematics in
the Middle School, etc.
Teachers may tell me an area we need something in, but in all my years (17+
of doing this!) not one of them has brought me a review. I find that
teachers, for the most part, do not read the literature of their field.
They have brought me catalogs with pages marked and I have then had to track
down information to see if the material was appropriate for grade level.
This was the case with our new dance instructor - what she wanted was WAY
too high for our students.
*******************************
It is an interesting question. There are reviews in so many places and it
can be overwhelming. I work in a K - 8 school, and have really been wanting
to improve the quality and usability of the middle school non-fiction. I
have always subscribed to Wilson's Childrens Catalog (paper). I subscribed
to Wilson Junior High on-line last year. It costs a lot, but teachers and
students are commenting already on the improvement of the sections that I
have been renovating. So far I have "improved" the Revolutionary War, Civil
War, and Twentieth Century; also, endangered plants and animals. Wilsons has
helped me to put together materials for a specific unit that I would never
have been able to put together so well before. It will be interesting to
hear what others say.
************************************
Having just finished a collection development course, I thought I should
respond.
My professor focused primarily on the process and importance of creating a
collection development plan and we didn't talk a whole lot about individual
selection tools. She emphasized the importance of reading reviews (also as
a
way to support choices in case of challenges), mentioned the Wilson catalogs
and standard lists, talked a lot about being aware of what is in the news
and
what our patrons want... mostly I think she wanted us to be aware of all of
the different sources that are out there for informing selection, including
Oprah, etc. I think she'd shudder at the idea of relying on Amazon alone.
When I have a library (hopefully in '04-'05) I'll likely *start* selecting
by
looking on Amazon. I use it a lot to inform my personal choices of items to
rent, borrow and purchase, so it is very familiar. Mostly, Amazon gives a
good overview of what is out there and what's popular. It's fast and simple
and a few clicks away. It'll identify a lot of the really stellar stuff and
red flag the really awful stuff. A good librarian (or any skilled
researcher)
should know better than to trust a commercial website as their one and only
tool, though.
******************************************
I generally use Follett's Titlewave. I also know to discount many
"positive" reviews because the only professional journal that only publishes
positive reviews is Booklist. That leaves many reviews open to being taken
out of context. Even with recommended reading lists I still check reviews.
As for guidance in selection, I look to the TEKS and recommended biographies
from the state. Each grade has certain people they are to learn about.
Wilson's is general and not state specific. Finally, I listen to my campus.
******************************************
I use VOYA, LMConnection ( Book Report) and Follett's reviews. As far as
Amazon's review are concerned--last week I got an email touting a book (
strangely re\ight after I placed my first online order from school will
Amazon! Person who sent it was unknown to me but the book was apparently
the best thing since sliced bread. The email was very stilted in the way
that you get when someone is not a native English speaker-- just strange
phrasing- the book is published near to Harvard. The book was supposed make
you better financially, spiritually and even solve school violence. There
were some strange suggestions to either use it as a fundraiser or buy it for
everyone you know. I checked Amazon and the book was reviewed several times.
All of the writer who were from-- Colo.US, Ill. US used the same type of
writing and even used phrases from the email. When you got down a ways you
finally came across tow reviews which mentioned the unsolicited erm! ail and
that the email was better than the book. So-- that makes me a little suspect
about Amazon reviews.
**************************************************
I just finished a master's level children's literature class at Florida
State University and we were taught to consult only the professional
resources . We were only to use Amazon for pricing information.
***************************************************
I use book review journals (Booklist, SLJ, Hornbook, etc) in the first
instance, and then look at Amazon if children request titles that I am not
familiar with. I keep track of what I want by entering it all onto
Titlewave. I do not have the ultimate power to buy what I want as that
falls into
the hands of the library director.
I have not checked out Titlewave thoroughly, but have noticed that they
include links to reviews. Are you suggesting that they exclude bad reviews,
or
cut them down to some extent? I'm quite curious.
*********************************************************
I am a librarian in a K-5 school and rely on SLJ for most of my
ordering. As I order I check Titlewave. This year I receive LMC so am
also reading those reviews and the ones in Bookbag magazine.
Speaking from my personal experience as a current library science student,
Amazon was never mentioned in our collections course. We were taught to use
professional review journals such as SLJ, BCCB, Horn Book, etc. and
bibliographic tools such as the H.W. Wilson series. Our textbook was The
Collection Program in Schools by Phyllis J. Van Orden, published by
Libraries Unlimited.
************************************
Will post additional responses if they are submitted during the holidays.
~Shonda Brisco
Trinity Valley MS / US Librarian
Fort Worth, TX
sbrisco021@charter.net
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