[LM_NET] TARGET: Readers' Guidance at the Shelf

[Shonda Brisco <sbrisco@GMAIL.COM>]

I'm curious to know how many librarians are providing readers'
guidance at the bookshelves to students at the elementary levels?
(Specifically, answering questions like: Where are the David Shannon
books? Where are the "Tacky the Penguin" books? etc.)

Do you direct students to the most appropriate books based upon their
reading abilities, as well as their likes and dislikes, or do you
depend upon your teachers to help you understand the student's reading
abilities, reading disabilities, or other significant points in
selecting a book?

I work alone in our library (no assistant) and I've been asked to help
students locate books at the bookshelves because the teachers do not
know which books are most appropriate for their children (and don't
know the collection well enough to determine what books might be
within a specific reading level for a specific child); in the
meantime, the teacher will work at the circulation desk (because
checking books out to students can help them to determine what books
are or are not appropriate for them...?)  Most students and teachers
do not use the online catalog to search for books, so in the past,
browsing is how they have determined what they want.  I'm trying to
break this pattern by teaching everyone how to use the online catalog
to locate a book first (which also includes reading levels, etc.), but
it's a slow process.

I'm curious as to how others handle this.

I'll post a HIT, if others are interested.

Thanks!

~Shonda

-- 
Shonda Brisco, MLIS
Library Media Specialist
sbrisco@gmail.com

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