Week Six

Great job on your Secret Shopper experiences! I know that is can be very uncomfortable and awkward to pretend in this way, but I think it's very valuable to see how the people we are trying to help are treated - both the good and the bad. Putting ourselves in patron's shoes helps us realize improve our own RA interactions!

This week, we are doing Horror and Romance. As strange as these two seem to pair together, they actually go very well as both genres are designed to elicit strong emotions on behalf of the reader.

We are also discussing integrated advisory this week. The concept behind integrated advisory is very simple: it's using forms of media, other than books, in your advisory. For example, if someone wants to get back into reading but they haven't read too much, you could ask what type of television shows or movies they like, or what kinds of games they like to play. The opposite works as well; I have nearly as many people ask me for movie suggestions as I do book suggestions. And I rarely watch movies, so I have to use sources - and these are not always as easy to find. With reluctant readers, having this knowledge and ability is even more valuable.

For this week's prompt, I would like you to think of an innovative way to promote romance or horror at your local library (pick one, just one!). What would be most effective? A catchy display? Some passive programming? In what ways could you incorporate integrated advisory? Pretend you're pitching an idea to your boss and write at least a paragraph in your prompt response. Hint, pinterest can come in handy, so can Facebook's ALA Think Tank. Have fun with this one!!

Remember, by the end of this week I will need the following posted to your blog (you don't need to submit anything through Canvas):

• Prompt Responses 
• Romance and Horror Annotations