Week 5 - Novelist Plus

1. The basic search bar appears on every page in all of the NoveList products. Pick a series that you would like to read. Type that series into the search box, check “series” then select search. Right above your results you will see a bar that includes “sort by” and “view.” Post on your blog how the use of the “view” component could make your job connecting readers with books easier.

I searched for the series "Books of Beginning" because it is one that I missed when it first came out and now I'm reading glowing reviews of the second in the series.  The "sort by" feature is most useful when you (or your patron) is not sure what the sequence of the series is.   Sorting by date (ascending or descending) would be extremely helpful with series that have many, many books that need to be read in order.  I often find myself Googling for that information when kids come into my library looking for the next book in the series that they are reading.  The "view" feature provides nice options for how much information is presented at once.  For many students, the "detailed" view is great because they can see the cover and read a short description of each book, helping them identify whether or not it is a good fit for them.


2. You have just finished the last David Baldacci book. You really enjoy plot-driven, fast paced suspense stories. How can you find something new to read that is similar to Baldacci’s style? Type into the search box “David Baldacci,” check “author” then select search. David Baldacci will appear on the screen. There will be a brief description of his writing style, information about the appeal factors for his work and a listing of all the books he has written. Look to the right of the page and you will see “Read-alikes from NoveList.” In this case there are 9 authors recommended. The first three are displayed underneath. By hovering over the magnifying glass a box will pop up to tell you why this is a solid read-alike choice. If you click on the author link it will give you the same information for that author. If you hit the “Print All” you will get a page with all 9 authors listed and a brief reason for their placement in this category. In your blog, tell us how using this tool could make your job easier and promote better customer service in your library.

The "read-alike" feature is a wonderful resource for my students.  When both avid and struggling readers come to me for a book suggestion, I often start with what they've read and loved.  The NoveList read-alike feature enables students to find something similar to what they already love. This feature also enables students to become more independent library users - once they know it exists, it is very user friendly, so they can pursue read-alikes on their own.

3. Take some time to explore this robust database. How can using NoveList Plus help you to increase awareness of the collection you have worked so hard to build, for both new and older items? Share what you take away from this exercise on your blog.

I love NoveList K-8 Plus and this exercise reminded me that it is a tool I need to highlight early on in the year with all my students.  Although I am not a fan of the Lexile as a measure of readability, the fact that it is available gives kids at least a guiding number by which to determine whether a book might be a good fit in terms of readability.  The "Books to Movies" section is also something I've never used (maybe it is new?) but I can see that it would be hugely popular with my students, for whom movies often come first.

4. Take a few minutes to read what your fellow participants have said about the previous question on their blog.

I am so impressed with the vast number of librarians taking part in this learning opportunity!  It has been really informative to see how people have responded so differently to the same questions, and reading my fellow librarians' responses has been almost as illuminating as doing the exercises myself.