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Monday, June 23, 2014

Monday Discussion: Favorite Place to Discover "New" Reads

Locating tools for discovery of new authors and titles is a huge issue in library land.  One of my new favorite resources has been the Library Reads list, especially when the monthly list includes a new voice, like when I was altered to and then read The Bees by Laline Paull, a wonderfully entertaining debut.

But sometimes "new" authors can be discovered in old authors or books.  The key when working with public library patrons is to remind them that the gem of the local library is our backlist where they can find plenty of "new to them" books.  Click here for my official post on the power of the backlist and here for anything I have ever tagged backlist.

One of my favorite backlist discovery tools that I use at least 2 times a week but haven't talked about in a while is Blogging for a Good Book from the Williamsburg Regional Library. From their "About" page:
Read a new review every day, Monday through Friday! The staff of theWilliamsburg Regional Library in Virginia bring you short reviews of books, movies, and more!
Launched in April of 2007, Blogging for a Good Book is the newest facet of the Looking for a Good Book readers’ service. A different staff member picks favorite reviews for each different week. Subscribe to our RSS feed to find good reviews, or click on the categories on the righthand side to see everything in your favorite area.

After 7 years BFGB has thousands of reviews.  What I love about the site is that they allow all departments in the library to take over for a week at a time.  You get a diverse selection of staff picks for every kind of reader or viewer.  You can sort through by using their categories or do a natural language search in the search box.  I have NEVER not been able to find a suggestion from BFGB.  If I am stumped for a brilliant suggestion idea, BFGB is my first stop. If you can't find an interesting backlist recommendation there, you are not even trying.

Now it is your turn.  Where do you go to get ideas on "new" titles to suggest to your readers?

For past Monday Discussions, click here.
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3 comments:

  1. BarryJune 23, 2014 at 1:06 PM

    Thanks for the kind words about BFGB!

    ReplyDelete
  2. John BPL RAJune 23, 2014 at 1:57 PM

    Library Reads is good! I regularly check the websites of some of my favorite authors. New titles are listed well in advance and seem to be the first thing that pops up on the home page.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJuly 5, 2014 at 1:19 PM

    Great suggestions, I'm going to check out Blogging for a Good Book.

    I like to use Fantastic Fiction, GoodReads and the New York Times Bestsellers list for my books.

    Also, suggestions from friends, family and coworkers sometimes turn out well.

    ReplyDelete