I have worked
for Booklist as a reviewer since Fall of 2015, and for ALA Publications since the turn of the century as the author of three books. In that time, I have always been proud to write for and support Booklist.
I love that their focus is on providing busy library workers vetted, expert RA assistance. And, they pay every single reviewer for their work. No working for accolades and by lines for them (unlike LJ who only pay their columnists- which is the only reason I am able to write for them because I do not work for free).
In order to strengthen their mission to be an up to date resource for helping readers,
Booklist just did a huge overhaul of their website. Click here to see. The fonts are all larger and the search function is more prominent. The lists in the current issue are also highlighted easily but just scrolling down past the current issue panel.
Besides the site redesign, however, there is more big news--
Booklist Reader is now available to ALA members for free. As a reminder,
Booklist Reader has always been accessible digitally to every library that has a print subscription, but now, if you are an ALA individual member, you can also login.
This is important because a few states have made it impossible for library funds to be used on an ALA products and libraries have lost access to their Booklist subscription. However, if the library workers in those states can use their own money to join ALA (now with lower membership dues), they can get still get access to
Booklist Reader.
But back to the product itself. I love how
Booklist Reader takes the lists and information from a spotlight issue, published previously in the print magazine and for the library worker audience and repackages them as lists aimed at the patron market. Why is this so great?
First, you saw the lists a few months ago, so you already checked your shelves for the best titles for that category or genre over the last 12 months. You already saw the bevy of upcoming books centered around that spotlight as well. You get a heads up that this information is coming to your patrons.
Second, as I have said many times here on the blog-- the Booklist spotlight lists are a treasure trove of information to help readers. Take this month for example, the spotlight in the Feb issue is on Romance, for Valentine's Day. There are formatted and beautiful looking lists to pass out to our patrons in print or online. There is easy access to the best books from the past year-- books that are probably on the shelf-- for you to use immediately as suggestions to put in the hands of eager readers. It is an amazing resource for us to use as we help readers, but also for them to see on their own.
Third, while Booklist is future facing, focusing on pre-pub reviews, Booklist Reader is present focused. So the spotlight on Romance was back in September in Booklist, giving us library workers time to prepare for February. And as I said above-- now that it is February, as
Booklist Reader is ready with all the lists, you are already ready to serve your readers because you spent time back in September preparing. It is all interconnected in a way that centers YOU-- the library worker. Who else does this? No one. No one by Booklist puts us first. (This point goes back to the start of this post by the way.)
Fourth, you will never run out of display and list ideas with
Booklist Reader. Timely lists of books in popular genres and categories are ready for you. You can even make the lists and displays talk for themselves with short appeal focused annotations provided. No more excuses for having diverse and timely displays.
Booklist Reader does the work for you.
And there is more, but don't just take it from me. In honor of the site redesign and new ALA member access to
Booklist Reader, I asked Booklist Staff to write me a guest post all about it. They know more than I do, so I asked them here to tell you all about it.
Take it away Booklist staff.....
Use Booklist Reader for Readers’ Advisory
Where can you turn to answer a patron’s request for a recent epistolary novel, early reader graphic novel, or the latest sci-fi on audio? Booklist publications of course! For 120 years, Booklist, the official book review journal of the American Library Association, has been offering expert advice on the latest and greatest reads. With trusted reviews from library professionals across the country, Booklist is a reliable recommendation source that covers everything from picture books to manga series. And now, with our newly re-launched www.BooklistOnline.com, the search for recommendations just got easier.
In 2021, we launched a monthly magazine for library patrons: Booklist Reader.
What is Booklist Reader?Booklist Reader recommends titles for readers of all ages in print and audio. Booklist Reader is sold in bulk so libraries can place stacks where patron traffic is highest. Subscribing libraries can service even more patrons by sharing digital issues on their websites and in newsletters.
Every issue is packed with easy-to-read articles featuring titles that will already be on your shelves. This is a little different from Booklist, which offers pre-publication reviews and timely articles used for collection development in addition to readers’ advisory. Did we mention that both magazines are great resources for your own burgeoning TBR list?
You can read the February issue right now. Inside you’ll find these features:
- Top Romance Fiction
- Top Middle-Grade Fiction
- Recent Business Books
- Family Reads: Old Favorites and New Views on Black History
- Reserve These Reads
- LibraryReads February 2025 Picks
- PBS Books: Black History Month
Are you an ALA member? In January, the ALA announced that digital access to Booklist Reader for personal use will now be part of your membership! So, what can you do with this new member benefit?
Use Booklist Reader to:
- Identify read-alikes and trend alerts
- Hear from your favorite authors and audiobook narrators
- Read features from our partners: LibraryReads and PBS Books
- Discover great book group books
- Get new ideas for displays ... and more!
Want to see more? We encourage you to take a Booklist Online 2-week free trial to see for yourself how these resources can help your staff and patrons. Subscription options for all our products can be found here. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to write us at info@booklistonline.com.
-The staff at ALA Booklist
“We read everything, so you don’t have to!”
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