Fiction_L Archives NoveList / Readers Advisory Dates: 3/5/03,1:52 PM  through  3/25/03,12:17 PM  (13 postings) Search for: Select one or more indexes to search: 2011-current     2009-2010     2004-2008    1995-2003    (Matches from each index will be displayed separately in the results page.) Return to March 2003 thread menu   |   Fiction_L Archives Menu

FROM: "linda levar" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 3/5/03, 1:52 PM

Hi all,
As a fairly recent graduate I subscribe to this list because I am NOT as
knowledgable as I would like when it comes to Readers Advisory. I am
employed with a Canadian Public Library that does not currently subscribe to
NoveList. I see NoveList as an additional resource that could provide help.
Do others find NoveList of value? Please send comments re NoveList as a
Readers Advisory tool... pros and cons are appreciated.
Thanks,
Linda Levar

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FROM: Kathleen Stipek <[removed]@exchange.acld.lib.fl.us>
REC'D: 3/5/03, 2:03 PM

I don't particularly like it because every time I've used it, it took me to
places I didn't need to visit and didn't find what I was looking for.
However, other people on our staff like it very much and find it very
useful. That is the quirk about reference tools--what one person thinks is
wonderful the next thinks is even more over-hyped than Madonna. In paper
tools, for instance, I think that the Time Almanac (formerly Information
Please) makes a great doorstop and love the World Almanac. Other colleagues
in my department think exactly the opposite. If you can manage to visit a
library that has it, I'd suggest you settle down and experiment for a while
and try to compare it with paper tools you have used.

........................................................................
.....................
Kathleen Stipek, Adult Services/Interlibrary Loans, Alachua County
Library District (FMG), 401 E. University AV, Gainesville FL 32601
[removed]@exchange.acld.lib.fl.us)
352-334-3938 (v) 352-334-3948 (f)

"Non, merci."--Cyrano de Bergerac

-----Original Message-----
From: linda levar [[removed]@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 2:47 PM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: NoveList / Readers Advisory

Hi all,
As a fairly recent graduate I subscribe to this list because I am NOT as
knowledgable as I would like when it comes to Readers Advisory. I am
employed with a Canadian Public Library that does not currently subscribe to

NoveList. I see NoveList as an additional resource that could provide help.

Do others find NoveList of value? Please send comments re NoveList as a
Readers Advisory tool... pros and cons are appreciated.
Thanks,
Linda Levar

_________________________________________________________________
Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*.
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail

......................................................................
Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
Everything Fiction_L: http://fictionl.webrary.org

FROM: "Dusty Gres" <[removed]@mail.toombs.public.lib.ga.us>
REC'D: 3/5/03, 2:14 PM

I love it -- but have had the advantage of taking a class taught by Duncan
Smith on Readers' Advisory and using NoveList as a resource. I have found
that using the short online classes on the NoveList site as a training tool
considerably helps my new staff become accustomed to using it. You do at
times get more information that you need or want or can use, but, I like
being sent places I didn't need to visit -- it adds a new dimension to my
reading and frequently introduces me to new authors and titles.

Dusty Gres, Director
Ohoopee Regional Library System
Hdq: Vidalia-Toombs County Library
610 Jackson Street
Vidalia, GA 30474
PH: (912) 537-9283
FAX: (912) 537-3735
EMAIL: [removed]@mail.toombs.public.lib.ga.us
WEB: http://www.toombs.public.lib.ga.us

-----Original Message-----
From: [removed]@maillist.webrary.org
[[removed]@maillist.webrary.org]On Behalf Of Kathleen Stipek
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 2:54 PM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: RE: NoveList / Readers Advisory

I don't particularly like it because every time I've used it, it took me to
places I didn't need to visit and didn't find what I was looking for.
However, other people on our staff like it very much and find it very
useful. That is the quirk about reference tools--what one person thinks is
wonderful the next thinks is even more over-hyped than Madonna. In paper
tools, for instance, I think that the Time Almanac (formerly Information
Please) makes a great doorstop and love the World Almanac. Other colleagues
in my department think exactly the opposite. If you can manage to visit a
library that has it, I'd suggest you settle down and experiment for a while
and try to compare it with paper tools you have used.

........................................................................
.....................
Kathleen Stipek, Adult Services/Interlibrary Loans, Alachua County
Library District (FMG), 401 E. University AV, Gainesville FL 32601
[removed]@exchange.acld.lib.fl.us)
352-334-3938 (v) 352-334-3948 (f)

"Non, merci."--Cyrano de Bergerac

-----Original Message-----
From: linda levar [[removed]@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 2:47 PM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: NoveList / Readers Advisory

Hi all,
As a fairly recent graduate I subscribe to this list because I am NOT as
knowledgable as I would like when it comes to Readers Advisory. I am
employed with a Canadian Public Library that does not currently subscribe to

NoveList. I see NoveList as an additional resource that could provide help.

Do others find NoveList of value? Please send comments re NoveList as a
Readers Advisory tool... pros and cons are appreciated.
Thanks,
Linda Levar

_________________________________________________________________
Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*.
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail

......................................................................
Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
Everything Fiction_L: http://fictionl.webrary.org

......................................................................
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FROM: Ellen Olson <[removed]@rockford.lib.il.us>
REC'D: 3/5/03, 2:35 PM

I think that NoveList is wonderful. I started using it more often after a
staff demonstration. I will usually refer to NoveList when a person tells me
the title of a book that they liked. Once we put in that title we can check
items on the subject list that appeal to the patron. They are usually
impressed with the results and happy that they now have a list of new
authors.
Ellen Olson
Rockford Public Library
Rockford Illinois

-----Original Message-----
From: linda levar [[removed]@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 1:47 PM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: NoveList / Readers Advisory

Hi all,
As a fairly recent graduate I subscribe to this list because I am NOT as
knowledgable as I would like when it comes to Readers Advisory. I am
employed with a Canadian Public Library that does not currently subscribe to

NoveList. I see NoveList as an additional resource that could provide help.

Do others find NoveList of value? Please send comments re NoveList as a
Readers Advisory tool... pros and cons are appreciated.
Thanks,
Linda Levar

_________________________________________________________________
Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*.
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail

......................................................................
Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
Everything Fiction_L: http://fictionl.webrary.org

FROM: Edward Goldberg <[removed]@yahoo.com>
REC'D: 3/5/03, 3:16 PM

I find Novelist to be an excellent tool. You can
search by title, author and plot to come up with
suggested books.

It works best if you can narrow down your search
criteria a bit. Too narrow a search will come up
empty. Too wide a search will come up with 250
possibilities.

I think it is a good tool to hand over to a patron (if
he/she is amenable to that)and let him/her do some
searches.

The other thing you might consider is that there are
many websites (mostly commercial or library sites) for
various genres which provide a huge amount of
information. Find those and they will help in
selecting reading material.

Ed Goldberg
Syosset Public Library
[removed]@yahoo.com
--- linda levar <[removed]@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
> As a fairly recent graduate I subscribe to this list
> because I am NOT as
> knowledgable as I would like when it comes to
> Readers Advisory. I am
> employed with a Canadian Public Library that does
> not currently subscribe to
> NoveList. I see NoveList as an additional resource
> that could provide help.
> Do others find NoveList of value? Please send
> comments re NoveList as a
> Readers Advisory tool... pros and cons are
> appreciated.
> Thanks,
> Linda Levar
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
_________________________________________________________________
> Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months
> FREE*.
> http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail
>
>
>
......................................................................
> Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
> Everything Fiction_L: http://fictionl.webrary.org

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FROM: Deborah Bryan <[removed]@tscpl.lib.ks.us>
REC'D: 3/5/03, 3:48 PM

Our library subscribes to both the Novelist and What Do I Read Next?
databases. I helped co-teach a class to patrons on how to use these
resources. We saved Novelist for the end of the class--which was a good
idea because the patrons quickly became very engrossed in using it.
Novelist is a much more comprehensive database in what it covers and in your
capabilities to search. Patrons find the book reviews and book discussion
questions that are included very helpful. It also includes excellent help
screens to guide patrons and staff. The extras you get with it are what
impresses me, every month they add new articles, book discussion questions,
and book talks. One thing it isn't as good for is finding read-alikes.
What Do I Read Next? often has a "find similar books" feature that will
bring up a list of read alikes. Novelist only has the capablity to search
for books on similar subjects, although it does have some read alike lists
in the "feature articles" section.

Deb Bryan
Adult Services Librarian

Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library

FROM: "reference librarian" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 3/5/03, 4:19 PM

Pro, Pro, Pro

Novelist is a very good place to look for book discussion group suggestions
and (printing from this section of novelist is also clean and easy).

PRO, PRO, PRO
You can get a master list of all the titles by a particular author in the
order they were published. Avoid the hassle by using Novelist for
bibliographies. (quickly and easily) It requires no cutting and pasting.
Amazon.com or other similar websites and online catalogs require sifting
through records which frequently include to much filler and irritants

Having access to a complete list of an authors works was/is invaluable to me
for collection development and readers' advisory. i.e. What are all of
the books John Grisham wrote? or What titles are we missing from this
author?

Novelist is Quick, easy, barrier, advertising and pop-up free. No
extraneous matter clouding the screen of an author search. Clear,
complete, lists, (hence the name NoveList?)

Mary Seremak-Hauger
Librarian

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FROM: "reference librarian" <[removed]@hotmail.com>
REC'D: 3/5/03, 4:30 PM

Con

If we are talking about creating personal reading lists to suit an
individual reader' taste, I would turn to allreaders.com, At
www.allreaders.com The reader chooses elements of the following: plot,
setting, theme, main character and main adversary. ... choose their looks,
choose their sense of humor (intangible element!! Love That!), choose
dialog, choose location.... etc...etc...etc... Can Novelist do that? Do we
want it to?
allreaders.com is not perfect, (I would like to see additional genre
subcategories).

Use and suggest it to readers and see what happens! The lists it creates
using it's "Gordonator" rating system really works.

Mary Seremak-Hauger

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FROM: "Kay Mahoney" <[removed]@tolland.org>
REC'D: 3/6/03, 3:58 PM

Does anyone know which of the Thoene series should be read first: Covenant
or Chronicles?? Kay Mahoney, Tolland Library. Thank you.

-----Original Message-----
From: [removed]@maillist.webrary.org
[[removed]@maillist.webrary.org]On Behalf Of reference librarian
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 5:13 PM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: re:novelist

Pro, Pro, Pro

Novelist is a very good place to look for book discussion group suggestions
and (printing from this section of novelist is also clean and easy).

PRO, PRO, PRO
You can get a master list of all the titles by a particular author in the
order they were published. Avoid the hassle by using Novelist for
bibliographies. (quickly and easily) It requires no cutting and pasting.
Amazon.com or other similar websites and online catalogs require sifting
through records which frequently include to much filler and irritants

Having access to a complete list of an authors works was/is invaluable to me
for collection development and readers' advisory. i.e. What are all of
the books John Grisham wrote? or What titles are we missing from this
author?

Novelist is Quick, easy, barrier, advertising and pop-up free. No
extraneous matter clouding the screen of an author search. Clear,
complete, lists, (hence the name NoveList?)

Mary Seremak-Hauger
Librarian

_________________________________________________________________
The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE*
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail

......................................................................
Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
Everything Fiction_L: http://fictionl.webrary.org

FROM: Penelope Hamblin <[removed]@clsn1269.cumberland.lib.nc.us>
REC'D: 3/7/03, 1:52 PM

One of the nicest things about NoveList is the ability to search the full
text of reviews. This lets you target
appeal factors that don't show up in subject headings. You can
look for a fast-paced thriller or a witty Regency romance. Sure, there's
no authority control over the words in reviews, but this technique can get
you a short list of likely prospects.

You can also find titles that Booklist reviewers recommend as alternatives
for popular authors' fans. For example, do a Boolean search on the
words Mary Higgins Clark NOT in the author field. You'll
get a list of reviews of other authors' books, in which Clark's name
is mentioned. A review of Don't Cry Now by Joy Fielding concludes:

A definite must for Fielding fans and a new find for fans of Mary Higgins
Clark. ((Reviewed Apr. 15, 1995)) -- Melanie Duncan

(I learned this trick from an edition of NoveList Notes, which is
published in print, email, and on the NoveList site itself.)

Good luck,
Penelope...

...speaking for herself alone
=============================================================
Penelope Hamblin
Reference & Information Services Manager

North Regional Branch Library
Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center
Fayetteville, North Carolina

email: [removed]@cumberland.lib.nc.us
phone: 910-822-1998, ext. 230
fax: 910-480-0030

FROM: "Theyer, Hillary" <[removed]@TORRNET.COM>
REC'D: 3/8/03, 5:04 PM

Another benefit to Novelist as a whole, and searching the text of reviews in
particular, is finding series and sequels. You can search Novelist by
series, and it will give you the series, if you know the name of the series.
You can link to the series list by one of the books, and the book will tell
you if it is part of a series.

But, not all series and sequels are done in Novelist as a series, so if you
have a book that is a sequel to something else (you think) or you want to
know if there is a sequel to something, search the full text of reviews for
"sequel" and the title of the book and I have found so many links that way,
as a review is likely to mention if it is a sequel. Searching full text of
reviews is also so helpful if all the person remembers is the name of the
character. "Detective so and so" is unhelpful in the library catalog, but
often enough in Novelist to pin down an author and title.

I use Novelist more for my collection development and librarianship than
one-on-one with patrons. I am filling in series gaps with it, filling
displays with it, and planning book discussions and programs with it. I
would class it as a professional tool along with Fiction Catalog.

Hillary Theyer

-----Original Message-----
From: Fiction_L [[removed]@maillist.webrary.org]
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2003 12:00 PM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: Fiction_L Digest #2770 - 03/07/03

Fiction_L Digest #2770 - Friday, March 7, 2003

RE: Novelist Pros and Cons
by "Penelope Hamblin" <[removed]@clsn1269.cumberland.lib.nc.us>

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: RE: Novelist Pros and Cons
From: "Penelope Hamblin" <[removed]@clsn1269.cumberland.lib.nc.us>
Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 14:44:10 -0500 (EST)

One of the nicest things about NoveList is the ability to search the full
text of reviews. This lets you target
appeal factors that don't show up in subject headings. You can
look for a fast-paced thriller or a witty Regency romance. Sure, there's
no authority control over the words in reviews, but this technique can get
you a short list of likely prospects.

You can also find titles that Booklist reviewers recommend as alternatives
for popular authors' fans. For example, do a Boolean search on the
words Mary Higgins Clark NOT in the author field. You'll
get a list of reviews of other authors' books, in which Clark's name
is mentioned. A review of Don't Cry Now by Joy Fielding concludes:

A definite must for Fielding fans and a new find for fans of Mary Higgins
Clark. ((Reviewed Apr. 15, 1995)) -- Melanie Duncan

(I learned this trick from an edition of NoveList Notes, which is
published in print, email, and on the NoveList site itself.)

Good luck,
Penelope...

...speaking for herself alone
=============================================================
Penelope Hamblin
Reference & Information Services Manager

North Regional Branch Library
Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center
Fayetteville, North Carolina

email: [removed]@cumberland.lib.nc.us
phone: 910-822-1998, ext. 230
fax: 910-480-0030

----------------------------------------------------------------------
End of Fiction_L Digest

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FROM: David Wright <[removed]@yahoo.com>
REC'D: 3/10/03, 1:42 AM

I agree with Penelope that the strongest thing
about Novelist is the full text review searching
- this really makes it very useful. The
Review-Not-Author search is nifty, and you can be
really creative with keyword searching within
those reviews. The subject headings are much
more specific than any catalog I know of - except
maybe the old Hennepen County catalog - and
include many helpful genre and subgenre
designations. It is hands-down the best resource
I know for those book identification questions
that we get so many of - many of the questions
answered here on Fiction_L are librarians with
Novelist helping out librarians without Novelist.
And if you are attempting to use review and
subject keywords to identify some readalikes, it
is nice that the reviews are usually right there
to give a better idea of a book's feel. Add to
this all the helpful features, the Booklist
content, the Genreflecting Content, the readalike
lists, and this really is a nifty database. If
you haven't looked it over in a few years, you
really should give it another look...
David Wright
Seattle Public Library

--- Penelope Hamblin
<[removed]@clsn1269.cumberland.lib.nc.us> wrote:
>
> One of the nicest things about NoveList is the
> ability to search the full
> text of reviews.

=====
David Wright Seattle Public Library

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FROM: "IPPL RS" <[removed]@SLS.LIB.IL.US>
REC'D: 3/25/03, 12:17 PM

I've got to add that "Search by Plot" alone makes NoveList a gem.

Thank you,
Karen D. Toonen
[removed]@sls.lib.il.us
Readers Advisory Assistant
Indian Prairie Public Library
Darien IL

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