Tip for February 19, 2019
Last week, Darla asked if you could recommend books to read over spring break. Yesterday, Anton asked you what he should read now that he's finished all the Warriors books (yay!). You love answering these kinds of questions, but how do you recommend items to patrons who are looking through the online catalog at home? Do you have a list set up for the "Top 10 Must Read" books in your library?
How do you decide what's a "Must Read" item anyway? You could try using the Top Circulated report. It shows call number, title, author, number of copies, and number of checkouts for the top circulated items in your library.
Some librarians keep bestsellers or current "hot" items under a different policy so they can limit checkout times for popular items that are frequently on hold. If this describes you, run the Top Circulated report and select by that policy. Or maybe you want to promote some unloved books. Run a Weeding List report to find some good candidates for recommendations. Perhaps you want to build a list of YA books for 5th graders that were really popular last year. Get creative!
How do you give your patrons recommendations? Comment and tell us about it!