Week 5 Prompt Response

eBook-only books, which are increasingly popular (especially in the romance genre) see little to no reviews in professional publications unless they have a big name author. How does this affect collection development?

 

Librarians rely on reviews in professional publications to determine which books to purchase for their collections. If there are no reviews, as is the case for many eBooks, certain titles will only be considered for purchase if there is high patron demand. This means many eBook-only books are not reaching patrons and, unfortunately, slip under the cracks. Patrons may search elsewhere for eBook-only titles, such as Amazon.  

I have posted two more documents in the week five files. One is two reviews of an eBook-only romantic suspense novel, one from a blog and one from Amazon. Look over the reviews—do you feel they are both reliable? How likely would you be to buy this book for your library?

I think these two reviews provide valuable insights from readers about various appeals, such as structure, length, pacing, and cleanliness; however, I don’t think they are as reliable as reviews from professional sources are. Both reviewers seem to focus on the plot and their personal feelings about the book than on what worked and what didn’t. I would not purchase this eBook based solely on these reviews, but I would consider purchasing it if a patron requested it and it wasn’t available on any of my library’s digital library apps. I would also try to determine if my library already provided any similar titles. If so, I would not purchase this eBook. If not, I would read more reader reviews across different platforms (Goodreads, Amazon, etc.) to help me make a more well-rounded decision. 

 

The other document contains some reviews of Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt, an incredibly popular memoir. How do these reviews make you feel about the possibility of adding Angela's Ashes to your collection?

These reviews do a great job of showing rather than telling readers why Angela’s Ashes is an in-demand memoir. Each review source provides several quotes and descriptions to show how harrowing McCourt’s childhood was, while also highlighting his honesty and humor. Additionally, the reviews describe the book as “extraordinary,” “impossible to put down,” “vivid,” and “wonderfully readable.” The Library Journal and Booklist reviews also note the book’s high demand. Ultimately, I would choose to add Angela’s Ashes to my library’s collection after reading these reviews. 

Do you think it's fair that one type of book is reviewed to death and other types of books get little to no coverage? How does this affect a library's collection?  

I don’t think it’s fair that some books are reviewed more than others; however, that’s just the name of the game, unfortunately. It’s more difficult for librarian’s to make purchasing decisions when books receive little to no coverage, but they can go to other non-professional sources to see what readers are saying. Personally, I would take most reader reviews with a grain of salt and make sure I am seeking multiple diverse perspectives. If librarians judge a book solely on its lack of reviews, the library collection may not be as diverse as they could be. Additionally, if librarians only purchase books that have been reviewed by several professional sources, the collection may only promote mainstream titles at the expense of others.

And how do you feel about review sources that won't print negative content? Do you think that's appropriate? 

Personally, I don’t know that I would trust a review source that ever only publishes positive reviews. Reviews that are negative simply because the writer disliked a book and/or its author should not be published, as they are subjective. Reviews that are honest and critical about a book, even if it comes across as negative, should be published, as they help librarians and readers make informed decisions about the books they purchase and read. I think critical/negative reviews are important, especially if they point out inaccuracies, stereotypes, or problematic content that will cause harm to marginalized communities. 

If you buy for your library, how often do you use reviews to make your decisions? If not, how do you feel about reviews for personal reading, and what are some of your favorite review sources?

I don’t have any collection development responsibilities at my library, but I do sometimes turn to professional review sources for my personal reading, particularly Kirkus Reviews because many reviews contain information about how diverse the characters/perspectives in a book are. I typically look at non-professional sources for my personal reading, such as Goodreads and BookTok. My favorite review source is BookTube. Over the years, I’ve come to trust the reviews of the BookTubers I am subscribed to because they are honest and consistent. When I’m not too sure about a book, I turn to BookTok so I can see what diverse creators think of it.