Library Chat: Knowing readers’ likes, dislikes key for librarians

By Medicine Hat News on November 24, 2017.

At Monday night’s Scotiabank Giller Prize ceremony an emotional Michael Redhill was honoured for “Bellevue Square” and took home $100,000. Each of four runners-up were presented with $10,000.

I always am interested, when awards are given, in how the books are faring in Medicine Hat. Every town has a different readership and different titles do well in different places. To be a responsive public library and use your tax dollars wisely, we need to get to know your likes and dislikes. Looking at how the entire library collection is circulating tells us where best to spend your money.

The internal workings of the library catalogue remember when we ordered which copies and how they’ve been used, so I know if we agreed with advance promotion that the thing was going to be good, or had a hunch, or we had to play catchup once the long list was announced and dedicated readers started clamouring for a title. MHPL has just the one copy of Bellevue Square at the moment and it had only gone out three times before this week. Now that it’s a big winner, I expect we’ll see more demand.

Rachel Cusk’s book “Transit” made the short list and has been well used. MHPL and Brooks Public Library picked it up in good time and it’s been circulating well. At MHPL the two copies have gone out 26 times and been renewed five times. The Brooks copy got off to a good start with slower readers, checked out three times and renewed four, but that fourth renewal looks like a desperate attempt to find a misplaced book as it’s now marked missing.

Ed O’Loughlin was short listed for “Minds of Winter” which many Shortgrass libraries picked up. The MHPL copy has been in and out five times and renewed once, while the Graham copy sits on the shelf, unloved. Brooks’ copy went out once and was renewed once and Redcliff’s copy has been out twice and renewed once.

Eden Robinson’s “Son of a Trickster” circulated 11 times and was renewed three times, and the Brooks copy, five and three. And the last book on the short list, Michelle Winters’ delightfully named “I Am a Truck” only went out twice; come on Chevrolet truck owners, borrow this book! Once legions of Hatters start placing holds, these partner copies will likely spend most of their next few months in and out of MHPL.

The benefit in sharing a regional collection is that one library doesn’t have to buy a bunch of copies if there is sudden demand. And, of course, the smaller libraries don’t need to keep so many older books on their shelves as they can call on MHPL to send things from our larger collection when requested.

Shelley Ross is chief librarian at the Medicine Hat Public Library.

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