Prompts - Round 2
Collection Development shouldn’t be solely dependent on book reviews from websites. However, if the romance genre isn’t being reviewed by big named professional publications, collection development will be affected. Librarians can certainly look at the Romantic Times, but it doesn’t show an overall effect of those books and what is popular throughout the professional publications.
After reading the article, I wanted a more professional review on the book to check facts with the reviews located on the document. However, there wasn’t even a professional review on the Romantic Times. I understand that librarians have difficulty finding good romantic novels to recommend. However, I feel like those reviews give a well-rounded perspective on the novel. I would also visit GoodReads, LibraryThing, and other Amazon reviews of the book as well. However, those reviews give a good perspective of the characters and the story itself. Even looking at reasons why people disliked the book is great information on why it should or should not be in the library. Books are not in the library because everyone likes them. All different kinds of books are available in the library because they offer a variety of reading material.
Stories that center on historical fiction are my favorite. Just reading about Angela’s Ashes makes me want to read it immediately. I think the reviews provided are great ones to base an addition to the library. I enjoyed the shorter reviews that were quick to the point. It let me know what the book was about and what I should expect. Some of the reviews were a little confusing, giving me details about characters in the books that I don’t know who was there. In BookList, it refers to Frank and what he did in the story. However, I don’t know who Frank is and I’m not sure how it related to the review. I would like a little more knowledge on the book before adding it to my collection. I may look at Amazon and glance through people’s reviews of the book. I would continue to look at reviews on GoodReads and LibraryThing. If possible, I would try and look on Common Sense Media to understand what content is throughout the book in concerns to sex, violence, drugs/alcohol, etc.
The reviews are based on popular demand. It’s unfortunate that some books are not reviewed as much as others, but that is because most people are reading the books that are getting reviewed. However, that doesn’t mean that the books of less demand should not be reviewed at all. It definitely isn’t fair, but I don’t think that every book in the library is thought of equally - as it should. It does affect the library’s collection because the more on-demand and popular books are sought after while the less popular books are put on the back burner. Libraries need to be careful and make sure that every genre and type of book is represented in the library, regardless of popularity. As for reviewers printing negative content, I think that reviewers should have the freedom to publish reviews on books they do not like, but I think it depends on the book review site. If the book review website prides itself on genuine, unbiased reviews, then they should provide reviews of books from a generic perspective. The Kirkus Review at the beginning of the post made me laugh. The author sure did have some guts to share that kind of review! But every reader is different. Just because one person hated it doesn’t mean that everyone will hate it. I think reviewers should be honest about the content of the book rather than say it wasn’t good or it made me nauseous. It needs to contain detail about the book and why it isn’t as good as others. The review has to match the site. I did page through the tumblr website of Kirkus’ bad reviews and found them entertaining. But, that was it - entertaining. Some of the reviews included reasons why it was bad, others just wrote a witty comment on why it was horrible. I searched the web for some articles about negative reviews. To my surprise, most articles were about why writing negative reviews were bad. Bob Garfield writes in the New York Times about banning negative book reviews and how Buzzfeed was behind it. Garland writes that by doing this he will soon discover “a newspaper that delivers only good news” (Banning the Negative Book Review). It seems that everything in society today has to be “good” or “happy” or “nice.” If there is anything negative said about anybody - or anything (depending on political standing) - it would be looked down upon. I think book reviewers have to be truthful to their opinions, but be careful about how they are writing their negative reviews. If they are focused on writing witty and sarcastic insults, that is not helping. Some books may not be written as well as others, and that’s ok. Every author is not going to win a Newbery winner and that’s ok. But, if we treat every book review as a Newbery winner or National Book Award, than which book is actually good?
I think negative reviews are essential for any book review. I think book review websites should allow negative reviews because it shows impartiality. However, I don’t think every book review should be a negative one. There should be a good mix of reviews. If reviewers are forced to write a good review on a book that isn’t that good, it’s not truthful to the reader. As a Christian School Librarian, I appreciate all kinds of reviews. It helps give a balance to the book.
Whenever I purchase books for my library, I make sure to review it on many different websites. I typically use School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Common Sense Media. I wish more websites were similar to Common Sense Media because it contains information about the content of the book - violence, language, sex, drugs, positive images, etc. I work at a Christian School, so it is nice to have those types of reviews on the books out there. I don’t have time to read every book and know all the content in it. Students need to be presented with books that have some of that content, but I need to be careful how I present it - and how quickly. I just started the job this year, so I am trying to be ultra-conservative. Over time, I hope to introduce more books in the library.
Garfield, Bob. (Nov. 29, 2013). “Banning the Negative Book Review.” New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/30/opinion/banning-the-negative-book-review.html.
Great prompt response - full points
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