Secret Shopper Assignment Summary

For my assignment, I went to a circulation desk and asked for a book with a lot of twists and turns. I didn't necessarily want a thriller, but I guess that's the only name for it. The librarian I encountered had a little trouble coming up with a book I would accept. She asked me about a couple before landing on one I decided to try. And when I asked what tools she had been using, she told me it was "just Google,". I didn't really have the conversation I was hoping to have with a librarian about book recommendations, but the librarian was pleasant even if she didn't help me in the ways I wanted. I was looking forward to having a librarian use an RA tool like Novelist or at least Goodreads and not just a search engine that I could use on my own. In the end, I came away with The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov as an idea for the next book I'll read with twists and turns.


Comments

  1. SusanFebruary 8, 2020 at 2:02 PM

    I really like your initial question! I'd just asked for a "mystery," but your specification probably helped them out a lot. It's also awesome that your librarian asked you about a few titles. Mine just kind of assumed that I would be happy with anything they suggested and didn't really seek feedback. Even if they didn't get it right the first couple of times, it probably helped them get a better idea of what you like. I'm sorry it wasn't ideal, but I'm glad you have that much at least! Did you end up liking the recommendation?

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  2. Emily February 8, 2020 at 11:17 PM

    I am sorry that the conversation did not go like you had hoped. I do love google for quick searches but Novelist provides results that are concise every time; as in I don't have to sit and scroll through pages for several seconds (or in some cases minutes) to find what I am looking for haha. I do think that the librarian would have perhaps had better luck had they used Novelist or Goodreads, but I am glad that in the end they at least provided a potential title for your next read.

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  3. BC RunionFebruary 9, 2020 at 3:43 PM

    Hi Arianna! It sounds like the librarian was at least positive. I would also agree that Google seems a bit basic. I wonder if that library has access to Novelist. I would think that even if not Goodreads would be a nice option. I really only use Google if looking quickly for a title or author name when someone asks a vague "do you know who/what I'm talking about" question. God bless Google for that! But I completely understand feeling let down. Hopefully that book is good, I've heard good things about it in any case.

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  4. Erin CataldiFebruary 12, 2020 at 10:02 AM

    Sorry again about the lackluster experience but is sounds like you got some really good takeaways.

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