I did my paper over a brief history of readers' advisory in the United States. I specifically wanted to look at when RA services really became a thing.
What I learned was that while the first libraries were being built in the 1600s (starting with Harvard University's library), RA services weren't discussed until the 1870s, when Samuel Green wrote a paper titled "Personal Intercourse and Relations between Librarians and Readers in Popular Libraries." This is the first instance of RA services being an idea, though they weren't called such back then. Research on the subject found that while these services could be available in the academic libraries, students were mostly taught to rely on their textbooks rather than outside sources, and thus the service wasn't used. When public libraries started being built in the 1830s, RA services became more necessary.
Early readers' advisory services were focused on furthering the education of the public. There was little thought put towards leisure materials. The early RA interviews were very private, having separate offices to conduct the interviews. As more and more of the public became educated, and with Depression-era free time, leisure reading began to rise, and RA services had to adapt.
Today's readers' advisory services are much less formal and less geared towards knowledge only. Most RA interviews can be conducted by any library staff, or anyone at all that cares about reading and wishes to share that with others. There aren't separate rooms for conducting the interview. RA services continue to change as our society continues to change.
Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI like that you point out the change in the way RA is now handled from its heyday several decades ago. Something that I read at one point about libraries, in general, mentioned that the entire institution was once very geared towards education, and leisure reading wasn't seen incredibly highly. The goal of many librarians was to educate their patrons, not help them find 'fluff' materials. While we now know that leisure reading is a vital part of most peoples lives (or it should be), the understanding of its importance was definitely absent and the way interviews were conducted reflected that.
Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI can see how long ago RA was focused on furthering one's education....Abraham Lincoln comes to mind...he walked for miles to borrow a book....how did he know which book to borrow? I'm thinking word of mouth? Did your research discuss casual, less formal, verbal book recommendations to advance the students' education and knowledge?
Thank you.