Prompt Response Week 5

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, and then still it's usually only RT Reviews (formally Romantic Times) or other genre heavy publications. How does this affect collection development?

This affects collection development because these books will not be seen or heard about as well. Also, libraries are more print-friendly than digital-friendly despite an increase in digital items added to library collections.

[ebook] Look over the reviews - do you feel they are both reliable? How likely would you be to buy this book for your library?

The benefit of an Amazon customer review is that the review can come from a customer who actually read the book, much like Goodreads (which I love to read customer reviews on there). Or, on Amazon, it’s someone who is purposefully trying to make the item (a book in this case) look good. This one looks like it is a legit customer who has read the book, and it’s a decent review. However, I am hesitant to look at and trust Amazon reviews. Amazon is about selling things, so it’s hard for me to take the reviews seriously. The second review was also a decent review. It is definitely some person who reads and then blogs their honest reviews. 

Based off the two reviews, I do not think I would pick it up for my library. Unless someone requested we have this book, I would not even think about it. It has nothing to do with the content of the book. I know there are people who would enjoy this book. If there are tons of independent reviews on this title, especially popular review sites, I would be aware of it and would consider it.

Because I work in a popular holdings library, I prefer to have books and authors that are more popular. People want what is hot right now. However, I would like it if libraries could help independent or less known authors more by purchasing digital versions of their books at a lower cost in order to give them more awarenss.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. How do these reviews make you feel about the possibility of adding Angela's Ashes to your collection?

These reviews hit on many content aspects of the book such as setting, characters, pace, tone, plot, etc., which is great to see in a review. However, I am not seeing any negative content. I have not read it, so I do not know if it’s as perfect as these reviews make it seem. Sometimes I feel reviewers feel compelled to write a positive review of well-known works. Because of these various positive reviews, as well as its popularity, I would feel like I am forced to add a handful of copies to our collection.

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 do think it’s unfair that certain books are reviewed more than others, especially books that are reviewed at all. There are books out there that could be really good but never looked at in a serious manner. This is how I feel with music, and most art in general. However, with technology these days, people have a better chance than ever getting their book, art, music, etc. on the internet, but it’s still hard to get it heard by those who can review/critic it.

This affects a library’s collection because they only receive what is popular instead of what may be “good.”

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

People who review books and do not print negative content are doing a disservice because they should review a book for what it is. If you only print positive content, it is like you are trying to sell the book yourself. The best reviews, to me, are ones that talk about basic plot points (with no spoilers obviously), and give an honest review taking various aspects of content into account (characters, plot, pace, setting, etc.).

At the same time, I think people pay too much attention to negative reviews (and reviews overall). Reviews are simply just a person's opinion. Kirkus Review gave Ready Player One by Ernest Cline a pretty unfavorable review. However, the book is a big hit with gamers and those who grew up in the 1980s. I am not saying the negativity in reviews are not true, or that people's opinions can't hold truth, but everyone has different tastes and some people see content in books differently.

Because I do not work in a Collection Development Department, I do not know how they exactly acquire books.  I would hope reviews are not a significant factor in acquiring books. 

I read reviews, but they have little to no effect on my opinions of a book. Long reviews I do not bother to look at. I just want something quick to spark my interest. At my library we have magazines we can have routed to us if we want to put our name on the list for that specific magazine. Currently I have Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, and School Library Journal sent to me. I skim through them usually. I also like to read Goodreads reviews more because it is from a multitude of people. I mainly like to see how people summarize the plot and characters rather than their opinion of the novel, but it is interesting to see the differing opinions of a book after I have read the same book.

In conclusion:

- Honest reviews are better than strictly positive reviews.
- Reviews should not be a main factor in collection development or one's perception of a book.
- Libraries should bring more awareness to unknown and independent authors who do not have the ability to be reviewed.
- Amazon and Goodreads are great places to find regular, honest customer/reader reviews.