Secret Shopper Assignment

I had a terrific and very engaging secret shopper experience.  I am, however, a dismal failure at the espionage game. (Sigh.)

The assignment was to visit a library where we could play the role of an anonymous patron seeking readers' advisory help, and then record the experience.  My intention was to venture abroad to a library outside my hometown.  However, I happened to be attending a committee meeting at my local library on Monday, and on my way out of the building I noticed an employee that I wasn't familiar with.  I decided to seize the moment and play my part.

I approached the staff member and asked for assistance finding a good book to read.  She responded with enthusiasm, saying that she loved this part of her job.  Then she surprised me by asking, "If I asked you to recommend one book to me, something that you loved, what would it be and why?"  I thought that was a great way to phrase a question that would provide her with info on my reading tastes!  Unfortunately, since I am not a good actress and had not expected to do my "secret shopping" that day, I hadn't actually planned out what genre I would pretend to be seeking.  (Spy blunder #1. Next time, think ahead.)

I decided to choose something a bit outside my usual reading tastes (historical fiction, fantasy, Victorian lit), so I blurted out, "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a great read.  I liked the insights into the lives of the investigators and the northern European setting.  It had a dark tone and it was fast-paced and suspenseful."  Ha!  I probably should have gone a bit slower and waited for her to ask me some questions instead of spilling out so much of the required info in one long rush.  (Spy blunder #2. Next time, less nervous jabber.)

I knew that the library did not subscribe to NoveList, so I was curious what RA tool(s) the librarian would use to make suggestions.  To my surprise, she immediately printed out the call # for a book called The Blackhouse by Peter May.  She told me that the book is about a detective from Edinburgh that goes to investigate a dark murder on the Isle of Lewis.  Like Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the book is suspenseful and fast-moving, and the story focuses a lot of attention on the life of the investigator.  Also like GWTDT, it is the first book of a trilogy.  It sounded to me like she had nailed it on her first try and without referring to any resource!

At that point in the interview we were approached by a librarian that knows me very well -- we have friends in common and have served on community boards together.  So my covert status as an anonymous patron was busted.  Oh, snap!  (Spy blunder #3. Next time, wear a disguise?)  I fessed up to both of them that I was working on a "secret shopper" assignment, and asked the first librarian how she had come up with such an on-target recommendation without NoveList or other RA tools.  She just smiled and said that she reads a lot of books. 

This led to a really good conversation between the three of us.  My friend knows that my book club reads Historical Fiction and we talked about some great titles.  Then I asked what they would recommend as a good series for a subgenre like Historical Mysteries.  They asked a one word question in unison: "Where?"  I tossed out a quick reply: "England."  Both of them wrote down a recommendation for me -- it was like a race!  Their suggestions were Instruments of Darkness by Imogen Robertson (suspenseful, 18th century, lots of period detail), and Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (lighter, suitable for teens, elements of romance).  Both are the first book in a series.  Again, these were recommendations made from their own reading experience, without the aid of any resource.

While I was impressed by their RA skills and enthusiasm, I think it would be difficult to be consistently effective without more tools at hand.  Both librarians were familiar with NoveList and wished their library had access.  They reported that they use Amazon and social media sights (Goodreads, Library Thing) to search for ideas when necessary, and often share good web resources with each other at the Reference desk.  From their point of view, the best way to be able to recommend good books is to a) read books, and b) talk about books.

But I think my good experience also had a lot to do with the fact that I was talking to two librarians who genuinely enjoy matching up readers and books.