An Introduction to Passive Readers’ Advisory

To register for this webinar please follow this link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/1717010235560/WN_IQ8ERtg-Q2KR4nwH2qe8Zg. Sessions are free and available only to members of the Michigan library community. Registrants will receive instructions and a link to attend the session directly from PCI after they register.

Readers’ Advisory is not always face to face or in real time . . . Some patrons will not ask for help while in the library or want to start their search at home. For these reasons and because it’s not possible to reach everyone for one-on-one help, a robust program of passive readers advisory can fill in the gap.

Join Passive Readers’ Advisory expert Lila Denning for an hour of all the ways that you can help patrons find their next great read with passive readers’ advisory tools such as book displays, bookmarks, shelf talkers and lists. You will learn the features that both guide patrons with specific needs and wants while also marketing your collection.

She will also show you how to design social media posts and online lists of your physical and digital collection that will be a guide for patrons seeking help with a particular genre or subject.

Attendees will learn how to:

• Understand what Readers’ Advisory is as well as how Passive Readers’ Advisory differs from active readers advisory
• Identify best practices for creating Passive Readers’ Advisory tools for patrons, both online and offline
• Discover some ideas for how to market every part of your collection using Passive Readers’ Advisory
• Learn where to find ideas to inspire your Passive Readers’ Advisory efforts

Instructor: Lila Denning is a librarian in Florida specializing in Passive Readers’ Advisory for patrons of all ages. She is the acquisitions coordinator for the St. Petersburg Library System and has worked in circulation, reference, and youth services. She serves as the volunteer coordinator for the Horror Writers of America. You can find her on Twitter @Vantine and on BlueSky @Vantine.bsky.social. On her blog, bookdisplays.blogspot.com, she talks about ideas for book displays and other forms of Passive Readers’ Advisory and how to best use it to serve your patrons.

PCI Webinars are recorded and available to members of the Michigan library community in the Library of Michigan's Niche Staff Skills Academy about a week after they air. New webinars will be in the New category for several weeks. You do not need to register for a webinar in order to view it later in the Staff Skills Academy.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Library of Michigan.