Book Review Publications - Week Five Prompt Response

The different book review publications have their own way of formatting reviews. How does this affect collection development?

I think the various review publications could greatly benefit collection development because each format can have some pieces of different information that could help deciding books that a librarian is on the fence about getting. It is also best to look at more than one source for book recommendations so that bias can be avoided. If only one review is looked at, the reviewer may be giving a personal rather than professional critique. This can be seen with the examples of reviews on Amazon versus those from Kirkus, Booklist, and Library Journal. 

Do you feel The Billionaire’s First Christmas reviews are both reliable? How likely would you be to buy this book for your library?

I do feel the blog review is a bit more reliable. It seems more professional. The Amazon review also sounded pretty serious, but there was also a tone of just making a review for fun. I am not sure that I would get this book for my library. I would definitely consider it because it seems like a good quick read that people might enjoy. Yet, it also sounds cliche and I would be looking more for unique material to add to my collection.

How do the reviews make you feel about the possibility of adding Angela's Ashes to your collection?

Personally, when I realized it was a review of a Frank McCourt book, I was already feeling biased because I read his book Teacher Man a few years ago and did not like it. Yet, reading the reviews for Angela’s Ashes made his writing sound appealing. While his writing style may not be for me, I do think many people would like to read his stories, so I would add Angela’s Ashes to my 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? And how do you feel about review sources that won't print negative content? Do you think that's appropriate? 

All books should get some reviews. Librarians do need to know what the people are really into at the moment, but they are also responsible for buying material that the community does not know yet that they want. The only way to find that material is if it is reviewed and/or included on various lists. I also think it is necessary to print negative content. Librarians need to read as many sources as possible to learn about the material they are looking to purchase. They will need to see if too many people do not like a book so they will know not buy a book that will likely just collect dust. 

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?

I do not have a job where I have to buy material for my library, but I do look on Goodreads and sometimes Amazon for reviews on books for my personal reading. I particularly like looking at the ratings on Goodreads. I see how many ratings there have been and what percent were five or four stars. This usually gives me a good idea about whether or not I should give a book a try. The ratings can be better for me because while some reviews on Goodreads are more professional, some have clear bias.