What are people at WUSTL reading? And what would you recommend?
One good way to answer these questions is to stop by the Recommended Reading display on the main floor of Olin Library, across from the Help Desk. There you’ll find many good reads to choose from, as well as a notebook to record a recommendation of your own. But now there’s another way, too. Access the library’s recommended books online to see what’s currently on display, explore an archive of previous recommendations and faculty publications, and submit your own recommendation anytime, from anywhere.
The shelving staff and students of Olin Library created the Recommended Reading display about six months ago, and those frequently refreshed selections along with the New Books display (around the corner from the Help Desk), a reinvigorated Popular Literature section, and a theme-based DVD display have added new life to the first floor of Olin Library.
"We wanted to make it easier for patrons who are browsing to quickly find a really good read. From there it grew somewhat organically and gained momentum in the last few months," says Stephanie Biermann, supervisor of stacks management and retrieval. "It’s a way for the library staff to connect with the university community, and for patrons to be more involved with the library—to say, 'This is what we’re reading and what we like.' You get traffic going both ways, which is nice."
Having the recommended reads online gives users the ability to browse the selections—and make recommendations of their own—even when they’re not in the library. There’s also a tab on the page devoted to WUSTL authors, where recommended publications by WU faculty, alumni, and students are listed. (If there’s a faculty publication you'd like to see added to the list, recommend it and mention in the comment section that it’s WUSTL-affiliated.)
Biermann notes that people can recommend any book—whether or not it’s currently among the library’s holdings—and the library will retrieve or acquire it, where possible, and add it to the list. "I’ve picked up books that I would never have looked twice at," Biermann says. "It’s been fun to see what people recommend."
The URL for the online listing is http://libguides.wustl.edu/recommendedreading.
