Secret Shopper Summary

For this assignment, I chose a library located just one town over from my hometown. I visit this library only occasionally to study. When I first entered, I saw that no one was at the reference desk, so I headed to circulation. I waited for a short time before the clerk realized I was there. She was very friendly and asked how she could help me. I told her that I was looking for a book recommendation. I could tell she was a little nervous (and boy, did I empathize!). She asked, “Ok, what kind?” I told her that I was trying to expand my reading repertoire and try out genres I’ve never or rarely read before. I asked for a fantasy recommendation. She immediately directed me to the genre bookmarks located on a rotating organizer on the desk. She seemed relieved to have those ready-made go-to genre lists (as am I when someone asks me an RA question!). I got the feeling that this might be the extent of our conversation about fantasy, so I sat down with my bookmark and thought for awhile. I couldn't let it end like this (!), so I headed over to the reference desk. The librarians were now seated there. I asked them if they could help me narrow down the bookmark list. They were friendly and approachable. I was in luck too because one of the librarians, Sarah (she told me her name), was a huge fantasy reader! 

Sarah didn’t need any database or searching tools. She had enough insight and information stored in her brain. She walked with me into the stacks, asking questions as we perused. She asked me what I like to read and what books I’ve read lately. I mentioned the two books I read for class. She then asked me what I liked about these books. She provided me with two recommendations. The first, “Gideon The Ninth,” which she described as a bit darker and “weird.” The author, Tamsyn Muir, also writes horror. I assume my mention of horror and the suspense component of this book might have led her to believe that this might be a good match!  Her second recommendation was “A Deadly Education” by Naomi Novik. She was excited about this book and prioritized it as first among her recommendations. She told me that it was a total page-turner and that when she read it, she couldn’t put it down. Before she returned to her desk, she asked me to follow up with her. She was eager to find out what I thought about these books.

In my opinion, the librarian who helped me find my books did an excellent job! I would not recommend she do anything differently. She asked the right questions, showed interest and enthusiasm in helping me, provided two solid recommendations based on the information I provided her, and she got me (kind of) excited about fantasy!