Week Five Prompt

How do different types of reviews affect collection development?

Different types of reviews affect collection development only as much as collection librarians allow them to.  Librarians, as a general rule, are mindful of the need for bias awareness in information resources.  The same principle applies to reviews in that there is obviously a high degree of subjectivity involved in reviewing books.  Reviewers have different tastes and varying degrees of commitment to objective critique.  Some reviewers have an almost clinical approach in which they examine what a work is and is not; some reviewers may place a higher value on snarky commentary and an acidic critical voice.  Librarians can be aware of this and use multiple sources to form opinions for collection development decisions.  It is a matter of understanding what resources are at your disposal and how to best use them.

Based on two reviews for an ebook-only romantic-suspense novel, do you feel that both reviews are reliable?  How likely would you be to buy this book for your library?

I’m not sure that I can speak entirely to the reliability of either review, but I believe that we can conclude that the blog review is certainly the more informative.  Aside from providing a fairly detailed synopsis of the plot, the reviewer clearly stated her opinion of the novel and provided at least some rationale for this opinion.  In contrast, the Amazon reviewer’s assertion that she had tears rolling down her face is not particularly useful information to the librarian trying to decide whether or not to purchase this title.  Essentially, this is the difference between an actual review and liking your aunt’s funny cat photo on Facebook.  While there is nothing wrong with liking a cat photo, “lmao” is not, in the strictest sense, constructive artistic criticism.

That said, I do not believe that either of these reviews would influence me, as a librarian, to purchase this title.  Christmas-themed romance is sizable sub-genre in its own right, and there is no indication in either review that this title does anything to separate it from other works in the sub-genre or even that it is an especially good example of such a work.  Unless the book was requested by a patron or I found another review source that changed my perception, I would not be inclined to purchase this title.

Based on these reviews from professional publications for Frank McCourt’s memoir, Angela’s Ashes, how do you feel about the possibility of adding this title to your collection?

Based on most of these reviews alone, I was initially inclined to disregard this particular work.  Most of the reviews seemed desperate for a self-indulgent wallow into the misery of the author’s life, casting a loving eye on the squalor and suffering, the waste of a human being represented by the author’s alcoholic father, the unbearable circumstances under which a young boy is forced to make his way in the world.  Such reading amounts to little more than a masturbatory act of intellectual masochism.  Who would want to endure such a thing?  Perhaps as bad is the Booklist Review assertion that the true inspiration of McCourt’s work is that it was in the midst of his terrible suffering that McCourt learned to love.  Writing of this sort is normally the result of a reviewer more concerned with coming across as profound on the page than revealing real deeper truths within a literary work.  In this case, the reviewer’s superficiality is exacerbated by a ham-handed command of English prose, all of which serves to offer no greater illumination of this work, but rather a reduction.

What changed my mind about this book was the short, simple, and elegant review offered by the Library Journal Review.  While this review does not shy away from the darkness of McCourt’s life, it introduces the story by referring to McCourt as “the eldest of eight children born to Angela Sheehan,” and by recognition of this titular character, acknowledges at least implicitly that the family relationships, not the suffering, should be at the forefront of importance in the reader’s mind.  This review suggests to the reader that there is ultimately catharsis to be found, and a higher purpose for human suffering.  Based on this, I would seriously consider Angela’s Ashes for inclusion in my collection.  Seriously, intellectual masochist are freaks.

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?

While I would certainly not say that this fair, it is the unfortunate reality of the publishing industry—books by well-known (and profitable) authors are widely reviewed while lesser known authors receive relatively little attention.  The tragedy of this is that—hidden among these uncelebrated works—there are potentially great works that could languish and, for lack of recognition, fade into obscurity.  There are, fortunately, smaller, specialized publications that focus on reviewing books that might escape the notice of the bigger name publications.  Most importantly, though, is that readers of genre fiction in the most danger of obscurity also happen to be some of the most passionate and enthusiastic promoters of these works.  Librarians should be thankful to depend upon these readers to stay abreast of lesser known titles which may enrich the library’s collection.

How do you feel about review sources that won’t print negative content?  Do you think that’s appropriate?

While I don’t know if it is “inappropriate,” my personal opinion is that review sources that make the decision to refrain from printing negative content are doing a disservice to their readership.  I do not agree with reviewers who default to a hatchet job whenever reviewing a book, as this is just as much of a disservice, but sometimes readers need an honest assessment that a book is simply not up to par and that they should be cautious when approaching this book.  This is not, however, to say that all books that receive bad reviews should be avoided.  For my personal reading, if I am considering purchasing a book and I know that it has generally received good reviews, I am more comfortable purchasing this book outright.  Books that have received mixed or bad reviews, I am more likely to check out from my local library before committing the money and shelf space to their acquisition.  My current favorite sources for reviews are NewYork Review of Books, New York Times Book Review, and IndieBound.