Secret Shopper Assignment

I went to a library branch I had never been too, and was slightly surprised to find it a relatively small single-story building. As I walked in, I found the circulation desk directly in front of the entrance, and took a few minutes to familiarize myself with the layout. The children's area (with its own children's reference desk) was contained in its own area to the right of the circulation desk, while the rest of the library extended to the left. I found the reference desk along the right wall not far into this next area, so I walked past to see if there were any displays. Bookshelves lined all the walls except for the designated teen area in the back, which had a display of new teen books and read-alike suggestions for many popular YA novels. While there was one display featuring books and materials in honor of Black History Month, any space not occupied by bookshelves housed computers, tables and study cubicles for patrons' use.

I made my way back to the reference desk, where I noticed they had displayed a few current bestseller lists. The one librarian at the desk was a middle-aged woman who was typing something up as I approached. She stopped and smiled when she noticed me and asked if she could help me with something. I told her I was trying to find a good mystery book to read, something like The Cuckoo's Calling. She didn't quite understand the title I mentioned (I may have unintentionally mumbled) so I repeated it and added that it was a book J.K. Rowling wrote under a pen name. She started typing in a search in what I guessed was the library catalog, and confirmed the title and "Robert Galbraith" as the author. She then asked if I liked military subjects (most likely because the main character was a veteran of the war in Afghanistan). I told her I was more interested in a contemporary mystery like this book, something fast-paced. At that she got up and said she could show me their mystery section, which was located on the opposite wall. She pointed out a few popular authors that were "supposed to be good" like Janet Evanovich and Sue Grafton, authors that I have not had the chance to read. She then pointed out James Patterson as a possibility (which I haven't read any of his books either) and said she just loves his Alex Cross novels. I thanked her for her assistance and that I'd check her suggestions out, and she went back to the reference desk. I did look at some of books in these authors' series, but I couldn't find the first books in the series at this branch. I did take an Alex Cross book with the intent of putting the first book on hold.

I have mixed feelings about this RA interview. I think I caught the librarian off guard at the start, since she didn't initially understand the name of the book I mentioned and was not familiar with it once she did establish the title. While she did ask me if I liked a certain type of book, it seemed at that point in the conversation she was already trying to find a way to get the interview over with quickly. While I did appreciate her walking me over to the mystery section and recommending a few popular authors, she didn't necessarily highlight choices that aligned with what I was looking for. She did have a friendly, non-judgmental attitude and was willing to help, but since the interview had a rocky start I think she may have felt a little panicked about being asked about a book she had never heard of. Instead of brushing it off and digging in a little deeper, she looked for an easy way to end the interview by offering a few general suggestions. I do know that feeling of wanting to find a quick solution from working as a reference assistant in an academic library and fielding research questions in subjects I had never studied before. This was a good chance to gain perspective on the patron side of an interview, and it did drive home that taking a little extra time to fully understand the initial question and find a more specific answer can make all the difference in a readers' advisory interview.