With Summer Reading revving up at libraries across the U.S., we at NoveList like to take a dive into comments and questions that we receive from the fantastic librarians who spend these hot and humid months neck-deep in reading challenges and themed tchotchke.
One recent question stood out to me as a former librarian and currently overwhelmed reader: is there a way to limit your search results in NoveList to either include or exclude series?
What a great question! As librarians, we all know those readers who would prefer to stick to series – they want the opportunity for the complex characters, ongoing adventures, and marathon reading sessions. And we all know readers like me who are, at the moment, craving stand-alone titles; I am just not ready for that kind of commitment, okay? I promise – it’s me, not you.
Luckily we have just the perfect feature available in NoveList Plus to help you help your readers.
Let’s take a look at two ways you can do this:
1. Start with a search in the NoveList search box.
On the results page, navigate to the “Refine Results” panel on the left. Click on the “Additional Limiters” prompt to open the larger list of options.
Choose either “Include Series Titles” or “Exclude Series Titles,” then click the “Update Results” button located directly beneath the limiters section. This will provide a refined list packed with series/non-series goodness!
2. From the NoveList homepage, click on the “Advanced Search” link located directly beneath the search box.
Under the “Limit your results” section, select your desired limiter and click “Search.” I love starting here at times, especially when you have a narrow or challenging request (Award-winning fiction book under 200 pages with a Lexile level of 650, anyone?).
Your results page will magically appear with your desired limiters.
We hope this feature will assist you in your daily quest to help your readers find the perfect title.
Did you also peep that unique genre used for this search, “Stories told by animals”? Our metadata librarians are always striving to provide numerous access points for you, which includes creating a slew of genres beyond the traditional ones you probably think of (Mystery, Fantasy, Science Fiction, etc.). Some of our favorites include “Books for reluctant readers,” “TV tie-ins,” and “Storytime standouts.” Download a copy of the latest edition of The Secret Language of Books to learn more!
Jen Heuer Scott is a NoveList Consultant. She is currently reading The Stonewall Reader edited by New York Public Library and Jason Baumann.
