Learn with NoveList

Your staff is your library’s most valuable resource, and ongoing professional development keeps their skills sharp and relevant. We can help build the confidence and capacity they need to represent your library more effectively to readers, whether it’s at the desk, in the stacks, or through book displays, newsletters, and social media. These interactive staff development sessions are designed to help all staff, no matter their position, understand their role in connecting with readers and promoting the library.  

NoveList has been working to help connect books, readers, and libraries for more than 25 years. Our experts have extensive library experience, so they know and understand the challenges your staff face. They will work directly with your staff to guide them in developing effective strategies and exciting ideas for inspiring your community of readers. 

To see all of our live and self-paced courses, go to learnwithnovelist.com.

Build the confidence and capacity needed to represent your library more effectively to readers, inside and outside of the library walls. See more details about the courses and how to purchase a self-paced course here. 

Readers' Advisory Foundations
An expert from NoveList will get staff on an even footing in their understanding of readers' advisory, share strategies for working with readers, and teach the foundational principles for providing excellent readers' advisory service. This course is just what your library needs for staff new to readers' advisory or getting staff at all levels ready to excel at connecting readers with books. Learn more about live course options with your institution. 

Genre Foundations
Help your staff develop a basic understanding of a broad range of the most popular and challenging fiction genres. An expert from NoveList will introduce participants to a wide array of genres and present an overview of current genre trends for adults and teens, tips on keeping up with trends, and must-know titles, with an emphasis on diverse titles and authors. Learn more about live course options with your institution. 

Using Story Elements with Readers
Whether your readers love a steamy marriage of convenience romance or can't get enough of thought-provoking first contact stories, the NoveList story elements — appeal, genre, and theme terms — provide a great way to talk to your readers. Participants will learn how to supercharge their readers' advisory skills by gaining a thorough understanding of the story elements in our Secret Language of Books and how they can be used to help readers. Learn more about live course options with your institution. 

Deep Dive Into Building Relationships with Readers
Conversations are the heart of connecting readers to the books they want and need. These conversations can be one of the most rewarding parts of your work... or one of the most challenging! NoveList co-founder Duncan Smith shares his time-tested readers’ advisory methods, the goals to strive for in every conversation with a reader, and how to create a lasting connection between your organization and your community based on the value you provide to readers. To learn more about this self-paced course, click here.

Actively Anti-Racist service to Readers
Providing robust readers’ advisory service that values equity, diversity, and inclusion principles is essential to anyone working with readers. But moving from being a neutral, well-meaning organization to an actively anti-racist organization requires a deeper understanding of systemic racism. Learn the action steps needed to provide actively anti-racist readers services, as well as tangible skills to build enthusiasm for reading and discovering diverse books and to incorporate Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion principles in all interactions with readers. To learn more about this hybrid course, click here. 

Strategic Readers’ Services: A Complete Plan
This course is for anyone who is a practitioner of readers’ advisory, or RA. Use this self-guided toolkit to develop your own RA strategic plan, which you can share with your administration. When you complete this course, you'll be empowered to advocate for RA services and guide your own RA work in these uncertain times. To learn more about this self-paced course, click here.  

The Art and Practice of Providing Outstanding Reading Recommendations
Connecting readers with books they love is a core library service. But talking with readers about their tastes, and then trying to match those readers to books is a lot harder than it sounds. Learn how to navigate common scenarios librarians face when working with readers,  how to find and use the best tools and resources available to you, including the NoveList database, and how to evaluate whether your readers’ advisory services are making an impact. To learn more about this self-paced course, click here.

Empower staff to create effective marketing on all platforms, including print, digital, and in-person. Courses are grounded in strategy and goal setting and include best practices for targeting and crafting messages as well as measuring results. See more details about the courses here. 

Collection Promotion Deep-Dive
A library's collection is at the core of library work and is the base for all the other activities of the library. Inspire staff to engage the whole community in the entire collection and reach readers in the places where they are both looking for reading suggestions and places where they didn't even know the library could help them. Learn more about live course options with your institution. 

Marketing Foundations
Learn how to create a marketing strategy customized to your library using proven practices that get measurable results. You and your staff will leave with a plan to increase circulation, promote events and services, and create brand awareness and library loyalty through goal-based library promotions. Learn more about live course options with your institution. 

Conquering Social Media: A Strategy for Libraries
Social media is one of the few places where libraries can reach new cardholders and target and engage current library users. But algorithms make success tricky for most libraries. Learn how to match your promotional goals and content with your available audiences, keep up with social media algorithms, handle negative comments, and use social media to form a lasting relationship with your community. To learn more about this self-paced course, click here.

Telling Your Library Story
Raising awareness and garnering stakeholder support of libraries is particularly challenging right now. Whether you're concerned about budget cuts, seeking additional funding, or remaining relevant while your services are limited, an advocacy plan is essential. Let a NoveList expert guide you in developing, implementing, and measuring an effective strategy for telling your library's story in a way that's sustainable, tailored to your library's specific needs, and involves all staff. Learn more about live course options with your institution.