In the Good Books Episode 1

Our first episode is live! Patrick, Sarah and I give you the first taste of how we work to find the best recommendations for library patrons looking to find new books.

Creating this podcast has been such a fun experience, mostly because Sarah, Patrick and I enjoy collaborating with each other. And, of course, because talking about books is pretty much the best way imaginable to spend your time.

I hope you enjoy our first episode. We’d love you to subscribe to the podcast through your usual podcast app, and leave us a rating and/or review if you’re so inclined.

Pop over to the YPRL website for more information, including the full list of books discussed in the episode.

In the Good Books – a podcast by Yarra Plenty Regional Library

Another podcast? Yes! I’ve teamed up with two of my fellow coordinators at Yarra Plenty Regional Library – Sarah Schmidt and Patrick Jovaras – to create a podcast all helping readers through their reading conundrums.

The project grew from our Book Valet service, where library members fill in a short survey about their current reading habits and likes/dislikes and one of the YPRL team recommends some books we think they would enjoy. Sarah, Patrick and I found ourself marvelling at how differently we each approached the surveys; not once did we select the same books for a person, but we all came up with a range of titles that met the criteria our patrons set for us. We started dissecting the process of book recommendations and realised that the most enjoyable part for us was the debates (both internally with ourselves and then externally with our coworkers in the office) on finding the perfect book. To us, these conversations were fascinating, and we thought other readers and librarians would enjoy exploring the art of recommending the perfect read. Thus, In the Good Books was born.

Our trailer for the podcast is available to listen to now, and you can subscribe to the podcast in all your regular podcast listening apps and websites including Apple iTunes, Spotify, Podbean and Podtail.