I Discovered an Awesome FREE Library Resource!
Over the years since college, I have slowly re-discovered my love of reading. College textbooks burned me out for a while, but since re-discovering our local library system, I've remembered how much fun it can be to just wander the aisles, grab a book of interest and spend a few quiet hours in your favorite room or coffee shop soaking in the words on the pages.
The library we live by is part of a large chain called the Metropolitian Library System, which is made up of 19 libraries in the Oklahoma City and surrounding area.
The other day, by sheer accident, I discovered one of the neatest FREE resources the library has to offer its members: TAILORED TITLES
It's a free (have I mentioned it's free??) service where you fill out an online survey with some basic information like your name, email, library card #, and a few other things.
Then the real fun begins! It asks you to provide information on what types of books you're looking for, and it gets pretty detailed. There's a ton of options based on the type of book you're looking for, the length of the book, age range you want, you can choose multiple genres, or ask for books comparable to your favorite TV show or movie, etc. The survey then has you list some authors and books that you like and dislike, explaining the reasoning for each.
With the next month being October and Halloween, I was feeling in the mood for some science-fiction/spooky books, and thought this would be a great opportunity to try it out. I've read a ton of the scary classics (think Jurassic Park, almost every Stephen King book, "The Ritual," etc) so I mentioned these, listed a few that I'd really enjoyed, and said I was looking to discover some new authors and books, specifically books that jump right into the action.
About 3 days later, I got my list back, and not knowing what to expect, I was thinking I'd get some automated list that would result in maybe one or two good suggestions... boy was I pleasantly surprised!
The list had been put together by an employee at one of the libraries (they signed their name, the library they worked at, and a phone number if I had any questions) and they provided me with a list of seven books, each with a brief description and their reasoning why I would like it.
I'll share my results at a later time, but I can say, I loved all the suggestions they made, and am already planning on using them in the future next time I need more reading suggestions!
And again, this resource isn't restricted to fiction. You could ask for self-help books, children's books, historical, Christian... the possibilities are endless! So if you're a member of the Metropolitian Library System, try this out and let me know what you think!
