Rediscovering the History of Readers Advisory Service

A critical mass of professional librarians is necessary for the long-term survival of readers advisory, and networking is central to maintaining an effective presence in the larger library community. When the historical record of readers advisory is consulted, more than a century of accounts by both critics and enthusiasts alike directly and indirectly support the contention that contemporary readers advisory service is best understood as an organized program promoting both fiction and nonfiction discretionary reading for the dual purposes of satisfying reader needs and advancing a culture's goal of a literate population. Even when perceived as a recreational activity, effective readers advisory is inevitably in the service of an educational end. Depending on local policies or service traditions, the beneficiaries of readers advisory guidance can include adults, young adults, and children.