Week 5 Prompt

Ebook only books, which are increasingly popular (especially in the romance genre) see little to no reviews in professional publications unless they have a big name author, and then still it's usually only RT Reviews (formally Romantic Times) or other genre heavy publications. How does this affect collection development?

Having little to no Ebook reviews in professional publications can negatively affect collection development. Also, reviews from non-professional publications could be taken into account, too. Many books have positive and negative reviews that would be useful when making decisions. Collection development should fulfill the needs of the community and be patron-driven. There are so many books out there from which to choose, it would be beneficial for any part of the collection to be built on reviews. The person in charge of collection development should not have to make choices blindly. Books that do not come from big name authors deserve a chance to become part of a library's circulation, and many patrons use materials solely in Ebook format. 

I have posted two more documents in the week five files. One is two reviews of an ebook only romantic suspense novel, one from a blog and one from amazon. Look over the reviews - do you feel they are both reliable? How likely would you be to buy this book for your library?

Both of the reviews are reliable, and both of them are positive in their own way. The Amazon reviewer, Deborah, seemed to be much more enamored with the book- it made her cry and she described it as "beautiful" and "sweet." 
The blog reviewer described it as "light & cozy," but admitted that she read it because it was short, and free for the Kindle. Ultimately, she seemed to be ambivalent about the plot; it was too Christmassy, the plot was odd, and the story was just OK. 
Although it seems to have positive reviews, I do not think I would purchase this for my library. It seems to apply to a specialized niche that would not appeal to a majority of patrons. Also, the title is free on Amazon, so most patrons that would want it could get it there. 

The other document contains some reviews of Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt, an incredibly popular memoir. These reviews are all from professional publications, feel free to find more on your own I just nabbed a few from the Book Review Digest database for you. How do these reviews make you feel about the possibility of adding Angela's Ashes to your collection?

The reviews of Angela's Ashes would persuade me to add the work to my library collection. Personally, I have not read this book, but the reviews had me checking my local library to see if it was available for checkout. It had me thinking about Frank's strength of spirit, and how he overcame the childhood he endured. The story is rich in heartache, triumph, and history, which could appeal to a vast amount of patrons. 

Do you think it's fair that one type of book is reviewed to death and other types of books get little to no coverage? How does this affect a library's collection?  And how do you feel about review sources that won't print negative content? Do you think that's appropriate? If you buy for your library, how often do you use reviews to make your decisions? If not, how do you feel about reviews for personal reading, and what are some of your favorite review sources?

I do not think it is fair that certain books are widely reviewed while others are not. I believe that in this lies the importance of non-professional book reviews such as Kirkus or GoodReads. This affects the library's collection because worthwhile books are overlooked for those that are highly reviewed- though those books are potentially worth high praise, as well. I think review sources that will not print negative content are not giving the reader a wide spectrum of opinions. Just because a review is bad, does not mean it is not legitimate. Some books that are widely popular are not thoroughly enjoyed by all who read it (example: when I read "Gone Girl"!). 
Usually when I read a new book, I go on the advice of my friends because we typically enjoy the same kinds of books across genres. When I was looking for a new horror book to read, I Googled "Top Horror Books of the Year" and went through a few lists, reading descriptions on different sites until I found one that sounded interesting (it is!). When I use review sources, I trust GoodReads and NoveList.