I was anxious to work on this week's lesson because I love NoveList Plus. I work in a middle school library and this is the first tab I open after I sign into the library catalog. As much as I use the site I was pleased to have the opportunity to explore more than I do during my normal workday. I started by looking up the Pendragon series which is very popular with the students. They often ask for a book in the series by the number and not the title. By using the "view" component and the "Title Only" option I am able to get a list of the books in order making the job of finding the book requested so much quicker. The "Detailed" option is helpful by offering a summary of the book as well as a picture of the book's cover.

There are days when I have a line of students waiting to check out books and those wanting help finding books. When a student returns a book they really enjoyed they often ask if I have any similar books. The option of entering the author's name and getting a list of similar authors is so helpful. I have done searches using the "Read-alikes" option whether it's for an author or series and have been able to find lists of books that might be of interest to the students. I am going to encourage the students to do the searches so they can become familiar with this wonderful tool that is available to them. Many of the students don't know how to navigate this site but will a little instruction I do believe that my lines at the circulation desk could become shorter! :)

I was able to explore other options available on NoveList Plus and was excited to find out that I had just touched on the very basics. I did like the "Grid" option even though I often have to preface recommendations with "Please, don't judge a book by its cover". Sometimes students come in looking for a book that they saw someone else reading and the only help they can give me is what the cover looked like and maybe the author's name. This option could certainly help with that type of request. "Book Discussion Guides" would be a great resource for classroom teachers. Any opportunity to assist the students in their search for the "perfect book" is something that will be utilized by all! NoveList Plus is the database that offers such assistance!